The 3 Best SMS Marketing Tools for eCommerce

SMS marketing delivers results that email struggles to match. Text messages get opened and read far more reliably than emails. Most texts get read within minutes of delivery.

For eCommerce brands, this creates a direct line to customers. Abandoned cart reminders. Flash sale announcements. Shipping updates. Back-in-stock alerts. All is delivered to a device that customers check constantly.

But SMS comes with constraints. You need explicit opt-in consent. Carrier regulations impose strict compliance requirements. Send too many messages and customers unsubscribe. Send the wrong messages, and you waste money on a high-cost channel.

Why SMS Marketing Matters for eCommerce

Done right, SMS becomes a top revenue channel:

Recover abandoned carts. Text reminders outperform email for cart recovery. The immediacy prompts action.
Drive flash sales. Limited-time offers work better when customers see them instantly.
Build customer relationships. Two-way texting enables conversations that deepen loyalty.
Improve customer service. Shipping notifications, delivery updates, and order confirmations via SMS reduce support tickets.

Types of SMS Platforms

Dedicated SMS platforms focus exclusively on text marketing. They typically offer deeper SMS features and Shopify-specific integrations.

All-in-one platforms combine SMS with email marketing. Convenient for unified messaging, but sometimes less sophisticated in SMS capabilities.

Omnichannel platforms add SMS alongside web push, email, and other channels. Good for brands wanting coordinated messaging.

What to Consider

Compliance is non-negotiable. Your platform must automatically handle opt-in, opt-out, and regulatory requirements. TCPA violations carry serious penalties.
Integration depth matters. SMS works best with rich customer data. Shopify integration should pull purchase history, browsing behavior, and segmentation.
Pricing models vary widely. Some charge per message, others per subscriber, some combine both. Understand the total cost at your volume.
Two-way capability changes everything. Customers who can reply create conversations. Conversations build relationships.

Our Choices for the 3 Best SMS Marketing Tools for eCommerce

We selected three platforms with different strengths. Postscript specializes in Shopify SMS with deep segmentation and AI features. Attentive serves enterprise brands with sophisticated personalization. Firepush combines SMS with web push notifications for multichannel recovery.

Postscript
Attentive
Firepush

Postscript

Postscript built its platform exclusively for Shopify brands. Over 7,000 stores use the platform, including Brooklinen, Kopari, and Native.

Tech Stack Type: Shopify-focused SMS marketing platform
Best for: Start Up / Mid-Sized / Enterprise
Pricing: See pricing details here

What Makes Postscript Great?

Postscript's Shopify focus means every feature optimizes for eCommerce. The integration pulls all your store data, including purchase history, browsing behaviour, customer lifetime value, and product preferences.

Segmentation goes deep. Create audiences based on 35+ filters, including SKU-level purchase data, order frequency, and engagement patterns. Send different messages to first-time buyers versus loyal customers.

The visual flow builder lets you create automated sequences without coding. Welcome series, abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase follow-ups, and win-back campaigns all use drag-and-drop logic.

Postscript AI includes several intelligent features. Brand Centre trains the AI on your voice for consistent messaging. Infinity Testing automatically generates and tests thousands of message variants. Shopper (their conversational AI) handles purchase conversations in your brand voice.

Two-way messaging transforms SMS from broadcast to conversation. Customers can reply with questions. Your team responds through the platform. This builds relationships; standard text blasts can't match.

Compliance tools ensure you stay legal. Required legal language appears automatically in opt-in forms. The platform stays current with regulatory changes.

The pricing model combines a base subscription with per-message costs. Free plan includes campaigns and automations. The Professional plan at $500/month includes advanced reporting and dedicated support.

AI Summary of Customer Reviews of Postscript

Postscript holds 4.8 stars across 1,187 Shopify App Store reviews. Users praise the seamless Shopify integration and intuitive interface that enable teams to launch campaigns without technical support.

Reviewers frequently mention the responsive customer support. Live chat gets highlighted for quick problem resolution. Dedicated customer success managers for larger accounts receive strong praise: "They feel like a true extension of our team."

The segmentation capabilities impress users who previously used simpler tools. One reviewer noted: "Our SMS base is growing, the segments and templates are easy to modify for our messaging, and customers can text us back."

Critics mention that customer service response times have declined recently for some users. A few reviews report billing issues when attempting to cancel. Some smaller stores find that the professional plan pricing exceeds their SMS budget.

Attentive

Attentive serves over 8,000 brands, including Urban Outfitters, CB2, and GUESS. The platform positions itself as an AI-powered SMS and email marketing solution for enterprise eCommerce.

Tech Stack Type: Enterprise SMS and email platform
Best for: Mid-Sized / Enterprise
Pricing: See pricing details here

What Makes Attentive Great?

Attentive's patented two-tap mobile technology simplifies subscriber opt-in. Shoppers tap twice to subscribe without typing their phone number. This friction reduction dramatically improves list growth rates.

The platform collects and activates customer data through 100+ integrations. Connect your eCommerce platform, customer service tools, loyalty programs, and analytics. Unified data enables precise personalization.

AI personalization tailors every message using individual customer data. The system adjusts content, timing, and offers based on each subscriber's behavior and preferences.

Conversational AI acts as a digital store associate via text. The AI answers product questions, provides recommendations, and removes purchase barriers in real-time.

Triggered messages respond to customer actions automatically: browse abandonment, cart abandonment, post-purchase, and win-back sequences deploy based on behavior.

Attentive recently added email capabilities, positioning itself as a unified SMS and email platform. This enables brands to coordinate messaging across channels from a single system.

The limitation: Attentive pricing requires custom quotes and typically involves annual contracts with quarterly minimums. This model suits larger brands but creates barriers for smaller stores testing SMS.

AI Summary of Customer Reviews of Attentive

Attentive earns 4.7 stars on Capterra, with users praising the user-friendly interface and effective list-building tools. Enterprise marketers appreciate the sophisticated segmentation and automation capabilities.

The onboarding process consistently receives positive feedback. Attentive provides hands-on support in creating initial campaigns and pop-up forms. One reviewer noted: "Not all of us are very technical, so when we need to get something done, having a support team that can do it for us is key."

Customer success managers are highlighted during regular strategy calls and best-practice sharing. The platform feels like a collaborative partnership rather than self-service software.

Critics mention pricing transparency concerns. Costs aren't publicly listed, and some users report higher-than-expected fees due to carrier charges and minimums. Long-term contract requirements frustrate some users. Several reviews call for better integration with existing email platforms, such as Klaviyo.

Firepush

Firepush combines SMS marketing with web push notifications on a single platform. More than 20,000 Shopify marketers in 130+ countries use the tool.

Tech Stack Type: Omnichannel SMS and web push platform
Best for: Start Up / Mid-Sized
Pricing: See pricing details here

What Makes Firepush Great?

Firepush recognizes that abandoned cart recovery works best across multiple channels. Reach customers via SMS, web push, or email, depending on what you know about them.

Web push notifications provide a unique advantage. Subscribers stay anonymous but reachable. You don't need their phone number or email to send recovery messages. This captures visitors who leave without providing contact information.

The abandoned cart sequence coordinates messages across channels. Web push fires first. If no conversion, SMS follows. Each channel reinforces the others.

Price drop alerts notify customers when items they viewed get discounted. Back-in-stock notifications bring shoppers back when popular products return.

The pricing model offers predictability. Plans scale based on subscriber count, with clear tiers. SMS uses pay-as-you-go credits with transparent per-message rates by country. No hidden platform fees.

Firepush provides both Basic and Pro plans. Both include a "kickstart" offering with 500 messages to 250 contacts at no cost. Pro plans include unlimited emails and web pushes, plus bonus SMS credits.

International SMS support covers all country codes. Useful for brands selling globally.

The limitation: Firepush doesn't match the segmentation depth or AI capabilities of dedicated SMS platforms. Best for brands wanting simple, effective multichannel recovery rather than sophisticated SMS personalization.

AI Summary of Customer Reviews of Firepush

Firepush has 4.8 stars across 789 reviews on the Shopify App Store. Users praise the effectiveness of abandoned cart recovery and the combination of SMS and web push.

Customer service receives consistent positive mentions. Support teams respond quickly despite time zone differences. One reviewer noted: "Very Great customer service and really great response time, even though their team is on the opposite side of the planet from me."

The pricing draws mixed reactions. Users appreciate the value compared with competitors such as Klaviyo and Omnisend. However, some report pricing increases that caught them off guard. One review noted costs rising from $23 to $136 per month.

Critics note occasional platform glitches and admin area errors. A few users report difficulty understanding charges. The interface, while functional, lacks the polish of more expensive competitors.

Find Your Perfect SMS Marketing Tool

These are just our picks from hundreds of tech options out there. You can find lots more in our tech directory.

Quick decision guide:

Shopify stores wanting sophisticated SMS: Start with Postscript. The deep integration, strong segmentation, and AI features make it the leading dedicated SMS platform for Shopify.

Enterprise brands wanting unified SMS and email: Attentive provides sophisticated personalization and customer success support. Budget for annual commitment and custom pricing.

Budget-conscious stores seeking multichannel recovery: Firepush combines SMS and web push notifications at competitive pricing. Simpler than pure SMS platforms but effective for cart recovery.

SMS marketing requires opt-in subscribers. Whatever platform you choose, focus on building your list through compelling opt-in offers before worrying about advanced features.

Looking for a deal? Check our Deals section, as there are often SMS marketing platform offers available.

Plus, these blogs will offer you more advice on making the right choice:

Want to see your tech here? Get in touch with us.