SMS marketing platforms for ecommerce
This page covers the category. For practice and consent in more depth, read SMS marketing for ecommerce. For where retention fits in the wider plan, see our customer retention strategy for ecommerce.
What does it do?
In plain terms, the software does four jobs:
- Collects consent. Sign-up forms and checkout options.
- Holds the list. Who agreed, to what, and when.
- Sends messages. Campaigns, and automated flows such as an abandoned cart flow or a win-back campaign.
- Reports. Which messages led to orders.
Shopify's Help Center, a vendor source, describes adding an SMS marketing sign-up checkbox to the checkout2.
Why do e-commerce brands use it?
Our view: because a text is short, direct and hard to miss. For a time-limited message, such as a back-in-stock alert, that can matter.
It is also a second route to a customer you already have, beside email. The reason to use it is repeat revenue, not a bigger list.
How do we implement it?
Check the conditions
Do you have a consent process you trust, an email programme, and products people reorder? If not, start elsewhere.
Design consent first
Decide where and how people agree and what they are told. Your lawyer reviews the wording and the rules for your countries.
Connect and set rules
Link the platform to your shop. Plan which messages go out, how often and to whom, and honour withdrawals at once.
Measure against a holdout
Check what orders SMS caused, not only what it was credited with. Use a holdout group where you can.
When should you not use it?
Do not start if you have no consent process you trust. Fix that first.
Do not start if you have no email programme yet. Our view: get the first channel right before adding a second.
Do not start if your products are bought rarely and there is nothing to message about between orders.
If you are unsure, talk to us. See our ecommerce retention agency service page for scope.
What does it cost in effort?
No figures. Message pricing and limits come from the provider's contract, not from guides. The effort is:
- Consent design. Decide where and how people agree, and what they are told.
- List hygiene. Record consent, honour withdrawals and keep clean records.
- Integration. Connect the platform to the shop, so orders and carts feed the right messages.
- Content and rules. Plan which messages, how often, and who gets them.
- Measurement. Check what orders SMS caused, not only what it was credited with.
Pitfalls
US-shaped advice
Shopify's SMS guide, for example, cites US laws3. Rules differ across EU countries, so ask your lawyer about yours.
Weak consent
CNIL's guidance says consent must be free, specific, informed and unambiguous, that pre-ticked boxes are not acceptable, and that accepting general terms and conditions is not consent1. That is one regulator's view of French law, not a rule for every country.
Skipping the exception check
CNIL also says consent is not needed for messages to existing customers about products and services similar to what they already bought, as long as they can object simply and free of charge when their details are collected and in every message1. The soft opt-in is the related idea in EU law, and national rules differ. Whether it covers SMS for you is a question for your lawyer.
Hard to leave
Our view: people must be able to withdraw simply, and your tool must honour that at once.
Vendor risk talk
The vendor guide that warns of legal risk quotes US penalties under the TCPA4. Read it as a prompt to check your own rules, not as legal advice.
Counting credit
Messages sent to existing customers can claim sales that would have happened anyway. Our view: compare against a holdout group where you can.
Our take: Selective
In our view, SMS marketing platforms are Selective. That is our rating, not a market fact.
Our reasoning: SMS needs its own consent, and sending usually costs money per message. Shopify's own SMS guide frames the legal requirements around US laws such as the TCPA3. A guide from a reviews-software vendor says SMS gets expensive fast and carries legal risk that most guides gloss over4. Those are good reasons to use it only where it clearly earns its place, and to start with email if you have not.
For ZFD: Retention is in our offer, including tool set-up. Consent decisions always rest with your lawyer.
FAQ
What is an SMS marketing platform?
It is software for collecting consent, holding the list, sending text messages and reporting on them.
Do I need consent to send marketing SMS?
CNIL's guidance for France says prior consent is needed for advertising SMS to consumers, with an exception for existing customers and similar products1. Rules differ by country, so ask your lawyer.
Can I pre-tick the consent box?
No. CNIL says you must not anticipate consent with pre-ticked boxes, and recommends a checkbox the person ticks1. Check your own country's rules too.
Does Shopify collect SMS consent?
Shopify's Help Center describes an SMS marketing sign-up checkbox at checkout, and says that if you send abandoned cart reminders you need to change the text next to the consent checkbox2. The wording still needs your lawyer's review.
Is SMS better than email?
It depends on the brand and the message. Our view: start with email, and add SMS where it has a clear job.
Let’s find what’s actually working.
Next step. Want help deciding whether SMS has a place in your retention plan? Talk to us about your setup.