Shopify Messaging / New feature

With Shopify Messaging,
you can now build SMS marketing automations

Use the Abandoned cart, Abandoned checkout, and Browse abandonment templates to automatically send well-timed SMS. Start from a template or build your own from scratch.

What's on this page
  1. What's actually changing (in 30 seconds)
  2. The 3 templates, illustrated
  3. How it works: the flow from customer behavior to SMS delivery
  4. Before vs. after comparison
  5. Setup steps (3 steps)
  6. 5 key points for developers
  7. 3 use cases you can put to work
  8. A one-line summary for your pitch

1What's actually changing

Until now, Shopify Messaging was a tool for having conversations with customers.
With this update, a system that automatically sends SMS based on predefined conditions (automation) is now integrated into the same screen.

Before: centered on manual messages

Shopify Messaging centered on 1-to-1 exchanges with customers, or individual manual sends. Well-timed re-engagement relied on separate tools.

New: template-triggered automatic SMS

Just turn on the Abandoned cart, Abandoned checkout, and Browse abandonment templates, and Shopify Messaging automatically sends SMS. You can also build your own.

23 built-in templates

Template 1

Abandoned cart

Re-engage customers who left items in their cart via SMS.

$ Template 2

Abandoned checkout

SMS aimed at higher-intent customers who reached the payment screen but didn't complete checkout.

Template 3

Browse abandonment

SMS for customers who viewed a product page but left without adding to cart. The most upstream approach.

All three templates are pre-built. Use them as-is, or create your own automationas well.

3How it works: from customer behavior to SMS delivery

Customer Browse / Cart / CO Shopify store Behavior event detection (exit / cart abandonment) Trigger fires Automations in Shopify Messaging Abandoned cart template CO abandonment template Browse abandonment template Select the one that matches the conditions Automated SMS delivery SHOP You still have items in your cart Continue here → Manage spending with a threshold
Spending is the "SMS spending threshold" in Shopify Messaging > Settings. This prevents unexpected spikes in SMS costs.

4Old vs. new feature comparison

ItemShopify Messaging until nowNew feature (SMS Automations)
Delivery trigger Mainly manual / 1-to-1 conversations Automated Fires on cart, CO, or browse abandonment
Templates Not specified Built-in 3 pre-built / can create your own
Delivery timing Up to the operator "well-timed" = automatic timing based on behavior
Cost management Not specified Threshold Set the SMS spending threshold from Settings
Where to configure Shopify Messaging (existing) Shopify Messaging > Automations (new)

5Setup steps (3 steps)

1

Open Shopify Messaging > Automations

Go to the Automations section within Shopify Messaging.

2

Choose a template or build your own

Pick from the pre-built abandoned cart, checkout abandonment, and browse abandonment flows, or build your own.

3
$ LIMIT

Set the spending threshold in Settings

Set the SMS spending threshold from Shopify Messaging > Settings and start running.

There are only two operational flows: "create rules in Automations""cap spending in Settings". The design is simple and easy to roll out in day-to-day operations.

65 points engineers should know

SMS

1. An "automation layer" now lives inside Shopify Messaging

Shopify Messaging, which until now centered on manual customer service, now also houses Automations, an automated messaging feature. Conversational and marketing-automation channels can be viewed on the same screen.

2. Three pre-built triggers are provided

abandoned cart, abandoned checkout, and browse abandonment. Since this set of three common ecommerce "abandonment" triggers is included from the start, you can spin up a PoC right away.

SMS $ LIMIT

3. A spending threshold is built in

SMS is a channel that incurs carrier costs per message. With an "SMS spending threshold" included in Settings as standard, you can structurally prevent cost incidents from runaway sends.

PRE OWN

4. You can also build your own automations

It explicitly states "create your own." Because there's room to design your own send triggers, there's also room to build in industry-specific scenarios that templates don't cover (restocks, reservations, subscriptions, etc.). No detailed specs are provided.

API ?

5. No mention of API, Webhook, supported countries, or supported plans

In the published Changelog, details such as the GraphQL Admin API, Webhooks, supported countries, required plans, and variable merge fields in the SMS text arenot documented. When you dig in on an implementation engagement, you'll need hands-on verification with the Help Center documentation and a sandbox.

73 use cases you can put to work

USE CASE 1

Boost a D2C brand's "abandoned cart recovery" with SMS

Challenge
You're sending abandoned cart emails, but open rates have plateaued. You aren't fully reaching the mobile-first customer segment.
Approach
Turn on the abandoned cart template to automatically re-engage abandoning customers via SMS.
Impact
By recapturing customers who didn't open the emails via SMS, you can expect to lift your abandoned cart recovery rate with zero extra implementation.
Technical notes
Always set the SMS spending threshold to prevent runaway sends. Check the Help Center for the detailed specs on send frequency and target segments.
Purchase
USE CASE 2

Instant follow-up on checkout abandonment for high-ticket products

Challenge
High-ticket products such as furniture, appliances, and jewelry are prone to abandonment right before payment. The more time passes after they leave, the harder they are to win back.
Approach
Use the abandoned checkout template to automatically send an SMS to customers who reached the payment screen—pinpointing the segment with the highest purchase intent.
Impact
Reach the customers who just need a final nudge as fast as possible, reducing missed high-LTV customers.
Technical notes
Cart abandonment and checkout (CO) abandonment use separate templates, so you need to control double-firing and message conflicts for the same customer through your automation design (detailed specs not provided).
USE CASE 3

Pre-launch promotion to recover browse abandonment for newly launched products

Challenge
People are coming to the new product page, but the add-to-cart rate is low. You want to bring back customers who browsed and left, but email gets buried.
Approach
Use the browse abandonment template to re-engage customers who browsed and left via SMS, creating a path back to your store.
Impact
By applying SMS upstream, before add-to-cart, you can widen the entrance to the entire funnel and more easily observe a new product's early launch traction.
Technical notes
Browse abandonment targets a wide audience and can easily inflate SMS costs, so we recommend starting with a low spending threshold in Settings and raising it gradually as results come in.

8One-line summary for your pitch

"Shopify Messaging now houses SMS marketing automation alongside messaging.
Activate three templates—cart abandonment, checkout abandonment, and browse abandonment—with a single click.
Spending can be capped with a threshold, so you can adopt the SMS channel safely."