The 6 Best SMS Marketing Platforms For Your Shopify Brand

Are you searching for the perfect SMS marketing platform to take your ecommerce business’s communication to the next level? Studies have shown that 45.9% of e-commerce businesses use SMS marketing as a pivotal aspect of their marketing strategies. 

While there are numerous powerful SMS marketing platforms available, it can be challenging to find the right SMS campaign tool that will seamlessly deliver high engagement, effective integration with your existing marketing automation systems, and streamlined workflows. 

This article will explore the features, pricing structures, and use cases of some of the most popular SMS marketing platforms currently available and how your Shopify brand can choose the solution that will transform your SMS marketing strategies from a communication strategy to a revenue-boosting powerhouse. By the end of this detailed guide, you will be empowered to choose the right tool that is customized to your business’s long-term goals and technical setup.  

The Top 6 SMS Marketing Platforms For Shopify Businesses

1. Plivo CX Engage

Plivo CX Engage has a powerful SMS marketing platform that can help your brand leverage audience segmentation, messaging capabilities, and campaign management. Your business doesn’t need multiple tools to manage, acquire, engage and service your customers. Plivo CX Engage is a single platform that Shopify brands need to manage their customer experiences and operations while keeping costs low. 

Plivo CX Engage Best Features:

• Use “Journeys” to track user activity on the storefront and automatically trigger customer journeys
• Group your customers based on demographic data and specific characteristics
• Import contacts from numerous different sources
• Access AI-generated message suggestions, customizable templates, and support for various SMS channels 
• Seamless integration with Shopify, with advanced features such as journey building and event tracking
• WhatsApp marketing to build customized outbound campaigns
• Easily upgrade to provide customer service from the same platform 
• Global messaging coverage and high reliability 

Plivo CX Engage Limitations

• Designed for e-commerce brands and currently only works for Shopify stores
• Businesses in highly regulated industries may need to still monitor and evaluate regulatory requirements for their sector.

Plivo CX Engage Pricing

• Plivo CX’s customer service solutions range from $0.0095 - $0.013 per SMS and $0.029 - $0.039 per MMS. 

Plivo CX Engage Ratings and Reviews

• G2: 4.5/5 (724 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3 / 5 (83 reviews)

2. Klaviyo

Klaviyo is an SMS marketing app and tool that is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses use cross-channel SMS marketing to increase customer retention and e-commerce revenue. It contains over 300 integrations and supports plans for efficiency campaign delivery. 

Klaviyo Best Features

• Test different versions of SMS messages using A/B testing to determine which is more likely to perform better.
• Segment your audience based on different demographic criteria to send more targeted messages.
• Send and receive SMS messages with your leads and customers.
• Customize your brand’s SMS messages using customer information such as historical purchase behavior, name, and location.

Klaviyo Limitations

• Klaviyo has a limited free plan, which only allows users to send 150 SMS messages per month, which is not sufficient for growing Shopify brands.
• Its advanced features may be overly complex and difficult to understand, especially for brands without prior experience with SMS automation tools. These advanced features also require users to contract an agency to adopt them. 

Klaviyo Pricing:

• Depending on the number of contacts your business needs to contact on a monthly basis, Klaviyo’s monthly pricing can vary from $45 to $3,870 per month. 

Klaviyo Ratings and Reviews

• G2: 4.6/5 (1014 reviews)
• Shopify App Store 4.0/5 (1,861 reviews)

3. Attentive

Attentive specializes in conversational SMS solutions that allow businesses to send product updates, promotional offers, and more. It is equipped with more than 100 integrations and is popular for its customer service solutions. 

Attentive Best Features

• Send targeted SMS messages to communicate product updates and announcements.
• Have two-way conversations with your potential and existing customers through SMS.
• Set up automated SMS messaging timelines based on specific customer behavior. This can include welcome messages, order updates, and more. 

Attentive Limitations

• Attentive smart-sending time period is 8 hours. This means that SMS contacts who have received a message from your brand within the previous 8 hours will be skipped. This can limit the total number of messages you are able to send a customer or lead per day.
• This platform has limited customization options, particularly for its free plan.

Attentive Pricing

• Pricing information is not publicly available.

Attentive Ratings and Reviews

• G2: 4.8/5 (482 reviews)
• Shopify App Store 3.7/5 (21 reviews)

4. Postscript

Postscript is a Shopify-integrated SMS campaign tool designed to help e-commerce platforms execute their SMS marketing strategies. It offers four distinct plans with varying features and platform fees. 

Postscript Best Features

• Grow your subscriber list efficiently to be able to send the right message to specific customers at the right time. 
• Build campaigns and add external media.
• Set up automation to increase efficiency. 
• Integrate SMS strategies with email, loyalty programs, and reviews. 

Postscript Limitations

• Postscript has a limited number of custom fields that users can use.
• This platform uses a credit pricing system, which means that international SMS require additional credits.

Postscript Pricing

• Postscript offers four distinct tiers of pricing plans. The first tier is free with limited features. The other three tiers include various services such as customer success management, onboarding, support channels, and more. 

Postscript Ratings and Reviews

• G2: 4.9/5 (159 reviews)
• Shopify App Store 4.9/5 (1937 reviews)

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5. Omnisend

Omnisend is an SMS marketing solution popular for its effective customer service and intuitive user interface. One of its most unique features is its seamless migration from competitors such as Klaviyo and Mailchimp.

Omnisend Best Features

• Resend SMS campaigns without manual interference.
• Use pre-configured SMS messages, subject lines, and workflow settings.
• Leverage two-way SMS communication with contacts.

Omnisend Limitations

• Omnisend’s free plan only allows users to send up to 60 SMS messages per month.
• This platform lacks the advanced automation features present in other SMS marketing tools.

Omnisend Pricing

• Depending on the number of contacts your Shopify brand has, the pricing of this platform can vary from $59 per month to $1914 per month. 

Omnisend Ratings and Reviews

• G2: 4.5/5 (849 reviews)
• Shopify App Store 4.8/5 (5502 reviews)

6. Recart

Recart is an SMS platform that focuses on helping Shopify businesses access efficient SMS marketing services. It is popular for being relatively more cost effective than other SMS marketing solutions.

Recart Best Features

• Set up automated campaigns that send messages based on triggers and pre-defined schedules
• View real-time analytics for your Shopify SMS marketing campaigns. 
• Leverage AI tools to develop and improve SMS content
• Take advantage of stringent regulatory compliance measures.

Recart Limitations

• Recart does not provide users with the ability to track customer journeys. 
• Recart is only available for Shopify ecommerce stores.
• Recart’s SMS features are only available through a bundle with its email marketing solutions. This is not ideal for businesses with established email marketing strategies and tools.

Recart Pricing

• Recart’s starter 3-month plan starts at $345 per month and can go up to $1149 per month.

Recart Ratings and Reviews

• G2: 4.3/5 (6 reviews)
• Shopify App Store 4.8/5 (5477 reviews)

How to Choose an SMS Marketing Platform

1. Define Your Objectives

Before you choose from the available SMS marketing solutions available in the market, you need to decide if the platform you select aligns with your brand’s short-term and long-term goals. 

Is your primary goal to increase Shopify leads or to retain your existing customers? How often do you plan to use the platform? Digital transformation goals and the right SMS marketing software can help your business achieve are improving employee experiences, improving scheduling, optimizing reporting and more. 

Researching common objectives pursued by businesses using such marketing platforms can aid you in two ways:

1. Connecting to an objective if you already have one in mind.
2. Borrowing an objective if you haven't defined one yet.

Research has shown that 29.46% of companies have cited efficiency as their main goal for purchasing operational software. From increasing website visits to your e-commerce platform to shortening your sales team response time, setting specific and measurable goals will help you decide which SMS campaign tool is the right fit.  

2. Evaluate Features and Functionality

What will your business be using the SMS platform for? Will you use it to send abandoned cart reminders or to update your customers about order and delivery statuses? Only 13% of businesses allow customers to respond to SMS messages? Is this one of your business’s priorities?

Common features and use cases for your ideal SMS marketing platform include: 

• Segmentation and Targeting
• Opt-out management 
• Analytics and reporting 
• Abandoned cart emails

Once you know what the various use cases for your ideal SMS platform are, you will be able to select a tool that provides the capabilities to achieve your long-term objectives. 

Prepare a list of features and functionalities that your business needs to achieve your overall SMS marketing goals. What features will make or break your Shopify brand’s success in the long term? You should also consider the level of support that each platform provides and to what degree each tool is able to operate without requiring manual intervention. 

This step will help you compare the features and pricing that each solution provides and choose one that aligns best with your exact needs and preferences. 

3. Assess Your Budget

The pricing of different SMS marketing software can vary significantly based on different subscription plans and available features. Consider the scale and exact requirements of your Shopify brand, as well as the features you need to drive successful SMS marketing campaigns. 

Retail e-commerce brands can experience a return of up to 300% on their investment in SMS marketing. Specify your business’s available budget and narrow down available SMS platforms based on different price ranges. 

Consider these factors to create a budget that drives results:

1. Brand Size: SMS marketing budgets typically vary depending on your business stage. Smaller brands might allocate a smaller percentage of their marketing budget to SMS, while larger brands with established audiences may dedicate a higher percentage.
2. Campaign Goals: Are you focused on driving sales, increasing customer engagement, or promoting brand awareness? Understanding your goals will help you prioritize features within your chosen SMS platform.
3. Target Audience Size: The number of subscribers you have directly impacts your budget. Platforms often offer tiered pricing based on subscriber volume.

Here's a breakdown of how budget allocation might differ based on brand size:

1. Emerging Brands: Focus on core features like sending basic text messages and managing subscriber lists. Look for cost-effective platforms with pay-as-you-go options or low monthly fees.
2. Growing Brands: As your audience expands, consider features like segmentation, automation, and analytics. Look for platforms with features that support growth and budget for a mid-tier subscription plan.
3. Established Brands: Prioritize advanced features like two-way messaging, rich media messaging (MMS), and integrations with other marketing tools. Invest in a premium platform with robust features to maximize campaign effectiveness.

By understanding these factors, you can narrow down your SMS platform options based on features and price range, ensuring you get the most value for your budget.

Start SMS marketing with Plivo CX Engage 

Plivo CX Engage is a powerful SMS marketing software that can provide your Shopify brand with everything it needs to achieve tangible success through SMS marketing. Our platform is equipped with powerful and industry-leading features such as customer segmentation, AI-generated messages, intelligent SMS sending, and much more. 

Partnering with Plivo CX Engage for your SMS marketing needs will help you communicate with existing contacts, grow your marketing list, scale and optimize lead generation cycles, and more. This will help your e-commerce business craft and deliver powerful messages that leave a long-lasting impact on your audience and translate to increased revenue. 

Ready to finally use the best SMS marketing tool currently available? Book a demo to learn more about Plivo CX Engage’s powerful features and capabilities.