A test in December taught Wal-Mart that it can get closer to its customers with cellphone text messages or it could completely turn them off.
According to Storefront BackTalk, an unnamed manager working on the trial, said, "We were sending 10-15 in about three or four text messages. We learned that three messages is where the consumer says, 'I've heard enough from you, Mr. Retailer.'"
The anonymous manager said the mobile trial involved hundreds of thousands of consumers. "About 10 percent of those we approached went for it," she said.
Interestingly, while consumers wanted Wal-Mart to limit the number of messages, they didn't mind if there was more than one waiting when they checked their texts.
The manager said that consumers only check their text messages every few hours so having several waiting was not overly annoying. "The compressed time period alienated people less," she told the site.
Discussion Questions: Are you surprised that "hundreds of thousands" of Wal-Mart customers would be willing to participate in a mobile messaging advertising test? About 10 percent of those approached took part in the Wal-Mart test. Is this percentage about what you would expect in terms of consumer willingness to receive ad messages through their cellphones? What do you see as the most important learning from the Wal-Mart test?