Setup, Customize, and Grow Sales

Folks have their telephones near them more often than not. When a textual content message pops up, they’re normally seen straight away. 

That type of fast engagement — and the potential income you might miss — is tough to disregard. Nonetheless, many Shopify shops barely scratch the floor of what Shopify SMS notifications can do. As a substitute, they solely depend on primary transactional texts. 

Sure, Shopify contains built-in SMS notifications. Nevertheless, they’re restricted, rigid, and never designed for growth-focused ecommerce manufacturers.

On this information, we’ll discover what Shopify SMS notifications are, how they work, and easy methods to set order standing notifications correctly. We’ll additionally look into the place native performance falls brief, how SMS automation instruments like Omnisend may help, and easy methods to flip SMS right into a critical income channel.

What are Shopify SMS notifications?

Shopify SMS notifications are textual content messages despatched mechanically to clients to supply order updates. 

When a client provides a telephone quantity at checkout as a substitute of an electronic mail, Shopify sends order confirmations by textual content. Particular occasions, comparable to order placement, success, affirmation, refunds, and exchanges, set off these notifications. Nevertheless, your retailer have to be in a supported nation. 

Retailer house owners don’t pay further charges for these native Shopify SMS order notifications. 

Sorts of Shopify SMS notifications

There’s just one true sort of Shopify SMS notification: the order affirmation message.

When a buyer checks out with a telephone quantity, Shopify sends a transactional textual content message to substantiate the order. The acquisition occasion triggers this message, and you may’t modify it.

For orders containing digital merchandise, order confirmations may also be despatched by way of SMS For instance, the shopper:

• Purchases a digital reward card: They obtain an SMS containing a hyperlink to the reward card
• Buys a digital obtain: The SMS affirmation hyperlinks to the Thank You web page, the place they will obtain the bought file

Shopify doesn’t natively ship delivery updates, promotional messages, or deserted cart SMS notifications.

Limitations of Shopify’s native SMS notifications

Though it’s free, Shopify’s SMS notifications have vital constraints:

• Texts are despatched provided that no electronic mail tackle is supplied
• Clients who present an electronic mail tackle can’t go for SMS
• Deserted checkout restoration by way of SMS isn’t supported
• Service is supported solely in particular nations
• Messages can’t be edited or personalized

To unlock customization, automation, and restoration flows, you should set up a transactional SMS app from the Shopify App Retailer. Right here’s a fast comparability of Shopify native SMS vs. a devoted SMS advertising and marketing platform like Omnisend:

The best way to arrange SMS notifications in Shopify 

Establishing Shopify’s native SMS notifications is easy. Nevertheless, your retailer should first meet sure Shopify necessities:

• The enterprise tackle is in a supported nation
• The checkout settings enable clients to enter a telephone quantity

The true limitation? These textual content alerts solely work when clients present a telephone quantity, not each a telephone quantity and an electronic mail tackle.

Step-by-step setup in Shopify admin

Right here’s easy methods to allow SMS order notification on Shopify:

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Checkout
2. Within the Buyer contact technique part, choose Cellphone quantity or electronic mail (This provides clients the choice to enter a telephone quantity at checkout as a substitute of an electronic mail tackle)
3. Click on Save
4. Go to Settings > Notifications
5. In Buyer notifications, choose Order affirmation (underneath Order processing)

6. Click on the SMS tab to confirm that SMS notifications are energetic 

• They’re enabled by default when you’ve allowed telephone quantity checkout

• If utilizing third-party texting apps, flip off Shopify order affirmation SMS notifications right here to keep away from duplicate texts

7. Place a take a look at order utilizing a telephone quantity solely (no electronic mail) to substantiate that the SMS sends appropriately

Customizing your SMS sender ID

Shopify mechanically generates an SMS Sender ID based mostly in your retailer identify. 

IDs longer than 11 characters are truncated, and non‑alphanumeric symbols are eliminated. 

In some nations, dynamic sender IDs aren’t supported. This implies clients might even see a numeric telephone quantity as a substitute. 

To maximise recognition, maintain your retailer identify brief, easy, and model‑constant.

Why native Shopify SMS notifications aren’t sufficient for ecommerce development

Shopify’s native SMS notifications remedy one drawback. They ship order confirmations to clients who present a telephone quantity as a substitute of an electronic mail at checkout. That’s helpful, nevertheless it’s additionally the place the performance ends.

There’s no help for promotions, segmentation, automation, or analytics. With out these, SMS can’t develop into an actual income channel. 

So, is the Shopify SMS setup sufficient for advertising and marketing?

The brief reply is not any. Shopify is dependent upon third-party SMS marketing apps to increase performance. A devoted platform that goes past primary confirmations is crucial, particularly for rising manufacturers.

What a devoted SMS advertising and marketing platform provides

A purpose-built platform like Omnisend goes far past order standing notifications. It transforms textual content messaging from a primary notification instrument right into a income channel. Right here’s what it brings: 

• Automated SMS workflows: Affords automated SMS messages for welcome, cart restoration, winback, and post-purchase follow-ups 
• Viewers segmentation: Targets clients based mostly on buy historical past, shopping conduct, lifecycle stage, and engagement
• Customizable message templates: Crafts on-brand, personalised messages with product suggestions and dynamic content material
• Actual-time analytics with income attribution: Tracks income per SMS, measures conversion charges, and optimizes based mostly on knowledge
• World SMS attain: Sends messages to clients worldwide with out nation restrictions 
•  Compliance administration: Tracks consent, handles opt-outs, and complies with TCPA and GDPR

Omnisend presents all these options on a single platform and integrates seamlessly, eliminating the necessity to juggle a number of instruments.

Why combining electronic mail and SMS in a single platform drives extra income

Omnichannel automation issues. Manufacturers that use each electronic mail and SMS see 50x ROI from multi-message campaigns.

E mail handles longer narratives, detailed product showcases, and academic content material. SMS provides velocity, urgency, immediacy, and fast calls to motion that beat electronic mail litter.

Omnisend enables you to construct workflows that mix electronic mail, SMS, and push notifications. This coordinated method explains why retailers utilizing Omnisend report incomes $79 for each $1 spent.

Instance: Cart restoration can begin with an electronic mail, adopted by an SMS a couple of hours later, after which a push notification if no motion is taken. See this multi-channel circulate in Omnisend:

Finest practices for Shopify SMS notifications

Establishing Shopify SMS notifications is just the beginning. Optimizing them is what drives outcomes. This includes being deliberate with message crafting, timing, and compliance.

Crafting efficient SMS messages

What makes SMS notification? It’s clear, concise, and action-driven. Right here’s easy methods to make it depend: 

• Lead with worth: Put the low cost, replace, or pressing reminder first
• Preserve it brief: Use the usual 160 SMS characters properly, or change to MMS for richer content material 
• Personalize: Add names, reference orders, or tailor suggestions based mostly on buy historical past
• Embrace a CTA: Inform clients what to do subsequent, and embrace a trackable hyperlink to measure efficiency 

For inspiration, take a look at proven SMS templates that observe these guidelines and convert constantly.

Timing and frequency that maximize engagement

SMS is an interruptive channel, so what you ship issues as a lot as if you ship. Listed here are a couple of issues: 

• Finest sending window: Weekdays, 9 AM to 12 PM and 5 PM to 9 PM (native time)
• Deserted cart SMS: Inside one to 6 hours of abandonment
• Promotional campaigns: Restrict to 2 to 4 per thirty days

Keep in mind, message fatigue is actual. In actual fact, 23% of consumers would cease supporting a model that sends too many messages. 

Importantly, segmentation ensures relevance. Ship the suitable message to the suitable viewers, not your total listing. A robust SMS notification technique prioritizes precision over quantity.

Staying compliant with SMS laws

Compliance is non-negotiable in Shopify SMS advertising and marketing:

• Receive express opt-in earlier than sending advertising and marketing texts
• Embrace opt-out language in each message (like “Reply STOP”)
• Observe TCPA (USA), GDPR (EU), and CASL (Canada) laws

A 2025 SimpleTexting research exhibits that 84% of consumers are open to texts from trusted companies. Due to this fact, a consent-first method doesn’t restrict your attain. It builds a extra engaged, higher-converting subscriber base.

Platforms like Omnisend simplify compliance with built-in opt-out administration and consent monitoring. This cuts dangers as you develop.

Shopify SMS notification methods that drive gross sales

Shopify SMS notifications don’t must cease at order confirmations. When used strategically, they will rapidly turn into a high-performing advertising and marketing channel.

Deserted cart SMS restoration 

Deserted cart SMS is among the highest-converting ecommerce automations. Trade benchmarks present conversion charges starting from 24.6% to 39.4%.

The best method is a staggered, omnichannel sequence:

• E mail reminder inside one hour of abandonment
• SMS follow-up on the six-hour mark with a direct checkout hyperlink
• Push notification at 24 hours for customers who nonetheless haven’t transformed

The principle purpose abandoned cart SMS messages work is as a result of they’re well timed and direct. 

A great instance is INGLOT Canada. The cosmetics model generated 2,130% increased income per message by combining electronic mail and SMS in Omnisend’s cart restoration flows.

Submit-purchase and transactional notifications

SMS can also be highly effective after a sale. Transactional SMS builds belief, for one, and opens the door to repeat purchases. Past order confirmations, you should utilize SMS to:

• Request evaluations
• Ship loyalty rewards
• Cross‑promote complementary merchandise
• Share delivery or supply updates

Use post-purchase SMS strategies to construct belief, scale back help inquiries, and improve buyer lifetime worth.

Promotional campaigns and flash gross sales by way of SMS

Promotional SMS works particularly properly for urgency-driven campaigns, together with:

• Product launches
• Again-in-stock alerts
• VIP exclusives
• Flash gross sales

Right here’s Omnisend’s intuitive content material builder, displaying a preview of a flash message:

The aforementioned SimpleTexting research discovered that the majority companies (36%) report common SMS advertising and marketing click-through charges between 21% and 35%. That makes time‑delicate campaigns, like flash gross sales, among the many highest-performing codecs out there. 

The bottom line is segmentation. Contemplate a back-in-stock alert despatched solely to clients who beforehand seen that product. It’ll convert at a better charge than a broadcast to your total listing.

At all times run promotional SMS alongside electronic mail to maximise attain and reinforce urgency.

Measuring the impression of your SMS notification technique

You may’t optimize what you don’t measure. Monitoring the suitable metrics ensures you already know what’s working and the place to refine.

Key efficiency metrics to trace 

To search out out in case your SMS notifications ecommerce program is driving engagement, deal with:

• Supply charge: Share of messages efficiently delivered
• Click on-through charge (CTR): Share of recipients clicking hyperlinks inside your texts
• Conversion charge: Share of clicks that lead to purchases
• Income per message (RPM): Whole income divided by messages despatched
• Subscriber development charge: Web new opt-ins over time
• Choose-out charge: Share of subscribers who unsubscribe
• ROI: Income generated versus SMS prices

Utilizing knowledge to optimize your SMS flows

SMS efficiency metrics solely matter in the event you act on them. Listed here are a couple of methods you should utilize this knowledge to information your technique: 

• Use segmentation insights, like lifecycle stage, to refine concentrating on
• A/B take a look at message copy, timing, and presents to see what resonates
• Monitor decide‑out charges as a well being verify for relevance and message fatigue

A structured SMS notification workflow makes optimization simpler. Platforms like Omnisend present real-time dashboards that tie each click on and conversion to particular textual content messages. This makes ROI clear and actionable.

Begin sending Shopify SMS notifications that truly develop income

Shopify’s native SMS notifications are a helpful start line. Nevertheless, they’re not constructed for ecommerce development.

For that, you’ll want to flip easy order confirmations right into a high-performing income channel. This requires automation, segmentation, world supply, and unified electronic mail + SMS flows in a single place.

Omnisend provides you all that, plus a free plan with entry to all core ecommerce options. This lets you begin driving outcomes with out upfront funding.

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