SMS Marketing Best Practices · SMS Marketing Industry News

Abandoned Shopping Cart Text Messages – New Rules

We have been informed of a new T-Mobile Policy regarding abandoned shopping cart text messages. This new policy was announced yesterday, and goes into effect immediately. It’s important for all ecommerce stores that are using abandoned shopping cart text messages to update their purchase pages in order to comply with this new policy.

 

What are Abandoned Shopping Cart Text Messages?

Over 75% of people abandon their shopping carts online. That means 3 out of every 4 people who add something to their cart leave without completing the purchase. For years now, it’s been common for ecommerce stores to send an email about the abandoned cart, trying to encourage the customer to return to complete the purchase. With email open rates declining, ecommerce stores have been looking for an alternative communication channel for those customers that abandon their carts before making a purchase.

Abandoned Shopping Cart Text Messages - New Rules
Recently many ecommerce stores have started to send abandoned shopping cart text messages. Why? Text messaging has a 99% open rate, with 90% of all text messages sent being opened within 3 minutes. This means ecommerce stores have a much better chance to recover lost sales after sending a text message, than they ever did sending an email.

 

Why the New Policy?

From what we heard, ecommerce stores were being too aggressive with their abandoned shopping cart text messages, resulting in consumer complaints. When enough consumers complain about something to the wireless carriers, that’s when they’re forced to put new policies in place to protect their wireless subscribers.

 

Abandoned Shopping Cart Text Message Policy

Below are the new requirements under the abandoned shopping cart text message policy released by T-Mobile yesterday. These new requirements go into effect immediately, so it’s important for all ecommerce stores that are using abandoned shopping cart text messages to update their purchase pages in order to comply. If you have additional questions about the new requirements, please contact your dedicated Tatango account manager.

 

General Requirements

  • Call to Action via website must include within the opt-in terms and conditions details that the message program includes shopping cart reminder. An example of an approved shopping cart is below.

Abandoned Shopping Cart Text Messages Web Opt-in Example Mockup

  • Shopping cart message program must incorporate a double opt-in mechanism via text.
  • Double Opt-in message content must clearly inform the user that the message program includes shopping cart reminders. An example of an approved double opt-in text message for a shopping cart reminder is below.

Double Opt-in Message Example for Shopping Cart Abandoned Text Message

Additional Privacy Policy Disclosures

  • Privacy policy must explicitly state how information is captured by the ecommerce site to determine when a consumer cart has been abandoned (e.g. website cookies, plugins, etc).
  • Terms and conditions must reflect the new policy.

Delivery and Content Restrictions

  • Text reminders must be sent within a 48 hour period and limited to one alert per unique abandoned cart.
  • Abandoned cart notification must not result in the e-commerce site completing the transaction on behalf of the consumer.
    • Abandoned cart notification must not collect payment information or accept approval for purchase via keyword confirmation from consumer
    • Consumer must complete transaction by processing payment themselves via a direct URL link to the e-commerce website.

 

If you have additional questions about the T-Mobile Policy on abandoned shopping cart text messages, please contact your dedicated Tatango account manager.


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