9 Best SMS Service Platforms for Ecommerce Marketing in 2024

Suppose you get a text from your favorite store announcing a flash sale on the new gadget you’ve been eyeing. It's pretty tempting, right? That’s the magic of SMS marketing for ecommerce. Studies reveal SMS boasts an incredible 98% open rate, overshadowing email’s 20%. 

It’s like having a direct line to your customers’ pockets, putting your message right at their fingertips. But with countless SMS service platforms out there, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming for you, correct? Worry not! 

This guide will be your cheat sheet for the best SMS service platforms. I’ve listed the key factors to consider, and the best SMS service platforms with their pricing, reviews & ratings to find the perfect match for your business and get those sales texts going.

Key factors for selecting an SMS service platform for ecommerce marketing

Choosing the best SMS service platform for your ecommerce marketing depends on your specific needs and budget. Here are some main factors you should consider:

Ease of use

Consider how user-friendly the platform is, especially if you or your team members are not highly technical. Look for features such as a simple and intuitive interface, drag-and-drop campaign builders, and pre-built templates to make it easy to create and send SMS campaigns without needing extensive technical knowledge or coding skills. 

Automation capabilities

Look for a platform that can automatically send messages without you having to manually send each one. For example, if a customer leaves items in their online shopping cart without completing the purchase, the platform should automatically send them a reminder to encourage them to complete the transaction. 

Segmentation and targeting

This refers to the ability to divide your customer base into smaller groups based on specific criteria. For example, you might want to send different messages to new customers, versus repeat customers, or to customers who have purchased certain types of products in the past. 

By segmenting your audience, you can send more targeted and relevant messages that are more likely to resonate with each group, leading to higher customer engagement, and increasing your sales.

Integrations

Your SMS marketing platform should be able to integrate seamlessly with other tools and systems you use in your ecommerce business, such as your ecommerce platform, email marketing service, and CRM system. 

This integration allows for data sharing and automation between different systems, streamlining your marketing processes.

Reporting and analytics

It’s crucial to be able to track and analyze the performance of your SMS marketing campaigns to understand what’s working well and what could be improved. Look for a platform that provides detailed reports and analytics on metrics such as delivery rates, open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

Pricing

Finally, consider the cost of the SMS service platform and what you get for your money. Most platforms offer pricing plans based on factors such as the number of messages sent, the number of contacts in your database, and the features included. 

Compare pricing plans to find one that fits within your budget while still providing the features and functionality you need for your ecommerce marketing efforts. 

Now let’s come to the point!

9 best SMS service platforms for ecommerce marketing 

In your ecommerce marketing, SMS services are vital for engaging customers, sending promotions, and providing real-time updates, leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction. 

With that said, here is the list of the best 9 SMS platforms for your ecommerce needs

Zixflow

Zixflow is a CRM platform and provides one of the best SMS services for ecommerce marketing that allows you to take your ecommerce marketing to new heights with unparalleled efficiency and effectiveness. With Zixflow, you gain access to a suite of easy-to-use features that transform your SMS ecommerce marketing. 

You can easily send text messages globally using our platform or API, powered by an AI engine that ensures maximum delivery with automated backup routing. Your campaigns are set up for success with built-in tools like marketing lists, tags, and segments, support two-way SMS communication templates, AI Wizard to generate SMS messages, block lists, unsubscribe options, and smart routing, all conveniently located in one place.

You can elevate your customer engagement by utilizing our URL shortener, allowing you to track click-through rates and tailor effective remarketing campaigns. The customer data platform provides a comprehensive view of interactions, empowering you to deliver exceptional experiences.

Not only that! You can monitor customer journeys effortlessly with campaign history tracking, employ smart filters to target specific audiences and create custom fields to manage data efficiently. Opt-ins and unsubscribes are managed effectively to maintain engagement and regulatory compliance.

Zixflow’s AI-powered delivery engine ensures 100% message delivery, even during operator downtime, in over 190 countries. Customize messages with multiple sender IDs, send messages in regional languages, and schedule campaigns for optimal engagement.

Use Zixflow’s highly customizable SMS API to send advanced messages tailored to your needs, both domestically and internationally, via REST APIs. With Zixflow, seamlessly integrate advanced SMS marketing capabilities into your ecommerce strategy, empowering you to reach and engage customers like never before. 

Plus, Zixflow’s unified inbox feature centralizes all your incoming messages for streamlined management, while detailed SMS summary reports provide insights into message delivery, including delivered, undelivered, and submitted messages, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making.

Not just that! Zixflow goes beyond just SMS service, to know more about it you can watch its overview video.

Pricing 

Zixflow provides free to use access for 7 days, and you don’t need to give any payment details to sign up. If you want to use other advanced features then you only need to upgrade the plan and the best part is Zixflow provides many pricing plan categories like Marketing, XCRM, and ONE so you can select plans as per your ecommerce marketing needs.

Review & rating

4.9 out of 5 (26 reviews) by G2

4.6 out of 5 (80 reviews) by Capterra

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is the second platform that provides SMS service for ecommerce marketing. Kalviyo doesn’t operate as a standalone SMS service, but it includes SMS marketing features within its email marketing platform. This allows you to handle both email and SMS campaigns in one place. Klaviyo offers various tools for SMS marketing, ensuring messages only reach opted-in customers and providing compliance features. 

You can personalize and segment SMS campaigns just like emails, and they offer templates for common campaigns to enhance sales engagement. Klaviyo also supports two-way SMS conversations, enhancing customer engagement. They focus on message deliverability with features like branded sender IDs and failure reason reports.

Pricing 

Klaviyo offers three affordable pricing plans:

• Free - $0 /user/month, billed annually.
• Email & SMS - $45 /user/month, billed annually.
• Email - $60 /user/month, billed annually.

Reviews & rating

4.6 out of 5 (425 reviews) by Capterra

ClickSend

ClickSend is another platform that provides SMS service for ecommerce. With this, you can enhance your marketing by sending targeted text messages to your customers at every stage of their shopping journey. ClickSend enables automated SMS notifications for order confirmations, shipping updates, and abandoned carts, ensuring timely communication. 

Also, you can craft precise marketing campaigns, delivering promotional offers, flash sales, and discount codes directly to your customers’ mobile phones, leveraging the high open rates of SMS, helping you to drive better customer engagement, simplify your sales process, and streamline your ecommerce operations.

Pricing 

ClickSend allows you to select prices from many options like SMS, voice, email, fax, post, & rich messaging. So it’s great for you to check their website to get the exact idea about pricing plans for your needs.

Reviews & rating

4.1 out of 5 (47 reviews) by G2

3.8 out of 5 (36 reviews) by Capterra 

SlickText

SlickText positions itself as the perfect fit for your ecommerce business, boasting a user-friendly SMS marketing platform tailored just for you. Their array of tools is designed to streamline your subscriber list growth and campaign management to automate sales engagement. 

With features like compliant signup form creation for your website and social media, personalized messaging options, and pre-built automation workflows, you can easily execute tasks such as welcome messages and abandoned cart recovery. 

Plus, their two-way texting capabilities ensure seamless customer service interactions. You can keep tabs on your campaign success with their reporting and analytics tools. 

Pricing 

SlickText provides many different plans that start from $29/month and go up to $1250/month. And the best part is they also provide a 14-day free trial.

Reviews & rating

4.8 out of 5 (1273 reviews) by G2

4.8 out of 5 (180 reviews) by Capterra

Twilio

Twilio provides an SMS service for your ecommerce marketing efforts. With the Programmable Messaging API, you can effortlessly send SMS and MMS messages to a global audience across 180+ countries, backed by a near 100% uptime guarantee. This enables you to run various marketing campaigns, from sending out promotional offers to reminding customers about abandoned carts and notifying them about shipping updates. 

Moreover, Twilio facilitates two-way communication through its Conversations API, helping you to engage directly with customers via text messages, perfect for offering support or answering product inquiries. Using features like real-time message personalization and segmentation, you can precisely target customer groups with tailored messages, amplify the impact of your marketing initiatives, and simplify your sales process.

Pricing 

Twilio provides many different pricing plans for your specific needs. It’s better if you check out their website because it’s tough for me to mention their all-pricing plans. 

Reviews & rating

4.2 out of 5 (467 reviews) by G2

4.5 out of 5 (443 reviews) by Capterra

Podium

If you’re looking to streamline customer interactions and level up your ecommerce marketing, Podium has your back. With its SMS marketing features, you can reach your customers directly with targeted campaigns, from flash sales to order updates, all with the advantage of super-high open rates.

Plus, Podium isn’t just about texts, it’s a central hub for managing all your customer conversations across various channels like reviews, web chat, and social media. 

Podium also provides features like two-way texting, allowing for easy customer interaction, enhancing the sales process, and lead nurturing.  Furthermore, Podium integrates with various ecommerce platforms, making it easy to manage your SMS marketing campaigns alongside your existing sales channels. Podium is also a great alternative for Karix users.

Pricing 

Podium allows you to select from there 3 plans:

• Core - $399/user/month, billed annually.
• Pro - $599/user/month, billed annually.
• Signature - For signature pricing, you can contact their sales team. 

Reviews & rating

4.5 out of 5 (1538 reviews) by G2

4.3 out of 5 (499 reviews) by Capterra

Omnisend

Omnisend stands out as an ecommerce marketing tool, extending beyond emails to offer a strong SMS marketing package tailored for online shops. With it, you can send tailored promotional and transactional texts to engage customers at every step of their shopping journey. Their easy-to-use SMS builder simplifies creating personalized messages, giving you a preview of how they’ll look. 

Plus, Omnisend offers automation features, allowing you to seamlessly integrate SMS into your marketing strategies by automatically sending texts triggered by customer actions like abandoned carts or birthdays.

Pricing 

Omnisend provides 3 pricing plans according to the contacts you have, so below I’ve mentioned prices according to the 0-250 contacts: 

• Free - $0 /user/month, billed annually.
• Standard - $16 /user/month, billed annually.
• Pro - $59 /user/month, billed annually.

Reviews & rating

4.8 out of 5 (885 reviews) by G2

4.7 out of 5 (718 reviews) by Capterra

TextMagic

TextMagic isn’t just about texting for businesses like yours, it's a complete SMS marketing platform mainly for ecommerce. It simplifies connecting with customers personally and boosting sales. With TextMagic, you can smoothly import large contact lists, craft personalized messages for targeted campaigns, and swiftly launch SMS promotions, order updates, and feedback requests via an easy-to-use online interface. 

TextMagic seamlessly integrates with various ecommerce platforms, streamlining marketing efforts and providing detailed reporting and analytics to gauge SMS campaign success, including delivery rates, costs, and overall engagement metrics.

Pricing 

Textmaic provides pricing for two-way texting, according to the country, and price per text. So you can check their website, enter your details, and get the pricing details. 

Reviews & rating

4.3 out of 5 (98 reviews) by G2

4.6 out of 5 (211 reviews) by Capterra

EZTexting

EZTexting is a marketing and sales tool that utilizes text message communication to connect businesses with their customers. Specifically designed for ecommerce businesses, EZTexting allows you to send targeted SMS campaigns to promote sales, announce new product arrivals, and send alerts about stock updates. 

Their user-friendly platform makes it easy to create and launch bulk SMS campaigns, while features like built-in compliance tools and a team inbox with AI functionalities ensure your messages are delivered securely and responses are handled efficiently. 

EZTexting even offers features like AI-powered message composition to craft engaging content, and the ability to collaborate with your team on customer inquiries through a shared inbox and build sales-qualified leads. EZTexting’s robust features like these also make it one of the top alternatives to MSG91 platform.

Pricing 

EZTexting Provides 4 flexible plans:

• Launch - $20 /user/month, billed annually.
• Boost - $60 /user/month, billed annually.
• Scale - $100 /user/month, billed annually.
• Enterprise - $3000 /user/month, billed annually.

Reviews & rating

4.5 out of 5 (593 reviews) by G2

4.3 out of 5 (143 reviews) by Capterra

Elevate your ecommerce marketing by selecting the best SMS service platform 

Choosing the right SMS service platform for your ecommerce marketing can feel like picking the perfect tool from a well-stocked toolbox. As explained above, each platform has its own features, whether it’s super-smooth automation or the ability to craft personalized messages that really hit home with your customers.

But, if I had the option to select one platform, I would choose Zixflow because it goes beyond just SMS marketing. With its unified inbox, seamless integration, and comprehensive suite including email campaign builder, WhatsApp campaign builder, and automation features, Zixflow offers unmatched efficiency and effectiveness in ecommerce marketing. It’s the all-in-one solution that streamlines workflows, provides data-driven insights, and enhances customer engagement, all in one place. 

So are you ready to elevate your ecommerce marketing startup? Sign up today & experience the difference.