Remember when an email address felt like striking gold? Yeah, those days are fading fast.

Nowadays, your carefully crafted email campaigns are now living in the “Promotions” tab graveyard. If you’re sending campaigns for Shopify brands, email is not enough. 

But SMS? Text messages get opened. Like, actually opened. We’re talking 98% open rates and spiking click-through rates. 

For a Shopify retailer, a phone number is the new VIP pass to your customer’s attention.

The catch? Building an SMS list for Shopify SMS marketing isn’t just about hoarding phone numbers. 

It’s about building a compliant, high-intent community that actually wants to hear from you. Let us show you how. 

Step One: Set Your Shopify SMS Legal Foundation First 

Before you get excited and start blasting texts, let’s talk about the boring-but-critical stuff: compliance. 

SMS isn’t like email where you can just add someone because they bought a candle from you once. SMS requires Express Written Consent—and yes, that’s in legal all-caps for a reason.

TCPA compliance for e-commerce is no joke in 2025. The fines are real, and they’re five figures minimum. Here’s how to stay out of trouble:

• Never Buy Lists: I don’t care if someone promises you “100,000 verified mobile numbers.” It’s a trap. Buying lists is the fastest way to get your Shopify store banned and your bank account drained by legal fees.
• The Disclosure: Your signup forms need specific language saying “marketing text messages” will be sent, and “message and data rates may apply.” It sounds robotic because it’s legally required. Use it.
• The “STOP” Keyword: People need an easy out. Tools like Klaviyo or Postscript automatically add “Reply STOP to opt out” to your first message. Don’t try to be clever and hide this—it’s not optional.

Step Two: Strategic Opt-in Touchpoints

The secret to a massive list? Meet people where they’re already engaged. 

Here are the SMS opt-in strategies that actually work.

1. The Multi-Step Pop-up

Single-field pop-ups are dead. Welcome to 2025, where high-converting pop-ups use the two-step method:

Step 1: Ask for an email in exchange for 10% off.

Step 2: Immediately follow with: “Want 15% instead? Drop your phone number.”

Why does this work? Psychology. Once someone commits to step one, they’re way more likely to finish step two to “unlock” the better deal. 

It’s like getting someone to say yes to coffee, then asking if they want a muffin too. The first yes makes the second easier.

2. Shopify Checkout Opt-in

This is your lowest-hanging fruit, and you’re probably ignoring it.

Go to Shopify Settings > Checkout and enable the SMS marketing checkbox. People are already typing in their phone number for shipping updates. Many will happily check a box to get future deals too.

Shopify provides a thorough guide for this one on their official instructions page.

Critical: Make sure this box isn’t pre-checked. That’s a compliance violation as of 2025, and it’s not worth the risk.

3. Tap-to-Join (Mobile Only)

Over 70% of your Shopify traffic is on mobile. So why are you making them type anything?

Tap-to-join tech lets mobile users click a button that opens their messaging app with a pre-written text (like “JOIN”) and your shortcode already filled in. 

They literally just hit send. Zero friction = more sign-ups.

4. Post-Purchase “Back-in-Stock” Alerts

Someone wants your sold-out product badly enough to request an alert? These people are gold.

Instead of just offering email alerts, offer SMS. These subscribers are insanely valuable because you know exactly what they want.

 When that product comes back, you’re texting someone who already wants to buy it.

Step Three: Move Beyond a Discount

Look, discounts work. But customers are getting discount-fatigued.

Everyone’s offering 10% off. You need to get creative:

• The VIP Early Access: “Join our SMS list to shop Black Friday 2 hours before everyone else.” FOMO is a beautiful thing.
• The Quiz Funnel: Run a “Style Quiz” or “Find Your Perfect Product” quiz on your store. To get their personalized results? They opt into SMS. Now you have their number and data on their preferences.
• Mystery Gifts: “Text LUCK to 12345 to see if you won a free gift with your next order.” The gamification angle hits different.

Step Four: Leveraging Social Media 

Your Instagram and TikTok followers aren’t really yours. The algorithm changes tomorrow and poof—they’re gone. Convert them to SMS subscribers:

• Instagram Stories: Use the Link Sticker to send people to a dedicated SMS landing page. Make it stupid-simple.
• TikTok Bio: Use Linktree or a Shopify landing page optimized for mobile. If someone has to pinch-zoom to read your opt-in form, you’ve already lost.
• DM Automation: Tools like ManyChat let you set up triggers. Someone comments “VIP” on your post? An automated DM sends them the link to join your SMS list. It feels personal even though it’s automated.

How to Choose Your Shopify SMS Tech Stack? 

Don’t try to do this manually. You’ll lose your mind and probably violate compliance rules. 

You need an app that integrates with Shopify.

Klaviyo: Best if you want your email and SMS to play nice together. You can make sure you’re not annoying someone with the same promotion on both channels at once. The unified customer profiles are chef’s kiss.

Postscript: Built specifically for Shopify SMS marketing. The “Response” features are killer if you want your support team to actually text back and forth with customers like it’s a real conversation.

Attentive: The enterprise option. If you’re scaling globally and need dedicated account management and advanced strategy, this is your play. Overkill for most small stores though.

When to Send SMS As a Shopify Store?

You have phone numbers. Now don’t screw it up. SMS is intimate, and it’s like texting a friend. Treat it that way, not like a billboard.

Send the welcome text and promised discount within 5 minutes of sign-up. Wait an hour and the buyer’s high has worn off. They’re back to scrolling dog videos.

Also, segment heavily. Do not blast your entire list every time you have a sale. Text people who haven’t bought in 30 days with a “We miss you” offer. Text your VIPs with early access. Make it relevant.

For most Shopify stores, 2–4 texts per month is the sweet spot. Go beyond once a week, and you’ll watch those “STOP” replies roll in. Nobody wants to feel spammed.

SMS For Shopify Simplified

Building an SMS list is the best insurance policy your Shopify store can have. 

Email will keep getting harder. Algorithms will keep changing. But a text message? That lands every single time.

Focus on compliant capture methods, frictionless mobile experiences, and incentives that actually matter to your customers. You’re not building a list andyou’re building a direct line to people who want what you’re selling.

Start today: enable the checkout opt-in and set up a simple two-step pop-up. The sooner you start collecting, the sooner you’ll see your ROI climb. 

And in 2026, that’s not just smart, it’s essential.