Abandoned Cart SMS Generator
Write one to three abandoned cart texts that fit in a single SMS segment, with opt-out wording in every message.
How each text is built
Every text follows the same pattern, so it stays inside one 160-character GSM-7 segment once your SMS tool fills in the first name and link: store name, a message of 13 words at most, the link, then the opt-out line.
A full-length text
- Store name
- Harbour & Co:
- Message (13 words)
- Hi [First name], your Linen Weekend Shirt is saved in your cart. Finish here:
- Link
- [Link], 26 characters once shortened
- Opt-out
- Reply STOP to opt out
138 characters with a 10-letter first name: one segment, with 22 characters to spare.
| Text | When | Job |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 hour after | A reminder that the cart is saved. No offer. |
| 2 | 24 hours after | Answers hesitation: returns, shipping speed, sizing help. |
| 3 | 48 hours after | A last nudge, with the incentive if you use one. |
Staying compliant
- Consent first. Only text people who opted in to marketing texts from you. CTIA's guidelines say an opt-in applies only to the program it was given for, so a number collected for delivery updates isn't marketing consent.
- Say how to opt out. CTIA asks senders to state in the message how to opt out, using standard STOP wording. Every text here ends with it.
- Honor opt-outs quickly. US rules treat replies such as stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel or unsubscribe as an opt-out, to be honored within 10 business days at most.
- Mind the clock. US federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. at the recipient's location. Check your state's rules too.
- Name the store. Each text starts with your store name so people know who's texting.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm what applies to you with your SMS platform and, for anything unclear, a lawyer.
Characters that break the one-segment limit
A GSM-7 text fits 160 characters. One character outside that set switches the whole message to Unicode, which fits 70, and longer messages are split into 153 or 67-character parts.
- Curly quotes and apostrophes pasted from Word or Google Docs. The generator uses straight ones.
- Emoji. Off by default. If you allow them, expect each text to send as more than one segment.
- Accented letters such as á, ó and ã in Spanish or Portuguese texts.
- Symbols such as € { } [ ] ~ ^ and |, which count as two characters. The square brackets around placeholders disappear when your SMS tool fills them in.
Paste each text into the SMS character counter with your real short link before you schedule it.
Setting it up
- 01
Shopify
Install Shopify Messaging, go to Apps > Messaging > Automations, click Create automation and choose Recover abandoned cart with SMS (there's also Recover abandoned checkout with SMS). Paste in the texts and set the delays.
- 02
Other SMS apps
Klaviyo, Postscript, Attentive and similar apps have abandoned cart flows. Replace [First name] and [Link] with the app's own name and link tags.
- 03
WooCommerce
Use an SMS platform with a WooCommerce integration, and collect SMS marketing consent at checkout before you send anything.
Questions people ask
How long should an abandoned cart text be?
Under 160 characters, so it sends as one segment. With your store name, a short link and the opt-out line, that leaves room for about 13 words.
Do I need “Reply STOP to opt out” in every text?
CTIA's messaging guidelines ask senders to say in the message how to opt out, so including it in every marketing text is the safe choice. It costs 21 characters.
When should the first text go out?
About an hour after the cart is abandoned, between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the customer's time zone. If that hour falls at night, hold the text until morning.
Should I send texts and emails?
You can, but stagger them so the customer isn't contacted twice in the same hour, and stop both as soon as they order. For the emails, use the abandoned cart email generator.
Can I use emoji?
Yes: pick Allow emoji. Each emoji switches the text to Unicode, where a segment holds 70 characters, so the text costs more to send.
Related tools
Want this builtinto your store?
I'm Emmanuel, a Shopify and WooCommerce developer. If this tool pointed at something you'd rather have fixed for you (a faster store, cleaner product data, a migration, a custom feature), send me a note.
Emmanuel Asika
Shopify & WooCommerce developer, Dublin
I build and fix online stores: new builds, migrations, speed, SEO and the custom bits apps can't do.