# SMS marketing software for your Shopify store Kanal sends your bulk SMS campaigns to your customer segments, triggers automated texts on every store event and shows the revenue of each send. Built for stores on Shopify. Source: https://getkanal.com/sms Last updated: 2026-10-11 ## Bulk SMS to your customers, with no file to export A bulk SMS send starts with a clean list. Kanal starts from your store: your customers, their orders and their consent are already there. ### Your segments are your send lists Loyal customers, first-time buyers, people who have not ordered in two months: pick a segment from your store and the SMS campaign goes to it, with no import and no file to clean. ### Consent, contact by contact Opt-ins and opt-outs sit on each customer’s profile. You send to the people who said yes, and an opt-out stays recorded. ### The sales behind each send Orders and revenue are attributed to each SMS campaign. You know what a send brought in, not only how many texts went out. ## SMS marketing campaigns: three sends to reuse An SMS campaign is one idea, one offer and one link. Three formats that come back all year in an online store. ### The launch A new collection or an awaited product: tell the customers who already bought in that category first. > Atelier Nova: the linen collection has landed. See it before everyone else: atelier-nova.com/linen ### The private sale Keep an offer for one segment, your top customers for example, with a clear end date. > Atelier Nova: private sale until Sunday, 20% off for members. atelier-nova.com/private-sale ### The last call A few hours before an offer ends, a short reminder with the direct link. > Atelier Nova: the private sale ends tonight. This way: atelier-nova.com/private-sale ## Automated SMS: six texts that send themselves An automated SMS is triggered by an event in your store. You set it up once and it goes out at the right moment for each customer. ### Abandoned cart reminder A checkout left unfinished triggers a short reminder with a link back to the cart. > Atelier Nova: your cart is waiting, Sarah. Finish your order here: atelier-nova.com/cart [Abandoned cart SMS](https://getkanal.com/sms-automation#abandoned-cart) ### Order and delivery updates Confirmation, shipping, delivery: transactional texts triggered by the status of the order. > Atelier Nova: order #4821 has shipped. Track your parcel: atelier-nova.com/tracking [Order and delivery texts](https://getkanal.com/sms-automation#order-updates) ### Back in stock Customers who asked to be told get a text the moment the product is available again. > Atelier Nova: the linen shirt in sand is back in stock. Get yours here: atelier-nova.com/linen-shirt [Back in stock SMS alerts](https://getkanal.com/sms-automation#back-in-stock) ### Post-purchase offer After an order, suggest a product that goes with what the customer just bought. > Atelier Nova: thank you for your order! 10% off the matching trousers this week: atelier-nova.com/trousers [Post-purchase SMS](https://getkanal.com/sms-automation#post-purchase) ### Review request A few days after delivery, a text invites the customer to rate the purchase. > Atelier Nova: has your shirt arrived? Tell us what you think in one minute: atelier-nova.com/review [Review collection](https://getkanal.com/review-collection) ### Your own flows Start from a store event, add your conditions and choose the text to send. > Atelier Nova: happy birthday, Sarah! A gift is waiting on your next order: atelier-nova.com/gift [Automations](https://getkanal.com/automations) ## How to send bulk SMS in three steps From install to first send. Kanal is built for online stores on Shopify. ### Install Kanal on your store Kanal installs from the Shopify App Store and syncs your customers, orders and checkouts. Count about five minutes. ### Choose your recipients Select a segment of customers who agreed to receive your texts, or switch on an automated SMS for a store event. ### Write and send Write a short message with your brand name, a link and the opt-out mention, then send. The orders it brings in show up in the campaign report. ## SMS marketing rules to know before you send SMS is a regulated channel. Four rules to know before your first campaign, with the texts they come from. ### Consent comes first In France, marketing by SMS is allowed only if the person agreed beforehand; the exception covers existing customers and similar products or services. In the United States, the carriers’ association asks senders to obtain the consumer’s opt-in. On Shopify, an SMS sign-up checkbox can be added to the checkout. Sources: [CNIL](https://www.cnil.fr/fr/la-prospection-commerciale-par-sms-mms), [CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices](https://www.ctia.org/the-wireless-industry/industry-commitments/messaging-interoperability-sms-mms), [Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/customer-contact-information) ### A sender people can identify, and a STOP Each message must let the recipient know who is writing and refuse further messages by a simple means. In practice: your brand name at the start, an opt-out mention at the end. Sources: [CNIL](https://www.cnil.fr/fr/la-prospection-commerciale-par-sms-mms), [CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices](https://www.ctia.org/the-wireless-industry/industry-commitments/messaging-interoperability-sms-mms) ### Sending hours In the United States, federal rules bar telephone solicitations, text messages included, before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. in the recipient’s local time. In France, the operators’ charter allows promotional SMS between 8:00 and 21:30. Check the rules of each country you send to. Sources: [47 CFR 64.1200](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-64/subpart-L/section-64.1200), [af2m](https://af2m.org/charte-business-messaging-2026-laf2m-renforce-les-regles-du-jeu/) ### 160 characters per SMS A standard SMS holds 160 characters in the GSM alphabet. Beyond that, or with characters outside that alphabet, the text is split into several parts. One idea, one link. Sources: [3GPP TS 23.038](https://www.3gpp.org/dynareport/23038.htm), [3GPP TS 23.040](https://www.3gpp.org/dynareport/23040.htm) General information, not legal advice. The rules depend on the countries you send to: check them before sending. ## Connected to the tools your store runs on Kanal plugs into Shopify and the apps around it. - [Shopify](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-shopify) - [Klaviyo](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-integration/klaviyo) - [Gorgias](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-integration/gorgias) - [Zendesk](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-integration/zendesk) - [Recharge](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-integration/recharge) ## And WhatsApp, in the same app Kanal sends your WhatsApp messages too. Same customer base, same segments, same report: you choose the channel campaign by campaign. | Criterion | SMS | WhatsApp | | --- | --- | --- | | Reach | Part of the mobile network standard: it works on any mobile phone, with no app to install. ([3GPP TS 23.040](https://www.3gpp.org/dynareport/23040.htm)) | Reaches the customers who use WhatsApp and agreed to hear from you there. ([WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy](https://business.whatsapp.com/policy)) | | Content | Text and a link, in 160 characters per message. ([3GPP TS 23.038](https://www.3gpp.org/dynareport/23038.htm)) | Images, buttons and product cards inside the message. | | Conversation | At its best for short notices that need no answer: a reminder, an alert, a link. | A thread: the customer replies, and your team or the AI agent answers. | ### The short version SMS for the short, urgent message and to reach every customer. WhatsApp when the message deserves an image or an answer. Both go out from the same app. ### Go further - [Business SMS for e-commerce: the guide](https://getkanal.com/blog/business-sms-ecommerce-guide) - [WhatsApp vs SMS pricing by country](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-vs-sms-pricing-by-country) - [SMS vs MMS vs RCS vs WhatsApp](https://getkanal.com/blog/sms-vs-mms-vs-rcs-vs-whatsapp) - [What does SMS mean?](https://getkanal.com/blog/what-does-sms-mean) - [SMS vs MMS: the difference](https://getkanal.com/blog/sms-vs-mms) - [Shopify SMS apps compared](https://getkanal.com/best-shopify-apps/best-shopify-sms-apps) ## Frequently asked questions about SMS marketing ### What software do I need to send bulk SMS? It depends on where your contacts live. For an online store, the simplest route is SMS marketing software connected to the store: it picks up your customers, their orders and their consent, with no file to import. Kanal works this way for Shopify stores: SMS campaigns to your segments, automated texts and sales tracking. ### How do I send a bulk SMS to my customers? In three moves: gather the numbers of customers who agreed to receive your texts, write a short message with your brand name and an opt-out mention, then send it from SMS software. In Kanal, the list is a segment of your store and each customer receives the text individually. ### How much does an SMS campaign cost? The cost of an SMS campaign depends on the destination country and on the number of segments: a text longer than 160 characters counts as several SMS. It comes on top of the software subscription. Book a demo to get an estimate for your volumes and countries. ### Can I send business SMS from a computer? Yes. SMS software runs in the browser: you type the message on your keyboard, choose the recipients and the send goes out without your phone. That is how Kanal is used. ### What are the rules for SMS marketing? They depend on the country. The common base: the recipient agreed beforehand, the message says who is sending it, and it offers a simple way to opt out, such as the STOP keyword. Many countries also restrict sending hours: in the United States, no solicitation before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in the recipient’s local time. ### Can SMS be automated? Yes. An automated SMS goes out when an event happens in the store: abandoned cart, order shipped, product back in stock, recent purchase. In Kanal, you set up the flow once and it applies to every customer concerned. ### SMS or email: which one should I use? They work together. Email carries long, illustrated content; SMS, limited to 160 characters, is for short and urgent messages: the end of a sale, a parcel out for delivery, a product back in stock. Kanal sends SMS, not email: it connects to your email tool, Klaviyo for example. ### Does Kanal also send WhatsApp messages? Yes. Kanal sends SMS and WhatsApp campaigns from the same app, with the same segments and the same report. WhatsApp adds images, buttons and replies; SMS reaches every phone, with no app to install.