Introduction
Savvy Shopify merchants know that marketing to your existing customers is the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way to boost sales and revenue.
One of the best ways to do that is to collect customer phone numbers at Shopify checkout so you can follow up with SMS marketing.
After all, it’s well established that existing customers…
- Purchase more often
- Are less price sensitive
- Are less likely to defect to a competitor
- Are more likely to recommend your business to friends and colleagues
- And are cheaper to reach with marketing solutions and cost less to serve
Hell, a Bain and Company study showed that a mere 5% increase in customer retention boosted profits by a staggering 25–95%.
That’s correct… turning your focus to your existing customers—and not solely on acquiring new customers—can make a big difference to your bottom line.
As a result, most ecommerce store owners do everything in their power to obtain permission for follow-up marketing, so they can reach out with promotions, new inventory arrivals, and whatever else might be relevant to their niche.
And the Shopify platform does offer an option for this.
By default, it allows you to collect email addresses from your audience.
And while email marketing is still worthwhile (largely because it’s dirt cheap to do), open rates for commercial emails are generally pretty dismal (just above 20%—with retail often slightly lower).
That means that roughly 80% of your audience is not being exposed to your follow-up promotions.
And this is critical—because of the 5 points outlined above, these are the very people who have the biggest potential to impact your bottom line.
So how do you turn this around?
By collecting customer phone numbers—and using text marketing.
Body Systems Nutrition. Sports & Health Supplements stores, Ontario
Why Collecting Phone Numbers Matters for Shopify Stores
You probably already know the answer to this one… it’s the open rate.
Almost 100% of text messages are opened, the majority within a few minutes. In fact, modern smartphones make it virtually impossible for a recipient not to see a new message.
But what accounts for the huge discrepancy between email and text message open rates—especially when many people check both on the same device?
The difference is the sender.
Texting is an intimate communication channel, usually reserved for close friends, family members, colleagues, and a small number of trusted businesses.
When a new text message arrives, you check it almost immediately—because it usually comes from someone important.
Emails, on the other hand, come from anyone.
So it may take hours—or even days—before the average person checks their inbox.
In short, collecting phone numbers and sending promotions by text allows you to bypass the noise and clutter of email and deliver your message directly to the place where you’ll have your customer’s attention.
Wondering How Shopify Checkout Phone Number Collection Works?
If you’re wondering how to collect customer phone numbers at Shopify checkout so you can follow up with SMS marketing, you’re not alone.
Shopify makes it easy to collect email addresses, but collecting customer phone numbers for marketing and promotion usually requires additional setup and, in many cases, third-party tools.
In this article, we’ll walk through the process of how to collect phone numbers at checkout and how to do it so it doesn’t add friction to the checkout process.
While it doesn’t natively support promotional marketing by SMS, Shopify is designed to support it…
- Allows for a SMS opt in tick box to be added to the checkout.
- Phone number must not be a requirement of purchase (i.e., the customer must be allowed to purchase without consenting to receive SMS promotions from you).
- Full, “express consent” is required.
Best Way to Capture Phone Numbers at Checkout (Step 1)
To collect numbers, you’ll need to add a special form field to your checkout that, when populated, collects your customers’ cell numbers and automatically adds them to a 3rd party text marketing platform.
This is done by:
- Installing a Shopify-compatible SMS marketing app
- Adding a “text me with news and offers” tick box option to your cart.
- Hiding the phone number field until the customer ticks the box.
- Displaying a disclaimer to satisfy necessary legal compliance requirements for opt ins under US and Canadian law (this appears after the box is ticked, under the phone number field).
This allows customers to include their phone number as part of their purchase—without friction or disruption (the form field and disclaimer only display if the customer ticks “text me with news and offers.”)
Those who opt in are then automatically added to your SMS subscriber list (upon successful purchase) ready to receive future promotions.
You can see what such a form looks like below…
When the customer ticks “text me with news and offers”, a drop down appears which contains the phone number field and the disclaimer required for full US/Canada compliance.
Best Way to Capture Phone Numbers at Checkout (Step 2)
In addition to adding a “text me with news and offers” tick box and drop-down for capturing a phone number, we also recommend leveraging Shopify’s primary contact field (at the top of the checkout page), so that if the customer enters a phone number here…
You can immediately pop open the offer to receive offers by text message (providing a phone number as the primary contact point gives Shopify permission to message the client about their order, but it does not give you permission to send them promotions, hence the second opt in requirement)….
And of course, if the phone number and “text me with news and offers” appears here, it doesn’t appear further down the checkout process (as pictured further above).
IMPORTANT: Reduce Checkout Friction When Collecting Phone Numbers
One thing that’s crucial in the checkout process is that you do not create any barriers to the customer completing the sale. Invitations to receive your promotions by SMS or MMS must prominent, sure, but they should not impede the process.
The process as seen above is very subtle and does not do so.
Grow Your SMS List Beyond Checkout (Step 3)
Collecting phone numbers at checkout is a powerful first step, but it shouldn’t be your only strategy.
It’s likely you already have a list of customers subscribed to receive email promotions. Going forward, you should work to convert these customers into subscribers of your text marketing program.
This can be done through your email campaigns.
Every promotion you send should include an invitation to subscribe to your text marketing program, typically through a link to a web form.
For best results, this invitation should always include…
- A clear definition of the benefits (never miss an offer, early access to sales, exclusive offers, etc.)
- Expected messaging frequency (e.g., twice per month)
- Reassurance that the subscriber controls the experience and can opt out at any time
How to Collect Phone Numbers In-Store & Offline (Step 4)
If your business has a physical location, you should also be collecting phone numbers in person.
You can make it easy for customers to subscribe by:
- Displaying a web form on a tablet at checkout
- Posting signage with a QR code linking to your signup form
- Including an invitation to join your “VIP Text Club” in print and digital advertising and including a QR code for easy access.
- Promoting your texting program on social media
In short, you should take advantage of every available opportunity to build your SMS list.
Because…
The ROI potential is significant.
And unlike social media audiences – which can disappear overnight – you own your subscriber list.
That means you can export it, move platforms if needed, and maintain full control over your customer communication.
In short, it becomes a valuable business asset. Instant, push button income, if you like.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shopify SMS Marketing
Is it legal to collect customer phone numbers on Shopify?
Yes, provided you obtain proper consent and follow applicable opt-in requirements for compliance.
You can see what compliant messaging looks like in the images above, just below the phone number field. These provide clear language defining what the subscriber can expect and instructions for obtaining help and unsubscribing.
As long as consent is not a requirement of purchase (i.e., a customer must ALWAYS have the option to purchase without agreeing to receive promotional messaging from you) and…
- Opt in is not pre-checked
- A clear messaging disclaimer is posted
… then obtaining consent at the checkout is considered “express consent” as required by US and Canadian law.
Will adding a phone number field reduce conversions?
When implemented correctly, with clear value and minimal friction as above, it typically does not negatively impact conversions. In many cases, it enhances customer engagement post-purchase.
How is SMS different from email marketing?
SMS offers significantly higher visibility and faster engagement than email. Email remains useful for longer-form communication, but struggles with low open rates (the average for commercial emails is around 20%).
For example…
Your email promotion might focus on a dozen individual items, with illustrations, details and pricing information on each.
Your text message is much more concise…
Mike, ACME Anvils’ Flash sale is here now. Save 100’s on selected anvils and limited stock inventory! Limited time only at ACMEanvils.com.
What kinds of messages work best for Shopify SMS promotions?
Promotions, limited-time offers, flash sales, product launches, back-in-stock alerts and early access to sales all tend to perform especially well.
What is the best way to grow an SMS list beyond checkout?
Use your current email campaigns in conjunction with QR codes, web forms and social media invitations to encourage existing customers to subscribe.
How often should Shopify stores send text messages?
Most businesses find success sending between 2-4 messages per month, depending on their budget, audience and offers.
Can Shopify merchants send MMS (image and text) messages too?
Yes, many SMS marketing platforms also support MMS, which can be useful for product images, promotional graphics, and visual campaigns.
How do I track ROI from SMS marketing campaigns?
Track clicks, orders, revenue generated, subscriber growth, unsubscribe rates, and campaign performance over time to measure how SMS contributes to repeat sales.
Final Thoughts
Building a list of customer phone numbers is one of the most valuable assets you can create for your Shopify store.
It allows you to communicate directly with your audience, increase repeat purchases, and generate revenue on demand.
And while Shopify doesn’t provide this capability out of the box, the right approach, and the right tools, make it easy to implement.
Want to Automate This Without the Headaches?
At this point, the question most Shopify merchants ask is how to implement this efficiently…
And that’s where we can help.
Our BROADCASTsms Shopify application is designed specifically to make this process simple.
It allows you to:
- Collect customer phone numbers directly at checkout (as per images above)
- Ensure proper opt-in and compliance
- Automatically build and manage your SMS subscriber list
- Send targeted SMS and MMS campaigns from our easy-to-use, afffordable BROADCASTsms platform.
The goal isn’t just to collect phone numbers… it’s to turn those subscribers into repeat customers and ongoing revenue.
If you’d like to see how it works in practice, you’re welcome to request a quick demo.
Let’s Chat
If you’re interested in exploring how to collect phone numbers at checkout and build your SMS marketing list, feel free to reach out using the form below.
You’re also welcome to book a call or request a demo to see how the process works in practice.