- 1 Collect consent with clear wording
- 2 Send a welcome text with opt-out info
- 3 Trigger texts on behaviour, cap frequency
- 4 Honour every opt-out quickly
- 5 Review revenue and unsubscribes per send
SMS marketing reaches customers on the one device they check all day. For an online store, a restaurant or a salon, a short text about a restock, a booking reminder or an order-ready alert gets seen fast. That reach comes with responsibility. Texting is personal and closely regulated in most countries, so the programme has to be built on clear consent. It suits D2C brands, local businesses and consumer apps with repeat purchases or bookings.
Why it works
Text messages land in a personal inbox with very little competition from other brands. Most people read them soon after they arrive. That makes SMS well suited to time-sensitive messages, such as a sale ending tonight, a table opening up or a cart left behind an hour ago.
The same closeness explains why a bad programme fails fast. People feel a badly timed promotional text as an intrusion. Each send risks an opt-out or a complaint, so the best programmes send fewer, more relevant messages to people who clearly asked for them.
How to do it
- Check the rules where your customers live. In the US, the TCPA generally requires prior express written consent for marketing texts, according to a BCLP legal briefing. In India, TRAI’s guidance for senders says businesses must register as a principal entity, register their header and message templates, and collect consent through a registered consent template before sending commercial messages. Other countries have their own rules, so check before you send.
- Collect consent with clear wording. Next to the phone field, state your brand name, what kind of texts people will get, roughly how often, that message and data rates may apply where relevant and how to opt out. Use an unticked checkbox or a keyword reply, and store the time, source and wording of each consent.
- Send a welcome text. Confirm the sign-up straight away, repeat how to opt out and deliver anything you promised, such as a discount code.
- Start with behaviour-based texts. Set up abandoned cart, back in stock, order shipped and booking reminders first. These are timely and useful, so they get fewer opt-outs than broad promotions.
- Cap promotional sends. Plan a few campaign texts a month at most, and send them at reasonable local times. Segment by purchase history so people get offers that match what they buy.
- Honour opt-outs fast and widely. Accept STOP and similar words, as well as opt-out requests made in other reasonable ways, such as by email or in store. The same BCLP briefing notes that US rules effective in April 2025 require businesses to honour revocation requests within ten business days at most. Make it immediate in your system.
- Measure every send. Track revenue, clicks and opt-outs per message, and compare SMS buyers with email-only customers over time.
Example
A local bakery with an online pre-order page adds a checkbox to its order form for “occasional texts about fresh batches and weekly specials from [bakery name]”. It sends a welcome text with a reply-STOP line. The main messages are a Friday text when weekend cakes open for pre-order and a same-day text when seasonal items come out of the oven. After a holiday text gets a spike in opt-outs, the owner cuts back to one promotional text a week and keeps the order-ready alerts.
A D2C supplement brand uses SMS mainly for replenishment reminders timed to when a bottle is likely to run out, with a one-tap reorder link.
Metrics to track
- Opt-in rate at checkout and on pop-ups. Shows whether your consent wording and offer are clear and appealing.
- Opt-out rate per send. The most important health signal. A rise after a campaign means it was too frequent or not relevant.
- Revenue or bookings per message sent. Compare across message types to find what earns its place.
- Repeat purchase rate of SMS subscribers versus similar customers without SMS.
When it backfires
- Texting without consent. Buying lists or texting checkout numbers without a marketing opt-in can lead to complaints, carrier blocking and, in some countries, costly lawsuits.
- Too many texts. Treating SMS like email drives people to opt out of the whole channel.
- Late-night or early sends. Texts at odd hours feel invasive. Schedule by the recipient’s time zone.
- Ignoring opt-outs from other channels. A customer who asks a shop assistant to stop texts should stop getting them. Train staff and connect your systems.
Questions people ask
Can I text customers who gave me their phone number at checkout?
A number given for delivery updates does not automatically allow marketing texts. In the US, for example, marketing texts generally need prior express written consent, so add a separate, unticked opt-in for promotions and keep a record of it.
How often should I send marketing texts?
Less often than email. Many brands start with a few texts a month plus behaviour-based messages like abandoned cart. Watch opt-out rates after each send and pull back if they rise.
What should be in every marketing text?
Your brand name, a clear reason for the message, a link or action and a way to opt out, such as reply STOP. Keep the message short and avoid shortened links from generic services, which can look like spam.