WooCommerce SMS marketing guide for 2026

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Ecommerce stores using WooCommerce as their ecommerce plugin also choose WooCommerce SMS marketing for increased conversion. While email is a reliable channel, SMS offers more personalized and direct engagement. 

To back this up, Omnisend’s recent ecommerce report shows that conversion rates for automated SMS are 118% higher than other marketing campaigns. This data confirms that the battle for customer attention has officially moved from crowded email inboxes to smartphones.

If you’re ready to recover abandoned carts and drive instant sales in 2026, this guide is for you. We’ll show you how to add an SMS marketing plugin to your WooCommerce store, plus the top SMS platforms and the best practices to launch your campaigns successfully.

The benefits of WooCommerce SMS marketing

While some ecommerce businesses worry about being intrusive, data suggests that customers are responding to SMS at record levels. In 2024, brands increased their SMS volume by 31%, with US businesses generating over $25 million in sales from this channel alone. 

This growth is driven by a shift in consumer behavior. We check our phones an average of 144 times a day, starting from the moment we wake up.

You can even combine SMS with email. For example, use email to announce a sale, then send an SMS reminder 48 hours before it ends. Most businesses get an average conversion rate between 21 and 30% from SMS marketing.

The main benefits of WooCommerce SMS marketing include:

• Instant visibility and engagement: WooCommerce SMS marketing stands out for its immediacy. Unlike emails that may land in the promotions or spam folders, text messages are typically seen and opened right away.
• Strong complement to email marketing: SMS works best alongside email, not as a replacement. While email supports long-form content and product visuals, SMS drives quick, “tap-to-action” responses that boost conversions.
• Ideal for time-sensitive communication: SMS is highly effective for urgent updates and offers. Because subscribers must opt-in, they expect to receive messages from you. This includes order confirmations, shipping alerts, and flash sales.

How to add an SMS marketing plugin for WooCommerce

Integrating SMS marketing into your WooCommerce store is easier than you think, especially with tools like Omnisend. The Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend plugin seamlessly connects your Omnisend account with your WooCommerce store, so you can immediately start encouraging customers to subscribe and engage them with personalized SMS messaging. 

It takes just a few quick steps to get started:

1. Install Omnisend for WooCommerce 
2. Set up SMS marketing with Omnisend
3. Start sending notifications and campaigns 
4. Monitor SMS campaign performance 

1. Install Omnisend for WooCommerce

When it comes to WooCommerce SMS marketing, Omnisend stands out as a top choice for growing ecommerce brands. Omnisend’s plugin for WooCommerce helps you collect leads and create targeted segments based on purchase history, website activity, and more. You can even create and manage SMS messages and emails directly from your WordPress dashboard.

Adding Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend to your store is straightforward, so let’s quickly walk through the installation process.

1. Open your WordPress dashboard and go to Plugins > Add New. Search for “Omnisend for WooCommerce” and click Install Now.

2. Once installed, click Activate and follow the prompts to connect your WooCommerce store to Omnisend.

3. You’ll be redirected to a screen prompting you to log in to your Omnisend account or create a new one if you’re just starting.

4. Once you’re logged in, approve the connection, and Omnisend will automatically sync your store data.

5. After completing the installation, you’ll be redirected to the brand assets page. Omnisend will automatically pull your logo, color palette, and typography from your store, if that information is discoverable. 

Ensure your brand’s logo is correct, then customize your brand’s colors, typography, and social media links. You can always tweak it later if you need to. 

2. Set up SMS marketing with Omnisend

Once you’ve installed the plugin and customized your brand assets, there are just a couple of setup steps left before you can start sending SMS text campaigns. First, you’ll need to configure opt-in settings and then sync your customer data.

Step 1: Configuring opt-in settings

Currently, SMS opt-in at checkout is not supported on WooCommerce stores. To collect SMS consent, use Omnisend’s signup forms — including popups, landing pages, and embedded forms — which allow you to legally collect SMS subscribers with proper consent. You’ll have fewer unsubscribes and spam complaints if customers choose to receive marketing messages from you. 

Step 2: Syncing customer data

Omnisend will automatically sync your store’s products and customer data in real time so you can send messages like abandoned cart reminders, order updates, and promotional alerts. However, you may need to manually resync your contacts if you get disconnected from your Omnisend account or experience another issue with your website that disrupts the syncing process.

To access your sync data and the Resync all contacts option, go to your WordPress dashboard, click Omnisend for WooCommerce, and then select the Sync tab. 

From here, you can see how many contacts, orders, products, and categories were successfully synced and manually resync them if needed.

3. Start sending notifications and campaigns

Once you’ve got your list of subscribers and have connected Omnisend with your WooCommerce store, you can start sending SMS notifications and campaigns. 

Send transactional SMS messages such as:

• Order status updates (e.g., shipped, completed, or on hold)
• Delivery notifications to keep customers informed
• Payment confirmations and balance due reminders

Send customer relationship management (CRM) texts such as:

• Product review requests
• Satisfaction surveys
• Registration deadline reminders
• Event reminders following ticket purchases
• Appointment and reservation reminders

Create promotional SMS campaigns to share:

• Flash sales
• Cart expiration reminders
• Back-in-stock alerts for items on a customer’s wishlist/watchlist
• Personalized birthday offers
• Early access and time-sensitive VIP offers
• Loyalty program updates (e.g., “You’ve reached 5,000 points! Redeem them for up to $50 off your next order!”)

Use Omnisend’s templates or craft custom messages, and pair SMS with email to create omnichannel campaigns that drive engagement. 

When creating your campaigns, don’t forget to personalize them and include a strong call to action (CTA) to increase conversions. 

Here are some examples of ways SMS text and email can work hand-in-hand:

• Sales announcements: Send an email about an upcoming sale with full details, then follow up with an SMS reminder a few hours before it ends
• Abandoned cart recovery: Send a cart abandonment email with a countdown timer, then send a text when the cart is about to expire
• Cross-promotion of subscription channels: Communicate with customers through their preferred methods by cross-promoting each channel on the other
• Post-purchase follow-up: After delivery, send an SMS asking for a review, then follow up with an email featuring product care tips and related product recommendations

4. Monitor SMS campaign performance

Tracking your SMS campaign performance is essential to optimizing engagement and maximizing profitability. Unlike email, SMS doesn’t offer open rate tracking, but key metrics like delivery rates, CTR, conversions, and unsubscribes can help you understand what’s working and where to improve.

High delivery rates indicate that your messages are reaching customers, while CTR, conversion, and unsubscribe data show how engaging and effective your campaigns are. 

With Omnisend’s built-in analytics, you can monitor these metrics in real time. Use the insights to tweak your messaging, test different offers, and optimize timing for better results. Consistently analyzing your campaign performance will help you refine your strategy and increase your ecommerce sales.

Ensure your messages include a clickable link so you can keep track of these important engagement metrics. 

Best SMS marketing platforms for WooCommerce

Selecting the right platform is a critical step in launching your WooCommerce SMS marketing campaign. In 2026, you need an automation platform that integrates seamlessly with your store data. Below are the best SMS platforms for WooCommerce.  

1. Omnisend

Omnisend is an intuitive yet powerful email and SMS marketing automation tool specifically designed for ecommerce brands of all sizes. What sets it apart from other WooCommerce SMS marketing tools is its ability to build multi-channel workflows into a single automated sequence. 

For instance, if a customer doesn’t open an abandoned cart email within a specific time, Omnisend can automatically trigger a follow-up SMS. The platform also has pre-set workflows for order confirmations, shipping updates, and repeat purchases. This way, you don’t have to build anything from scratch. 

If you’re looking to start real-time sales interactions with customers, Omnisend offers two-way SMS for better customer engagement. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about consent or regulations. The platform has mobile-optimized TCPA-compliant signup forms with double opt-in.

Lastly, Omnisend offers detailed sales attribution, making it easy to track ROI from every text message sent.

With Omnisend’s free plan, you get most of the features available on the Pro plan, along with 24/7 customer support. Its paid plans start at $16/month and scales affordably.  

2. Texty

If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly WooCommerce SMS marketing plugin, then Texty could be for you. It sends transactional alerts, such as order confirmations and shipping updates.

However, Texty can’t send messages on its own. You must connect it to third-party providers like Twilio, Clickatell, Vonage, or Plivo. 

Texty provides customizable designs, segmentation, A/B testing, and multilingual support. It’s ideal for small stores that want basic SMS functionality.

This WooCommerce SMS marketing plugin is completely free, but the service you choose may incur charges.

3. Twilio

Twilio is a customer engagement platform offering messaging, email, and voice functionalities. While it’s not a plugin, it integrates with WooCommerce via dedicated plugins like ShopMagic. 

Its AI can predict customer actions and create tailored campaigns. It also offers deliverability insights beyond opens and clicks, allowing you to better understand your ROI and optimize messages. 

This WooCommerce SMS marketing platform is suitable for ecommerce businesses with technical resources. Integrating its communication API comes with a steep learning curve.

Twilio offers a free trial balance, and its SMS marketing service uses pay-as-you-go pricing.

WooCommerce SMS marketing best practices

If done right, SMS can be one of the most effective tools for building customer relationships and driving sales. When considering your store’s approach to SMS marketing, remember that the customer comes first. If what you’re sending them doesn’t provide value, they might delete your messages, report them as spam, or simply unsubscribe. 

Providing value matters the most — whether through timely updates, personalized offers, or relevant notifications. 

So, respect customer preferences and follow these best practices to create SMS campaigns that feel beneficial rather than bothersome:

• Get permission first
• Be clear at signup
• Pay attention to the frequency of your messages
• Text during regular hours of the day 
• Keep it concise
• Always include an unsubscribe link or keyword
• Send a test message
• Personalize your messages
• Provide value
• Respond in real time to have a conversation

Get permission first

Encourage customers to actively opt-in to receive text messages — Validity has found that 35% of consumers are annoyed when they receive texts from brands to which they didn’t subscribe.

With Omnisend’s plugin, you can include an email opt-in checkbox during the checkout process:

Be clear at signup

Don’t send customers messages they don’t expect to receive. Be transparent about your marketing intentions right from the beginning — at checkout, in signup forms, and during account registration.

The following example clearly explains to customers what opting in involves:

Make sure your terms are displayed near your CTA or opt-in button and in a readable font size for accessibility. 

While Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) don’t specify a minimum font size, “fine print” is often intentionally made very small in order to obscure key details and trick people into signing up for things that might not be in their best interest. Don’t be that company.

A good rule of thumb is to use a minimum of 16px font size when presenting your opt-in terms to potential subscribers.

Pay attention to the frequency of your messages

If you send too many bulk SMS messages, your customers might start unsubscribing or stop shopping with you altogether. In fact, according to Validity’s research, 28% of customers won’t hesitate to quit doing business with your brand if they get irritated by excessive messaging.

On the other hand, failing to reach out regularly enough risks subscribers forgetting about you. It’s a delicate balance. While US shoppers are more open to the idea of daily texts from brands than countries like Australia or the UK, overall, most people prefer receiving texts weekly or only when there’s an important announcement.

If you’re not sure how often to send your SMS messages, try starting weekly. Then, run A/B tests and monitor performance metrics to see what frequency works best for your subscribers.

Text during regular hours of the day 

Nobody wants to be woken up by an order reminder, which is why Omnisend automates your messages based on the recipient’s location. This ensures that your customers won’t receive texts at 3 AM, unless that’s your specific intention.

With Omnisend, you can specify a time frame for sending SMS messages to your customers and limit the number of messages sent to those hours in keeping with each subscriber’s time zone.

Keep it concise 

Your subscribers are busy, so respect their time by keeping it brief. Here’s an example from FATHERSONS to offer inspiration. Observe how the SMS is under the 160-character limit:

Use an SMS length calculator to ensure your messages are within these limits. 

Links, in particular, can cause messages to go over the character limit. That’s why Omnisend automatically shortens links and adds a UTM tracking parameter so each click is tracked.

Always include an unsubscribe link or keyword 

Allow customers to unsubscribe to WooCommerce SMS marketing by responding to your text messages with a single keyword like STOP. Check out how this brand provides clear instructions for opting out, in this case by clicking a link:

Send a test message

Before launching a WooCommerce SMS campaign, send a test message for review — ideally by someone other than the person who created the message. Two sets of eyes are always better than one, and everybody needs an editor. 

Sending test messages will help you catch mistakes and device-related display issues as well as ensure that the timing is appropriate.

Testing also lets you experience the customer’s perspective and verify that any links or call to action buttons work correctly.

You can test SMS messages directly within Omnisend while creating your campaign. 

Personalize your messages 

Personalized messages are more engaging and can lead to higher conversion rates. Address customers by their first name whenever possible and ensure your messages are relevant to the recipient, whether it’s an order update, promotional message, or product recommendation.

Here’s an example of a personalized message. Notice how it adopts a conversational and friendly tone:

Provide value

Use SMS to keep customers informed of things that benefit them. This includes updating them on their order progress, arranging delivery slots, offering coupons and pricing discounts, or reminding them of expiring promotions. 

You can say anything less time-sensitive (or relevant) via email. Take a look at the way Baking Steel uses SMS marketing to share shipping and order updates:

Respond in real time to have a conversation

SMS is a more personal way to get in touch with your customers. Most people only give out their phone numbers to people and brands they trust. However, that trust can quickly fade when communication only goes one way.

Allowing customers to connect with you in real time over text can help nurture the relationship, reduce wait times for customer service, and make customers feel listened to and valued. 

One way to encourage interaction and start a conversation is by using auto-responses through Omnisend. This ensures the subscriber receives an instant response, which you can then follow with a personalized message.

An example of this type of automation might look like:

Another way you can use automated text messaging to encourage two-way communication with your customers is by sending appointment reminders. The medical office example below illustrates a simple appointment confirmation automation:

You don’t have to limit the recipient’s response to a single option, either (although you do have to contend with the 160 character limit). In the medical office example, the customer is given the option to confirm, unsubscribe, or call the office to reschedule. 

Take your WooCommerce store further with SMS

Now, it’s evident why your store must meet customers where they already spend their time. You must do so if you want to thrive in 2026. Remember, SMS marketing for WooCommerce stores works best when it’s timely, personalized, and integrated with your broader marketing strategy.

If you’re looking for the most effective way to launch a WooCommerce SMS marketing campaign, Omnisend is your best bet. Its features, such as pre-built automations and revenue attribution, make it easy to launch, optimize, and scale SMS campaigns. Whether you’re a small or scaling business, Omnisend offers the necessary tools for growth.

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