Text message marketing

What is text message marketing?

Text message marketing, also known as SMS marketing, is the practice of sending promotional, transactional, and conversational messages to opted-in subscribers via SMS or MMS. It’s used to drive engagement and conversions in real time, deliver order and shipment updates, and run lifecycle communications such as win-backs, charge reminders, and refill alerts. Because messages land directly on a customer’s phone and tend to be read quickly, it’s one of the highest-attention channels available to a DTC or subscription brand.

Text message marketing benefits

• High open rates: most text messages are read within minutes.
• Direct communication: messages go straight to a customer’s mobile device, alongside personal texts.
• Strong conversions: time-sensitive offers and personalized prompts often outperform email click rates.
• Low cost, measurable ROI: campaigns are easy to attribute to revenue impact.
• Automation-friendly: triggers can fire on signup, abandoned cart, order placement, shipping, renewal, and churn risk.

These mechanics are why SMS has become one of the highest-performing channels for customer retention campaigns and lifecycle messaging, especially in subscription commerce where charge reminders, refill alerts, and pause/skip prompts directly affect renewal behavior.

SMS marketing best practices

• Get explicit opt-in consent before sending any marketing message.
• Be concise and lead with value in every message.
• Identify the sender clearly so subscribers always know who is texting.
• Always include easy opt-out (e.g., “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”).
• Time messages within reasonable hours to respect quiet-hour rules and avoid late-night sends.
• Segment by behavior, lifecycle stage, and purchase history rather than blasting the full list.

Compliance is non-negotiable: in the US, the TCPA governs marketing texts, and similar rules (GDPR, PECR) apply across the EU and UK. Get the consent flow right before scaling the channel.

Example of text message marketing

A skincare brand sends a “20% off today only” promo code via SMS to its loyalty list, with a clear sender, the offer, and a STOP-to-unsubscribe line. In a well-run campaign, click-through and same-day conversion rates can outperform email noticeably, particularly when the offer is time-sensitive and the segment is engaged.

Driftcharge Tip

For subscription brands, SMS is most valuable in the lifecycle, not in the inbox. Use it for charge-coming reminders, refill alerts, payment-failed notifications, and pause or skip confirmations. Well-targeted text campaigns can re-engage at-risk subscribers and reduce subscriber churn before cancellations happen. Always layer SMS with email, never replace it, and respect frequency caps so subscribers don’t tune the channel out.

Ganesh Pawar

• 

Ganesh Pawar is the founder of Driftcharge, a subscription management app designed to help Shopify merchants streamline and scale their subscription businesses. With a deep focus on solving real-world pain points—like legacy account page support, flexible subscription options, and advanced analytics—Ganesh is passionate about building tools that drive growth and retention.