What makes SMS different
A text message arrives on the lock screen of a personal phone. That makes it one of the most direct ways to reach a customer — and one of the most regulated. Sending marketing texts means getting a few things right every time: who gave permission, when the message arrives, who it says it's from, and how the recipient can stop it.
Get those wrong and the consequences are real: carriers filter or block the sending number, and in the US, marketing texts without proper consent can lead to claims under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Trisend builds the rules into every send path, so a campaign, an automation step and an inbox reply all follow them.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules for the countries you sell to.
Consent: only people who said yes
In the US, marketing texts need the recipient's prior express written consent; most other countries have similar opt-in rules. Trisend never assumes consent. A contact can be texted only once their SMS consent is recorded, from one of these:
- Shopify checkout — the “Text me with news and offers” checkbox.
- Trisend popups — sign-up forms that capture a phone number with SMS consent wording.
- Keyword sign-up — customers text JOIN (or SUBSCRIBE, SIGN UP, or your own keyword) to your store's number and confirm with Y.
- CSV import — only from an SMS consent column; importing a phone number alone doesn't subscribe anyone.
Every opt-in and opt-out is logged with its source and time in the consent history.
Quiet hours and frequency
The TCPA limits marketing messages to between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time, and texting at night is a quick way to earn opt-outs anywhere. Trisend holds texts between 21:00 and 08:00 in the recipient's timezone — worked out from the area code for US and Canadian numbers — and sends them when the window ends.
It also limits frequency: a contact isn't texted by two of your campaigns within 12 hours, and nobody gets more than three of your texts in 24 hours, counting campaigns and automations together.
Toll-free verification for the US and Canada
US and Canadian carriers expect every business sending texts to use a verified number of its own. On the Starter plan and up, Trisend handles this:
- Request your numberIn Settings → SMS, enter your business details. Trisend gets a toll-free number for your store.
- Trisend submits the verificationThe use case, sample message and opt-in description are generated to match how you'll really send.
- Carriers review itTrisend checks the status regularly. If it's rejected, fix the details shown and resubmit.
- Start texting US & Canadian customersOnce approved, texts go out from your number and replies come back to your inbox.
Outside the US and Canada, texts go out from a named sender. Those can't receive replies, so instead of “Reply STOP” each text carries a short opt-out link.
STOP, HELP and opt-outs
- Every text says who it's from. Your store name goes at the start.
- Every text says how to stop. “Reply STOP to opt out” in the US and Canada; an opt-out link elsewhere.
- STOP works however it's written. “STOP”, “Stop!”, “please unsubscribe”, “remove me” — but a question like “can I cancel my order?” isn't treated as an opt-out.
- HELP gets a real answer with your store name and how to contact you.
- Opt-outs stick. They survive deletes and re-imports, and only the customer can undo them.
SMS in Trisend
Segments, encoding and credits
Texts are billed in segments. A text in the standard GSM-7 alphabet fits 160 characters in one segment, or 153 per segment once it runs longer. A single character outside that alphabet — most emoji, curly quotes, some accented letters — switches the whole text to Unicode (UCS-2), where a segment holds 70 characters (67 when longer). The same words can cost twice as much. Check a draft with the free SMS character counter.
| Plan | Price | SMS credits / month |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $29/month | 500 |
| Growth | $79/month | 2,000 |
| Pro | $199/month | 5,000 |
| Enterprise | $499/month | 15,000 |
A segment to a US or Canadian number uses 1 credit; elsewhere it uses 5. When credits run out, sending pauses until the next cycle or an upgrade — there are no overage charges.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries can I text with Trisend?
The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and most of the EU / EEA, plus Switzerland and Norway. Numbers in other countries are skipped, never texted.
Do I need my own number to text US and Canadian customers?
Yes — carriers require a verified sender for each brand. From the Starter plan, Trisend gets a toll-free number for your store and submits the carrier verification with your business details. Until it is approved, US and Canadian recipients are skipped rather than sent from a shared number.
How are SMS credits counted?
One credit per message segment to a US or Canadian number, and five per segment elsewhere. A plain-text segment holds 160 characters (153 when a text runs to several segments); one emoji or curly quote switches the text to Unicode, where a segment holds only 70.
What happens when someone replies STOP?
They are unsubscribed from your texts straight away, however they word it — “STOP”, “stop texting me”, “unsubscribe” — and the opt-out is kept even if the contact is deleted and re-imported. You can't re-subscribe them yourself; only they can, by texting START or signing up again.
Can I text customers who bought from me but never opted in to SMS?
No. Trisend only texts contacts with recorded SMS consent — from the checkout checkbox, a popup, a keyword sign-up or a consent column in a CSV import. A purchase on its own is not consent to marketing texts.
Keep reading
Start texting your customers
SMS is on the Starter plan and up, with your own US & Canada number included.