How to Set Up SMS Marketing on Shopify

SMS marketing is the highest open-rate channel in digital marketing: 98% of text messages are read, typically within 3 minutes of delivery. For Shopify stores, setting up SMS campaigns means reaching customers at the moment they're most likely to act; a restock alert, a flash sale, or an abandoned cart recovery text can convert at rates that email rarely matches.

This guide covers exactly how to set up SMS marketing on Shopify, which apps to use, what compliance requirements apply, and how to build a subscriber list from scratch.

What Is SMS Marketing and Why Does It Matter for Shopify?

SMS marketing uses text messaging to communicate directly with customers, offering a personal channel that significantly boosts engagement and conversion rates. With open rates far surpassing email, it's a channel that compounds with your other marketing efforts rather than replacing them.

Integrating SMS marketing into your Shopify store can yield a substantial return on investment. Industry benchmarks show SMS click-through rates of 19-36% for promotional messages, compared to 2-5% for email campaigns targeting the same audience. For abandoned cart recovery specifically, SMS typically recovers 5-10% of abandoned carts, roughly 2-4x the recovery rate of email alone.

How Does Shopify Handle SMS Marketing Natively?

Shopify's native marketing tools have evolved significantly. As of 2024, Shopify does not offer a standalone SMS campaign builder in all markets; the SMS campaign option referenced in older guides has been rolled into the Shopify Email app and is not available in all regions. In the US and most international markets, SMS marketing on Shopify is handled through dedicated third-party apps that integrate directly with your store's customer data and order events.

If you're in a market where Shopify does offer native SMS campaigns, here's the basic flow:

1. Start a New Campaign: Go to the Marketing section in Shopify, then click on Create campaign.

2. Choose Campaign Type: From the drop-down menu, select SMS Marketing Campaign.

3. Name Your Activity: Choose a name that reflects your campaign's goal, like the product you're promoting or the event you're announcing.

4. Identify Your Audience: Use your existing lists and segments from SMS & Email. Tailor your campaign to specific groups for better conversion rates.

5. Timing is Key: Schedule your campaign's delivery time, keeping your customers' locations in mind.

6. Craft Your Message: Customize your message to fit your brand's voice, including a brand identifier, personalization tags ({FirstName}), a clear call to action with an https link, and a STOP opt-out instruction.

7. Once you are finished setting up your campaign, click on Publish activity.

Which SMS Marketing Apps Work Best With Shopify?

Choosing the right third-party app for SMS marketing is a critical step in setting up your campaign. Here are the leading options with key differences:

• Postscript: Built exclusively for Shopify. Starts at $100/month for up to 2,000 SMS sends. Strong automation (abandoned cart, back-in-stock, post-purchase flows) and deep Shopify data integration. Best for Shopify-focused brands doing significant volume.
• Yotpo SMS & Email: Combines SMS and email in one platform. Free plan available; paid plans start at $16/month. Good for stores that want unified messaging without managing two separate tools.
• Klaviyo: The most powerful segmentation and automation platform, with SMS fully integrated alongside email. Free for up to 150 SMS/month; paid SMS plans start at $15/month for 1,250 credits. Best for stores that already use Klaviyo for email.
• SMSBump (by Yotpo): Pay-as-you-go pricing at $0.0149 per SMS in the US. No monthly fees, ideal for small stores testing SMS for the first time.

The setup process for any of these apps is consistent:

1. Install the app from the Shopify App Store.
2. Connect it to your Shopify store (one-click OAuth authorization).
3. Configure compliance settings and opt-in language before collecting any subscribers.
4. Import or sync your existing consented customer list.
5. Set up your first automated flow (abandoned cart is typically the highest-ROI starting point).
6. Launch your first broadcast campaign to your subscriber list.

How Do You Build an SMS Subscriber List for Your Shopify Store?

You cannot import phone numbers without explicit consent; every subscriber must opt in specifically for SMS marketing. The fastest ways to grow your Shopify SMS list:

• Checkout opt-in checkbox: Add an SMS consent checkbox to your Shopify checkout. Customers who check it are automatically added to your SMS list. This is the most consistent source of new subscribers.
• Pop-up with SMS offer: Offer a 10-15% discount in exchange for an SMS opt-in. Most SMS apps include a pop-up builder for this.
• Keyword campaigns: Promote a keyword (e.g., "Text SAVE to 12345 for 15% off") on packaging, social media, or in-store. Texting the keyword triggers an auto-reply and adds the subscriber.
• Post-purchase opt-in: Add an SMS opt-in prompt to your order confirmation page or post-purchase email, where customer trust is highest.

SMS Campaign Examples for Shopify Stores

The fastest way to understand what makes SMS marketing work is to see actual message templates. Here are five campaign types that consistently perform well for Shopify stores, along with example copy:

1. Flash Sale

Send 1-2 hours before the sale ends, not at the start. Time pressure drives action.

"[Brand]: 20% off everything ends TONIGHT at midnight. No code needed; discount auto-applies. Shop now: [link] Reply STOP to opt out."

2. Abandoned Cart Recovery

Send 30-60 minutes after abandonment. Personalization lifts conversion rates significantly.

"Hi [FirstName], you left something behind! Your [Product Name] is still in your cart. Grab it before it sells out: [cart link] Reply STOP to unsubscribe."

3. Back-in-Stock Alert

Send immediately when the item restocks. Customers who signed up have high intent.

"[Brand]: Good news! [Product Name] is back in stock! These sell out fast. Shop now: [link] Reply STOP to opt out."

4. VIP Early Access

Rewarding SMS subscribers with exclusive access builds list loyalty and reduces opt-outs.

"[FirstName], as a VIP subscriber you get 24-hour early access to our new collection before anyone else. Shop first: [link] Reply STOP to opt out."

5. Post-Purchase Follow-Up (Cross-Sell)

Send 3-5 days after delivery, when the customer has experienced the product.

"Love your [Product Name]? Customers who bought it also love [Related Product], and it's 15% off this week for you: [link] Reply STOP to opt out."

Every message should include: your brand name, a clear call to action with a direct link, and a STOP opt-out instruction. Keep messages under 160 characters where possible; longer messages split into multiple parts, which some carriers display oddly and which cost more per send.

What ROI Should You Expect from SMS Marketing?

SMS marketing delivers some of the strongest ROI in eCommerce when the channel is set up correctly. Industry benchmarks to use as targets:

• Open rate: 98% (vs. 20-25% for email)
• Click-through rate: 19-36% for promotional messages (vs. 2-5% for email)
• Abandoned cart recovery rate: 5-10% of abandoned carts recovered by SMS (vs. 2-4% by email alone)
• Average ROI: $71 per $1 spent for eCommerce SMS campaigns at scale (Attentive benchmark, 2023)
• Opt-out rate: 2-5% per campaign is normal; above 8% signals your message frequency or relevance needs adjustment

New SMS programs typically take 60-90 days to show full ROI because list growth is the main constraint early on. Your first 100 subscribers won't move revenue meaningfully. At 500-1,000 subscribers, you'll see meaningful campaign results. At 5,000+, SMS becomes one of your most predictable revenue channels.

The fastest path to positive ROI: set up an abandoned cart SMS flow on day one. It requires almost no subscriber list to work; it fires automatically based on cart behavior and pays back its setup cost within the first month for most stores.

What Are the Best Practices for SMS Marketing?

Obtain Explicit Consent

Explicit written consent is not optional; it's a legal requirement under TCPA in the US. This means your opt-in form or checkout checkbox must clearly state that the customer is agreeing to receive marketing text messages from your store, with your brand name visible. Implied consent (e.g., having a customer's phone number from an order) is not sufficient for marketing messages. Use TCPA-compliant opt-in language provided by your SMS app, and keep records of how and when each subscriber consented; this documentation protects you if a compliance complaint arises.

Personalize Your Messages

Generic broadcast messages ("20% off everything") perform, but personalized messages perform significantly better. At minimum, use the customer's first name. More advanced personalization uses purchase history; a customer who previously bought coffee beans should see a different message than one who bought kitchen equipment. Postscript and Klaviyo both support behavior-based segmentation that makes this personalization automatic. Even simple segmentation, separating customers who've purchased before from those who haven't, lifts engagement rates measurably.

Keep Messages Concise

SMS is built for brevity. A single SMS is 160 characters; messages longer than that split into multiple parts, which increases cost and can display oddly. Aim for 100-140 characters for broadcast campaigns. For longer messages like abandoned cart sequences where context matters, 160-220 characters is acceptable; that's still 1-2 sentences, not a paragraph. The structure that works: [Brand name] + [one-sentence hook] + [direct link] + [STOP opt-out]. Everything else is noise.

Provide Clear Opt-Out Options

Every message must include opt-out instructions, legally required under TCPA and good practice regardless. "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" is the standard format that all major SMS platforms recognize automatically. When a customer texts STOP, their opt-out must be immediate and permanent; you cannot send further marketing messages. Honor opt-outs immediately, not at the next billing cycle. Customers who opt out due to a poor experience are often recoverable through email if the relationship was otherwise positive; badgering them with texts after they've asked to stop guarantees a permanent loss.

Time Your Messages Appropriately

TCPA prohibits sending between 9pm and 8am in the recipient's local time zone; violation is illegal regardless of whether the customer opted in. Beyond legal requirements, timing affects conversion rates significantly. Flash sale alerts perform best 1-2 hours before deadline. Abandoned cart recovery texts sent within 30-60 minutes of abandonment recover 2-3x more carts than messages sent the next day. Back-in-stock alerts should fire immediately. For general broadcast campaigns, Tuesday through Thursday between 10am and noon or 6pm to 8pm local time consistently outperforms other windows.

Integrate with Other Marketing Channels

SMS works best as part of a coordinated marketing system, not as a standalone channel. A common high-converting sequence: customer abandons cart, email sent at 1 hour, SMS sent at 3 hours, final email at 24 hours. The email and SMS reinforce each other without being redundant if the messaging is different; email allows more detail (product imagery, full description), SMS delivers urgency and a direct link. Stores that run SMS alongside email report 15-25% higher cart recovery rates than those running either channel alone.

Monitor and Adjust Based on Feedback

The metrics that matter most for SMS: click-through rate (benchmark: 19-36%), opt-out rate (healthy: under 5% per campaign), and revenue per message sent. If your opt-out rate is climbing above 5%, it usually means you're either sending too frequently or your offers aren't relevant enough. A/B test one variable at a time; offer type, send time, or message copy, before changing multiple things. Most SMS apps include built-in analytics that track these metrics per campaign; review them after every broadcast to build a picture of what resonates with your specific audience.

What Are the SMS Compliance Requirements for Shopify Stores?

In the US, SMS marketing is regulated by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Key requirements:

• You must have prior express written consent before sending any marketing texts; verbal or implied consent is not sufficient under TCPA
• Every message must include an opt-out instruction (e.g., "Reply STOP to unsubscribe")
• You cannot send messages between 9pm and 8am in the recipient's local time zone
• Fines for TCPA violations start at $500 per message and can reach $1,500 per willful violation

All major Shopify SMS apps (Postscript, Klaviyo, Yotpo) include built-in TCPA compliance tools: quiet hours enforcement, opt-out handling, and compliant opt-in language. Pay close attention to compliance requirements before launching any campaign, and use the compliance features your app provides rather than managing them manually.

Getting Started With SMS Marketing on Shopify

Setting up SMS marketing for your Shopify store opens a direct communication channel with your customers that no algorithm controls. Unlike social media reach or email deliverability, a text message goes straight to the customer's phone.

Start with an abandoned cart SMS flow; it's the fastest path to positive ROI, requires almost no subscriber list to get started, and lets you learn what messaging works for your audience before you invest in broadcast campaigns. As your list grows past 500 subscribers, layer in flash sale alerts and back-in-stock notifications. At 2,000+, segmentation and personalization start compounding your results significantly. Build the list, stay compliant, and keep messages tight.