Key takeaways
- SMS needs explicit consent: collect it separately from email, with clear opt-out instructions.
- Start with automated flows — welcome, abandoned checkout and shipping updates — before campaigns.
- Send fewer, better messages than email; SMS costs per message and fatigues faster.
- Coordinate SMS with email so customers aren't sent the same offer twice in an hour.
- In India, commercial SMS requires DLT registration of your sender ID and message templates.
Text messages land on the lock screen and are usually read within minutes, which makes SMS powerful for time-sensitive moments: a launch, a restock, an abandoned checkout. It is also personal, so it needs more care than email. Done badly, SMS gets unsubscribes; done well, it becomes one of your highest-earning channels.
Get consent right
Rules vary by country, but the principle is the same everywhere: only text people who have clearly agreed to marketing messages, and make opting out easy.
- United States: The TCPA requires express written consent for marketing texts; fines for breaches are significant.
- United Kingdom: PECR requires consent for marketing texts, with a limited exception for existing customers buying similar products.
- India: Commercial SMS must go through DLT registration with your telecom operator: your business, sender ID and message templates are registered before you send.
Choose your tool
If you already use Klaviyo for email, its SMS features keep both channels in one place with shared segments and reporting. Dedicated SMS apps such as Postscript and Attentive offer deeper SMS features for larger programmes. Whatever you choose, it should sync with Shopify's customer data and support consent collection at checkout.
The flows to set up first
- Welcome: Confirm the subscription and deliver any promised offer immediately.
- Abandoned checkout: A short reminder with a link back to the checkout, a few hours after it was abandoned.
- Shipping updates: Order confirmed, shipped and delivered — useful messages that build trust.
- Back in stock: Tell subscribers the moment a product they wanted returns.
- Win-back: A personal nudge to customers who haven't ordered in a while.
Campaigns: less is more
- Send campaigns for genuine moments: launches, drops, early access and key sales.
- Keep messages short, clear and branded, with one link.
- Respect quiet hours in each customer's time zone.
- Segment by engagement — not everyone needs every message.
Make SMS and email work together
Use email for storytelling, product detail and regular newsletters; use SMS for urgency and convenience. In your flows, add conditions so customers who open the email aren't also texted the same message. Our Klaviyo email flows guide covers the email side.
Measure what matters
- Revenue per message and per recipient, not just click rate.
- Unsubscribe rate after each campaign.
- List growth and the share of customers subscribed to SMS.
Frequently asked questions
Is SMS marketing worth it for Shopify stores?
For many stores, yes — especially for launches, restocks and abandoned checkouts — as long as it is used sparingly and with clear consent.
How often should I send marketing texts?
Far less often than email. Focus on automated flows and a few campaigns a month for genuine moments.
Do I need permission to send SMS to customers?
Yes. Marketing texts need clear consent in the US, the UK, the EU and India, and every message must make opting out easy.
Our Klaviyo email and SMS marketing team sets up compliant SMS programmes and runs them alongside email every month.
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Jay Patel