Choosing an SMS platform can get confusing quickly. Most providers offer similar-sounding features, but that does not mean they will work equally well for your business. A retailer selling through Shopify may need strong ecommerce connections, while a larger brand may care more about segmentation, customer data, and the ability to manage email and text messages together. Before paying for SMS marketing software, it is worth deciding what you want to send, how your team works, and what you expect from the platform once your subscriber list starts growing.
- Start With the Way Your Business Works
The first question is not which platform is the best. It is what you want the platform to handle.
Make a short list of the messages you expect to send. These could include promotions, product launches, back-in-stock alerts, abandoned-cart reminders, welcome messages, or post-purchase communication. Then think about how those messages fit into the rest of your marketing.
Rebecca Minkoff offers a useful real-world example. Before moving its SMS program to Klaviyo, the fashion brand was using Klaviyo for email and Attentive for SMS. According to Klaviyo’s case study, the separate setup made it difficult to coordinate email and SMS messaging and added complexity for the marketing team. After consolidating the channels in Klaviyo, the brand reported 23% year-over-year SMS revenue growth during its first 70 days.
That does not mean every company should put email and SMS on the same platform. It does show why the way a platform fits into your existing marketing setup deserves serious attention.
- Look at Your Ecommerce Connection
For an online store, integration is one of the first things to investigate. Your SMS platform may need information about products viewed, carts abandoned, previous purchases, customer profiles, and other activity. If that information cannot move easily between your ecommerce system and SMS tool, some campaigns become harder to manage.
Filson is a good example. The outdoor apparel company runs its ecommerce business on Shopify and chose Klaviyo for SMS as part of a broader customer experience setup. Klaviyo reports that Filson saw 3.5 times year-over-year SMS revenue growth and added more than 65,000 net new SMS subscribers in 2024.
The number itself should not be treated as a promise of what another company will achieve. Filson is an established brand with its own audience and marketing strategy. The more useful takeaway is that when comparing platforms, you should look at how well they work with the ecommerce tools you already have.
If your store runs on Shopify, test the Shopify connection. If you use another ecommerce platform, check that integration instead. Do not assume that every integration works in exactly the same way.
- See What Automation Really Gives You
“Automation” is an easy word to put on a feature page. What matters is what you can actually automate.
Can a message be triggered when someone abandons a cart? Can you create a welcome series? Can customers receive different messages depending on what they have bought? Can a message stop once an order has been placed?
Anastasia Beverly Hills provides a clear example of how these features can be used. The beauty brand uses Attentive for automated welcome messages and abandoned-cart reminders. According to Attentive’s case study, the abandoned-cart message is triggered by a shopper’s behavior and takes the customer directly back to the cart. The company reports an overall 42x SMS program ROI and an average 87.5% click-through rate on its welcome messages.
The important point for someone choosing a platform is not the 42x figure. That is the result reported by one particular brand. What matters is seeing the kind of automation the platform supports in actual use.
So, when comparing SMS marketing automation, do not stop at “yes, it is available.” Ask to see how a real customer journey is built.
- Segmentation Should Be Practical
A large subscriber list does not mean everyone on it should receive the same message.
Michaels shows what a more detailed approach looks like. The retailer uses Attentive to segment subscribers using information such as crafting interests, Rewards membership, engagement history, seasonal preferences, and store location. Its SMS program has grown to more than 8.5 million active subscribers, and the company says it has generated more than $63.2 million in SMS-attributed revenue since launching with Attentive in 2019.
A smaller business obviously does not need an operation on that scale. But the example shows why segmentation matters when comparing platforms.
If your business sells several types of products, find out whether you can create useful groups without needing technical help every time. You might want one audience for recent buyers and another for customers who have not purchased in several months. The platform should make that manageable.
- Use a Trial Instead of Trusting the Sales Page
A platform can look excellent in a presentation and still feel awkward when you use it yourself.
If a trial is available, create a campaign. Add a subscriber group. Build a simple automated message. Look at the reporting. Send yourself a test message and reply to it.
The Brand Outlet’s experience with Klaviyo is a good illustration of why ease of use matters. The retailer says it was able to set up SMS, collect phone numbers and consent, and create a Cyber Weekend flow quickly. It then added SMS to its welcome, abandoned-cart, and browse-abandonment flows.
You do not need to copy that setup. The point is to find out whether your own team could do similar work without constantly relying on outside help.
- Think About Where Your Team Works
Some platforms are only available on desktop computers, while others are only available on mobile devices. Make sure the platform you choose has the features you need and is available on the devices you use most often.
This is easy to overlook when comparing feature lists.
If one person manages SMS campaigns while travelling, mobile access could matter. If several people work together on campaigns from an office, a detailed desktop interface may be more useful.
Do not assume that a mobile app gives you the same controls as the desktop version. Check what you can actually do from each device.
- Look at Customer Conversations
Some businesses only want SMS for promotions; others expect customers to reply. If replies matter, find out how the platform handles them.
A customer may respond to a product promotion with a question about size or availability. Someone else may ask about an order. You need to know where those replies go and who can answer them.
Attentive’s work with Michaels is another example of SMS being treated as part of a wider customer relationship rather than simply a broadcast tool. Michaels connects its SMS program with its loyalty program and point-of-sale activity and uses segmentation to tailor messages to different audiences.
Ask whether the platform offers the kind of conversation management your business needs. If you do not expect many replies, this may be less important. If SMS is going to be a customer-service channel as well as a marketing channel, it becomes much more important.
- Work Out the Cost with Your Own Numbers
Do not compare platforms using only the price shown for their entry-level plan. First, estimate how many messages you will actually send.
A business with 10,000 subscribers sending four campaigns a month could already be dealing with around 40,000 message deliveries. Automated welcome messages, cart reminders, product alerts, and other flows can add considerably to that figure.
Ask providers how their charges are calculated. Find out whether the cost depends on message volume, subscriber numbers, features, or a combination of factors. Also ask about additional charges and what happens when you move into a higher usage tier.
It is useful to calculate two figures: what the platform will cost you now and what it might cost when your subscriber list is substantially larger. That comparison can change the result.
- Do Not Ignore Reporting
You should be able to tell whether the money spent on SMS is producing something useful.
Michaels, for example, tracks SMS-attributed revenue and reports more than $63.2 million generated from the channel since launching its program with Attentive. You may never need reporting at that scale, but you should still be able to answer basic questions.
Which campaigns get clicks? Which ones lead to purchases? Which customer groups respond? Are automated messages performing better than one-off campaigns?
A dashboard full of numbers is not necessarily helpful. Look for reports that your marketing team can understand and use when planning the next campaign.
- Check Consent and Subscriber Management
SMS also requires careful handling of customer consent. Before choosing a provider, find out how customers subscribe and how opt-outs are recorded. You should know how the platform stores consent and what happens when someone decides they no longer want marketing messages; this should not be left to a spreadsheet or a manual list.
A platform that has built-in tools for managing subscribers can make the day-to-day work easier, but the business still needs to make sure its own signup process follows the rules that apply to its customers and location.
- Look at the Company Behind the Platform
The provider matters just as much as the software. Make sure that the company has been in business for a while and has a good track record. You can start with Emotive’s eCommerce platform that can provide a great SMS marketing experience for your business.
Read customer reviews and case studies, pay attention to the type of businesses the provider works with. A platform built mainly for large enterprises may not be the easiest option for a small retailer. Likewise, a basic tool may not have enough room for a brand expecting rapid growth.
Support is worth checking too. Ask how customers contact the provider and what kind of help is available when something goes wrong.
- Look at What Happens After You Grow
The platform you choose today may still be part of your marketing setup two years from now.
Filson’s case is useful here because the brand is not simply sending occasional promotional texts. Its SMS program is part of a larger customer experience strategy, and Klaviyo says the company plans to connect additional channels to its customer experience stack.
That is worth thinking about before you choose. You may begin with promotional texts and later want abandoned-cart flows, better segmentation, customer conversations, or more detailed reporting. Find out whether your chosen provider can accommodate those changes.
You do not need to pay for features you do not need today. You should know, however, whether the platform has somewhere to go when your business does.
Finding the Right Fit
The experiences of brands such as Rebecca Minkoff, Filson, Michaels, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and The Brand Outlet also show that there is no standard formula for choosing an SMS platform.
Each business used the technology differently because its customers, marketing setup, and goals were different. That is probably the best way to approach the decision. Look at what your business needs today, consider where it is likely to be a year from now, and choose a platform that can handle both. It is also worth looking past the advertised starting price and working out the SMS marketing pricing based on the number of messages you are likely to send. A platform does not need to have every feature available. It simply needs to work well for your business and for the people who will be using it.
FAQs
- What is the first thing to check when choosing an SMS platform?
Start with what you want to use it for. If you mainly send promotions, you may not need a platform packed with advanced features. If you run an online store, things such as abandoned-cart messages, customer data, and ecommerce integrations may matter more.
- Do I need an SMS platform that connects with my ecommerce store?
If you sell online, it can make things much easier. A connection with your store can let the SMS platform use information such as purchases and abandoned carts. That means you can send messages based on what customers actually do instead of sending the same text to everyone.
- What should I check about SMS automation?
Find out what can trigger an automated message. A good test is to see whether you can set up a welcome message, an abandoned-cart reminder, or a follow-up after a purchase. Also check whether the platform can stop or change a message when the customer’s situation changes.
- How can I tell if an SMS platform is easy to use?
Try it yourself. If there is a free trial, create a campaign, select an audience, schedule a message, and look through the reports. You will get a better idea of the platform from 20 minutes of actual use than from reading a list of features.
- What should I ask about SMS platform pricing?
Ask how you will be charged as your business grows. Find out whether the price is based on messages, subscribers, or both. It is also worth asking about extra charges, higher-volume plans, international messaging, and additional users.
- Does my SMS platform need a mobile app?
Not necessarily. It depends on how your team works. If campaigns are managed from a computer, a good desktop platform may be enough. If you need to check campaigns or customer replies while away from your desk, mobile access could be useful.
- Why should I check the SMS provider’s reputation?
You will be relying on that company when your campaigns are running, so support matters. Look at customer reviews, case studies, how long the provider has been around, and how customers can get help when something goes wrong.
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