SMS marketing examples: 20 texts for online stores
20 SMS marketing examples for online stores, sorted by trigger: welcome, promotional text messages, abandoned cart, shipping, back in stock, reviews and win-back, each under 160 characters with the US rules to follow.
Nicolas ProvostOct 19, 2026 · 7 min read
Summarize this article with an AI
ChatGPT
ClaudeTable of contents (11)
Key takeaways
- A good marketing text names the store first, carries one idea and one link, and ends with an opt-out such as "Reply STOP to opt out".
- Keep each text under 160 characters, or 70 with an emoji: longer texts are split into 153-character segments and each segment is billed.
- Under the FCC rule, replies such as stop, quit, end, cancel or unsubscribe revoke consent, and solicitations may not go out before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time.
- Triggered texts (cart, shipping, back in stock) follow a customer action; campaigns (launch, sale, last call) go to a segment that opted in.
The SMS marketing examples below are written for online stores and sorted by the moment that triggers them: a signup, a launch, a cart left behind, a parcel on its way, a product back in stock. Each one fits in a single SMS, names the store first and ends with a way to stop. Copy the structure, change the words, and keep the rules that come with them.
The brand in the examples, Atelier Nova, is made up. The length and consent rules come from Klaviyo's help center, the FCC rule at 47 CFR 64.1200 (eCFR, up to date as of October 15, 2026) and Twilio's A2P 10DLC documentation, read on October 19, 2026. The examples are written for US stores; adapt the opt-out wording to each country you text.
What makes a good marketing text
Every example on this page follows the same five rules:
- The store's name first. The customer sees a number, not a logo, so the first words say who is writing. US carriers also check this: in A2P 10DLC registration, Twilio says at least one sample message has to include the business name.
- One idea, one link. One offer or one piece of news, one link on your own domain. Twilio's guide says public link shorteners such as bit.ly lead to campaign rejection: use a branded short domain if you shorten.
- A reason to act now. An end date, a size in stock, a cart that is saved until tonight.
- An opt-out. "Reply STOP to opt out" at the end of marketing texts. The FCC rule lists stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel and unsubscribe as replies that revoke consent.
- One SMS, not three. Klaviyo's help center says an SMS holds 160 characters, or 70 with an emoji or special character; past that, the text is split into 153-character segments, each billed.
In 1, the limit drops from 160 to 70 characters with a single emoji; in 2, a split text is billed in segments of 153 characters.
Welcome texts
Sent right after someone joins your SMS list, often with the offer promised on the signup form.
Welcome with a code
Atelier Nova: welcome! Here is your 10% code for your first order: HELLO10. Shop: atelier-nova.com Reply STOP to opt out
Welcome with a bestseller
Atelier Nova: thanks for joining. Our most loved piece is the linen shirt, back in 6 colors: atelier-nova.com/linen Reply STOP to opt out
Promotional text messages
Campaigns sent to a segment that opted in. These are the texts most people mean by "SMS marketing".
Launch to past buyers
Atelier Nova: the linen collection has landed. You see it first: atelier-nova.com/linen Reply STOP to opt out
Private sale for top customers
Atelier Nova: private sale for our best customers, 20% off until Sunday midnight: atelier-nova.com/private Reply STOP to opt out
Last call
Atelier Nova: the private sale ends tonight at midnight. Last sizes here: atelier-nova.com/private Reply STOP to opt out
Free shipping weekend
Atelier Nova: free shipping on every order this weekend, no minimum. Ends Sunday: atelier-nova.com Reply STOP to opt out
Holiday gift guide
Atelier Nova: gifts under $50, ready to ship before the holidays: atelier-nova.com/gifts Reply STOP to opt out
Restock of a sold-out collection
Atelier Nova: the sand linen sold out in 3 days. It is back, in limited sizes: atelier-nova.com/sand Reply STOP to opt out
Send these campaigns in each customer's time zone: the FCC rule bars telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. at the recipient's location, and some states set stricter hours. Our SMS opt-in guide covers the state rules.
Abandoned cart texts
Triggered when a checkout is left unfinished. Google, for one, classes a cart reminder as promotional in its RCS rules, so send it only to customers who agreed to marketing texts.
First reminder
Atelier Nova: your cart is waiting, Sarah. Finish your order here: atelier-nova.com/cart Reply STOP to opt out
Reminder with stock
Atelier Nova: the linen shirt in your cart is down to its last size M. Your cart: atelier-nova.com/cart Reply STOP to opt out
Last reminder with an offer
Atelier Nova: still thinking it over? Free shipping on your cart until tonight: atelier-nova.com/cart Reply STOP to opt out
Our abandoned cart text guide covers timing and how to measure what these reminders recover.
Order and shipping texts
Transactional texts triggered by the order status. They inform about a purchase rather than sell; one that adds an offer becomes marketing.
Order confirmed
Atelier Nova: thank you, Sarah! Order #4821 is confirmed. We will text you when it ships.
Shipped
Atelier Nova: order #4821 has shipped. Track your parcel: atelier-nova.com/track
Delivered
Atelier Nova: your order #4821 has been delivered. A question? Reply to this text.
Back in stock texts
Sent to customers who asked to be told when a product returns.
Back in stock
Atelier Nova: the olive linen trousers are back in size 38, as you asked. Get them here: atelier-nova.com/olive Reply STOP to opt out
Low stock follow-up
Atelier Nova: only a few olive trousers left in size 38. Yours here: atelier-nova.com/olive Reply STOP to opt out
Post-purchase and review texts
Cross-sell after an order
Atelier Nova: thanks for your order! 10% off the matching trousers this week: atelier-nova.com/trousers Reply STOP to opt out
Review request
Atelier Nova: has your shirt arrived? Tell us what you think in one minute: atelier-nova.com/review Reply STOP to opt out
Win-back texts
Sent to customers who have not ordered in a while.
We miss you
Atelier Nova: it has been a while, Sarah. The new linen colors are in, and 15% off is yours this week: atelier-nova.com Reply STOP to opt out
Birthday
Atelier Nova: happy birthday, Sarah! A gift is waiting on your next order this month: atelier-nova.com/gift Reply STOP to opt out
Writing your own: a checklist
Before a text goes out, check it against the rules carriers and the FCC apply:
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Store name in the first words | Customers see a number; carriers ask for the business name in sample messages |
| One link, on your own domain | Twilio's guide says public shorteners such as bit.ly get campaigns rejected |
| Under 160 characters, no emoji unless needed | One emoji drops the limit to 70 characters and can double the segments billed |
| "Reply STOP to opt out" on marketing texts | STOP, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel and unsubscribe revoke consent under the FCC rule |
| Sent between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time | Federal limit for telephone solicitations; some states are stricter |
| Only to customers who opted in | US carriers expect a recorded opt-in before the first promotional text |
If you send from a 10-digit number in the US, these same texts become the sample messages of your A2P 10DLC campaign.
In 1, Twilio's rule for sample messages: at least one of them includes the business name.
Our 10DLC registration guide explains the process, and the SMS marketing pricing guide shows what each segment costs.
When a text is not enough
An SMS carries words and a link. When the message needs the product photo, a carousel or a button, other channels do it in the phone's own apps: RCS adds product cards and buttons in the messaging app (see RCS vs SMS), iMessage with Kanal, coming soon, will let your store write first in Apple's Messages, and WhatsApp marketing adds images, buttons and replies.
Send these texts from your Shopify store with Kanal
Kanal sends SMS campaigns to your store's segments and automated texts on store events: abandoned cart reminders, order and delivery updates, back in stock alerts and post-purchase offers, with the orders each send brings in. Start with SMS campaigns for the promotional examples, SMS automation for the triggered ones, or the SMS marketing platform overview.
See Kanal's SMS on your own store
- Bulk SMS campaigns to your customer segments
- Automated texts on every store event, cart reminders included
- The revenue of each send, next to your WhatsApp campaigns
Available from the Scale plan
See Kanal's SMS marketingAutomated SMSYesterday, 6:40 PM
Atelier Nova: your cart is waiting, Sarah. Finish your order here: atelier-nova.com/cartReply STOP to opt out.
- brands
- 500+
- to set up
- 5 min
- open rate on WhatsApp
- +90%
Nicolas helps e-commerce brands grow revenue with WhatsApp marketing. With deep expertise in Shopify ecosystems and conversational commerce, he shares proven strategies for abandoned cart recovery, broadcast campaigns, and AI-powered customer engagement.
