As an ecommerce founder or marketer, you have to grapple with several recurring challenges, such as:

• High cart abandonment rates
• Unsuccessful email campaigns 
• Low customer retention
• Unexpected crises, such as shipping delays or product recalls.

These issues derail well-strategized marketing campaigns and leave your team overwhelmed. 

You may have tried different communication channels, such as email, social media, or paid ads, to solve these issues. However, they may not have been as effective because there are several touchpoints in the customer journey, each requiring a unique and personalized approach.

So, what's the ideal solution? It's SMS marketing automation.

By using automated SMS messages, you can combat cart abandonment with timely reminders, provide real-time updates, nurture customer loyalty, and handle crises effectively—without adding to your team’s workload.

In this article, we’ll explain why SMS marketing automation is necessary. We will also explore some top-rated tools that can help you overcome these challenges.

Why SMS marketing automation is essential for ecommerce growth?

Research shows that SMS open rates are as high as 98%, compared to just 20% for email. Additionally, about 75% of consumers are comfortable receiving SMS messages from brands as long as they’ve opted in. 

Evidently, SMS is a direct, effective way to reach customers and drive engagement. When combined with automation, it allows businesses to deliver timely, personalized messages that improve the customer experience.

Let’s look at some reasons why you need to try SMS marketing automation for your ecommerce business:

Higher conversion rates

As per Validity Research data, 52% of customers were influenced to purchase a product, 38% were influenced to buy a service, and 23% were influenced to buy a subscription. 

However, reaching this level of influence manually isn't feasible. You need to deliver the right message to the right customer segment at precisely the right moment. That's where SMS marketing automation tools come in.

With SMS marketing automation, you can trigger flash sales or limited-time offers.

Also, using customer data from SMS marketing automation tools, you can suggest products based on past purchases and gently nudge customers of their abandoned shopping carts, which can recapture lost sales.

Retention & loyalty building

With SMS marketing automation, you can send various automated SMS messages, such as welcome offers, event updates, thank you messages, etc., that help your customers feel exclusive and appreciated. 

Through SMS marketing automation tools, you can also send personalized offers on birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions—building a long-term relationship with customers and promoting brand loyalty. 

Create an omnichannel marketing strategy through integration 

While SMS marketing is highly effective, it works even better when combined with a broader omnichannel strategy. SMS marketing automation tools let you combine SMS with email, social media, or in-app notifications to create seamless and consistent communication across all touchpoints, creating a cohesive brand experience.

Cost-effectiveness

Automated SMS messages are highly cost-effective. Most SMS marketing automation tools charge based on the number of messages (volume-based pricing). 

So, you can start small and easily scale your efforts as your ecommerce business grows. 

Real-time updates and crisis management

SMS marketing is ideal for real-time updates and time-sensitive situations such as flash sales, last-minute offers, or important notifications (e.g., product recalls or shipping delays). It can also be used for crisis management, where clear and timely communication is essential.
‍

💡Fun fact: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Starbucks leveraged SMS to communicate with customers about store closures, operational changes, and new safety protocols. The company also informed customers about curbside pickup and mobile ordering options to ensure they could still get their coffee safely. 

Personalization at scale

SMS marketing automation tools collect customer data from platforms like Shopify. You get information about your customers' past purchases, website visits, and abandoned carts. 

You can use this data to personalize customer messages and increase the likelihood of a purchase. 

Set up SMS marketing automation: A step-by-step guide 

Now, let’s explore how you can set up SMS marketing automation easily: 

Choose the right SMS marketing platform

A robust SMS marketing automation platform can streamline your SMS marketing efforts and provide you with data to personalize your messages. 

• Look for a platform with an intuitive user interface. 
• Ensure the platform offers advanced automation features like trigger-based messages and drip campaigns.
• If it comes with features like an AI writing assistant to help you create impactful and personalized copy, that is a big plus. 
• The platform should seamlessly integrate with your existing CRM, ecommerce system, or other marketing tools.
• Finally, the platform should help you manage consent and comply with regulations like GDPR or TCPA.

Map the customer journey 

Understanding your customer’s journey is crucial for creating relevant, timely SMS campaigns and outreach messaging. Map out each touchpoint where SMS can enhance the customer experience.

Here’s how you can map the customer journey:

1. Break down the customer journey into stages like awareness, consideration, purchase, and retention.
2. For each stage, identify what triggers a message—a website visit, cart abandonment, or purchase completion.
3. Define your goals for each message, such as driving sales, nurturing leads, or encouraging customer feedback.

Segment your audience

By segmenting your SMS subscribers, you can personalize your messages, leading to better resonance and response from diverse customer groups.

Some criteria to segment your audience:

• Demographics: Age, gender, location
• Behavior: Purchase history, browsing habits
• Engagement: Customers who open messages regularly vs. those who don’t
• Stage in the customer journey: New leads vs. loyal customers

Create engaging messages

Crafting engaging SMS messages requires brevity, clarity, and a strong call to action. Since the character count is limited to 160 characters, every word must be purposeful.

Follow these best practices for creating SMS messages:

• Use the recipient’s name or reference their past interactions to create a more personalized message.
• Increase urgency with phrases like "limited-time offer" or "expires soon" can drive immediate action.
• Add an actionable CTA
• Include shortened links to product pages, sign-ups, or offers. A short link fits the word limit of messages and also makes the text visually appealing. Use URL shortener tools like Bitly. 

💡Example: "Hi [Name], your order is confirmed! Get 10% off your next purchase using code THANKYOU10. Shop now: [Link]."

Test and optimize campaigns

To ensure the success of your SMS marketing automation, continuously measure key metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. A/B test various text messages and optimizes them based on user responses. 

Here are a few areas you can test:

• Message content: Try different variations of text, tone, and CTAs.
• Send time: Experiment with sending messages at different times of the day. The most effective times to send SMS messages are generally between 12 PM and 1 PM and also during the early evening hours of 6 PM to 8 PM. Tuesday and Saturday are identified as the best days for SMS marketing.
• Frequency: 96% of customers have felt annoyed by brands’ SMS messages, and the number one reason was “messaging too frequently.” 6 to 8 messages per month is often considered ideal for maximizing revenue per send while keeping opt-out rates low. 
• Segment performance: Analyze how different segments respond to various campaigns. For example, send different messages to different segments and measure open rates and click-through rates to test effectiveness. 

Ensure compliance 

Compliance with SMS marketing laws is critical to avoid penalties and maintain customer trust. To avoid potential fines, familiarize yourself with regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the US or GDPR in Europe.

Key compliance points include:

• Ensure you have opt-in consent from your customers before sending any marketing messages. You can add the opt-in forms on website homepages and emails. 
• Always provide a clear and easy way for customers to opt out or unsubscribe from messages. Don’t forget to add an ‘opt-out’ or ‘unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of each message. 
• Inform customers upfront about how often they can expect to receive messages. You can add the frequency of the message to the opt-in form or mention this in the confirmation email. 

Top 7 SMS marketing automation tools for ecommerce

To help you choose the perfect fit, we’ve compiled the top SMS marketing automation tools in the market: 

1. Plivo CX

Plivo CX is an SMS marketing automation platform that lets you send targeted messages to your customers without hassle. It takes care of the SMS marketing process, from syncing contacts to sending messages so that you can relax and monitor results. 

Plivo CX also serves as an excellent AI-powered omnichannel marketing automation platform that leverages Plivo’s premium carrier network to provide global coverage across 220+ countries and low latency. It can help you reduce your SMS marketing costs by up to 70%. 

Key features of Plivo CX:

• Audiences: Capture, manage, and segment your customers with Plivo CX’s Audiences. To create customer segments, quickly sync your contacts from Shopify, Bigcommerce, or Magento stores. Plus, you get a no-code segment builder, so anybody from your team can create segments with unlimited rules. 

• Journeys: Using Journeys, identify key events and trigger time-sensitive messages to the right customers at the right time. 
• Campaigns: With Campaigns, you can select your ideal audience segment, choose the most suitable channel for message delivery, and strategically schedule campaigns for optimal impact. It also offers valuable performance insights, enabling data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Copywriter AI: No content team? No problem. You can leverage Copywriter AI to draft engaging customer messages. Inform the tool of your objective and select goals, parameters, timing, and urgency; it will create impactful messages instantly.

G2 rating

4.5/5 

Pricing

2. Omnisend

Omnisend is also a robust omnichannel marketing platform designed specifically for ecommerce businesses. By integrating SMS marketing automation directly into your workflows, the tool enables you to engage with your audience through automated SMS messages without juggling multiple tools. 

Key features of Omnisend:

• Omnichannel workflows: Combine SMS, email, and web push notifications in a single workflow for a unified customer experience. 
• Pre-built automation workflows: Omnisend provides ready-to-use workflows like cart and product abandonment reminders and order confirmations. These workflows automate repetitive tasks.
• Audience segmentation: Segment customers based on behavior, demographics, or past purchases. This allows you to send personalized SMS messages, resulting in higher engagement and better campaign results.​
• Global SMS reach: Send automated SMS messages to customers worldwide, supporting various country codes, making it easy to engage international audiences​.
• Free SMS credits for the pro plan: Users on the Pro plan receive SMS credits equal to their subscription cost, reducing marketing expenses while scaling automated SMS campaigns​.

G2 rating

4.5/5 

Pricing

Pricing depends on the number of contacts.

3. Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a comprehensive SMS marketing automation platform that enables you to scale your email and SMS marketing efforts through highly personalized, data-driven campaigns. This tool is known for its easy-to-use interface and deep integration capabilities, making it a popular choice for Shopify and other ecommerce platforms.

Key features of Klaviyo:

• Pre-built and customizable flows: Klaviyo provides over 60 pre-built automation templates for welcome series, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups. With drag-and-drop functionality, you can easily create cross-channel campaigns incorporating email and SMS​.
• Advanced segmentation and personalization: Its advanced segmentation allows you to target specific audiences based on detailed criteria, such as browsing behavior, purchase history, and customer lifecycle stage. 
• Unified Multichannel Marketing: Klaviyo also enables businesses to manage their email, SMS, and mobile push notifications in one platform. This unified approach makes coordinating campaigns across different channels easy.
• Data-driven optimization and A/B testing: The tool has built-in A/B testing and reporting tools that allow you to optimize your SMS and email campaigns continuously. 
• AI-driven automation and reporting: Klaviyo’s AI features help automate customer segmentation and provide detailed reporting on SMS deliverability and engagement​.

G2 rating

4.6/5 

Pricing

4. Postscript

As an SMS automation platform, Postscript empowers businesses to grow subscriber lists, engage with customers via personalized text messages, and increase conversions through behavior-triggered automated SMS flows. 

Key Features of Postscript:

• Segmentation and personalization: Postscript allows for precise segmentation with over 45 filters, including Shopify data, SMS activity, geographic location, and purchase history. This ensures that SMS messages are highly relevant and personalized for each customer​.
• Automation Triggers: The tool supports over 65 automation triggers, such as cart abandonment, product view, and order updates. You can use these to send timely, behavior-based SMS messages to increase customer engagement​.
• Flow builder for automation: With its drag-and-drop Flow Builder, Postscript makes creating and managing automated SMS campaigns easy. You can build custom flows for various scenarios, such as welcome series, post-purchase follow-ups, and back-in-stock notifications​.
• AI-powered features: Postscript uses AI to optimize campaigns, including its AI Infinity Testing, which continuously tests and refines message variants to drive an average 20% revenue lift. 
• Two-way messaging and support integration: The tool also enables two-way communication, allowing brands to engage in real-time customer conversations. It also integrates with customer support platforms like Gorgias and Zendesk, making it easier to manage customer inquiries​.

G2 rating

4.9/5 

Pricing

5. Attentive

Attentive is an enterprise-grade SMS automation platform designed and known for its AI-driven tools and extensive support. It offers comprehensive solutions for SMS and email, making it an all-in-one platform for ecommerce marketing efforts.

Key features of Attentive:

• AI for marketers: Personalize your messages using AI for each campaign. Attentive AI provides message suggestions based on your requirements. You can pick one and refine it based on your preferences. 
• Data-driven messaging: Send automated SMS messages using Attentive's engagement data. Add images, GIFs, audio, and video to make a better impression. 
• Two-way journeys: To engage your SMS subscribers in a back-and-forth interaction, you can share quizzes, scavenger hunts, and product recommendations.

G2 rating

4.8/5

Pricing 

Not mentioned on the website

6. SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting empowers brands to engage with their audience through automated SMS messages. Its SMS marketing automation tools support various use cases, such as marketing campaigns, customer service interactions, appointment reminders, and feedback collection.

Key features of SimpleTexting: 

• Automated workflows: Create workflows that automatically send text messages based on customer actions, such as signing up for a service, abandoning a cart, or purchasing. 
• Scheduled and recurring texts: SimpleTexing has scheduling tools to send texts at the optimal time for their audience. For example, you can send a sale reminder to ensure maximum website traffic during flash sales. 
• Drip campaigns: Drip campaigns allow businesses to nurture leads and engage customers over time with pre-planned messages. They’re particularly useful for onboarding new customers, sending educational content, or promoting ongoing offers​.
• Two-way messaging: SimpleTexting’s platform supports two-way conversations, in which you can quickly reply to customer inquiries and improve customer engagement.
• Integrations and API: It also integrates with popular tools like Mailchimp and Zapier, allowing businesses to automate processes across different platforms.

G2 rating

4.7/5 

Pricing

The price increases with the number of texts.  For example, the price is:

• $39 for 500 messages 
• $59 for 1000 messages 
• $80 for 2000 messages 

7. Twilio

Twilio is another popular SMS marketing automation platform that enables businesses to send and receive SMS, MMS, and other messages through its flexible APIs. Its programmable messaging capabilities allow businesses to integrate SMS into their existing applications.

Key features of Twilio:

• Message scheduling: Twilio allows you to schedule messages like appointment reminders, RSVP alerts, flash sales, etc. These automated SMS messages depict human-like behavior, so customers enjoy the conversation. 
• Link shortening: Twilio automatically detects and shortens your URLs so they don’t get delivered in segments and become unclickable. 
• Click analytics: With Twilio, you can measure the Click-through Rates (CTR) of your SMS and conduct A/B testing to pick the best-performing SMS and repeat them to get maximum ROI. 

G2 rating

4.2/5 

Pricing

Examples of automated SMS messages

Here are some automated SMS messages from different brands you can take inspiration from:

Welcome messages

Brevite welcomes its new subscribers with a discount offer. 

Abandoned cart reminders

Cloudy reminds customers to continue the purchase with Glamm Coins.

Promotional messages & flash sales

Snuggle Pets shares BOGO deals via SMS. 

Birthday or anniversary messages

The Sill celebrates their birthday month by sharing 15% off on their product collection. 

Product recommendations & restock alerts

SkinTe shares the founder’s picture to promote their makeup. 

Seasonal Promotions

CROSSNET shares gift ideas for the holiday season using SMS.

Exclusive access notifications

RevAir shares early access to Black Friday Sales using SMS.

Convert more with personalized texts via SMS marketing automation with Plivo CX

SMS marketing automation addresses some of the most critical challenges your ecommerce businesses face. It helps you segment your audience, create engaging messages, and integrate seamlessly into your omnichannel strategy. 

If you're looking for a reliable and feature-rich platform to help you implement SMS marketing automation, Plivo CX is the ideal solution. As mentioned previously, it uses Plivo's premium carrier network, which can help you save more on your marketing campaign costs.  

With Plivo CX, you can:

• Build code-free workflows 
• Segment your customers
• Trigger the right messages based on customer action
• Write engaging messages with the OpenAI-powered copywriting tool
• Keep track of the outcomes of your campaigns and course-correct as needed
• Integrate with other tools like HubSpot, HelpScout, and Zendesk 

Whether you want to send personalized messages at scale or handle critical real-time updates, Plivo CX has everything you need.

Ready to boost your accelerated customer engagement with SMS marketing automation? 

Sign up to Plivo CX today.