Why Email Alone Leaves Revenue on the Table
Average ecommerce email open rates sit between 20% and 30%. If your retention marketing is dialed in, you might hit 40% to 50%, but that still means roughly half of your list never sees your campaigns. You need direct channels that break through crowded inboxes.
SMS open rates regularly clear 90%. Web push notifications bypass the inbox entirely, appearing right on a subscriber's screen even when they do not have your website open. Most small stores ignore these channels because juggling three separate platforms becomes an expensive operational headache.
Omnisend solves this by bundling email, SMS, and web push into one ecosystem. You get the multi-channel reach without paying Klaviyo-level prices across three different software subscriptions.
Configuring SMS and Sending Rules in Omnisend
Setting up SMS in Omnisend takes only a few minutes inside your store settings. For US and Canadian traffic, you can generate and verify a dedicated toll-free number directly inside the platform once you submit your standard business verification details.
Once your number is verified, pay close attention to your sending guardrails. Two settings need your immediate attention:
- Quiet hours: Do not send promotional SMS between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Omnisend uses IP and past purchase data to dynamically delay messages based on the customer's local time zone.
- Frequency capping: Limit SMS delivery to a maximum of 1 message per customer per day. Anything more is aggressive and triggers instant unsubscribes.
Treating SMS like email is a mistake. Keep your volume low and your timing respectful.
Enabling Web Push Notifications
Web push is one of the most underutilised retention channels in ecommerce. When enabled, visitors see a native browser prompt asking for permission to send updates. Once they allow it, you can reach them whenever their browser is open.
Omnisend supports web push across Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Shoplazza. One real limitation worth noting: Apple's Safari historically blocks or heavily restricts these prompts, so your delivery relies primarily on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge users.
Despite browser limitations, the channel is remarkably effective. One ecommerce brand, Avoco, generates roughly 20% of their total revenue solely through Omnisend push notifications. That is revenue captured without paying for ad clicks or competing in a crowded promo tab.
Where Web Push Drives the Highest ROI
You can send one-off push campaigns for flash sales, but the best return comes from building push notifications directly into your automated workflows. Adding push as a complementary touchpoint lifts conversion across several core flows:
- Browse and Cart Abandonment: Deliver a fast reminder right to the browser screen 30 minutes after a visitor drops off.
- Welcome Series: Remind new subscribers to use their introductory discount code while they are actively browsing the web.
- Post-Purchase: Send delivery updates or trigger a review request shortly after an order arrives.
Keep your copy short, include a high-contrast icon, and direct the click straight to the relevant product page or checkout URL.
Using SMS for Automated Flows and Direct Campaigns
Because SMS costs money per send and takes up precious screen real estate, you must reserve it for high-intent moments. Character limits make it difficult to educate customers over text, so focus on urgency and transactional clarity.
For automations, build SMS into your high-converting revenue flows: abandoned checkout, shipping notifications, and back-in-stock alerts. A single text sent during an abandoned checkout sequence often yields the highest revenue per recipient of any automated message.
For broadcast campaigns, restrict your SMS sends to major sales, product releases, and high-demand restocks. If you blast your SMS list every week with minor updates, you will burn through subscriber goodwill rapidly.
Final Thoughts
Email should remain the foundation of your retention strategy, but relying on it exclusively leaves money on the table. Combining SMS for high-intent triggers with web push for zero-cost browser reminders gives you an unfair advantage over competitors who only send newsletters. Set up your guardrails, automate the highest-value touchpoints, and protect your subscriber list.
Take Your Multi-Channel Strategy Further
If you want to scale your revenue with targeted text marketing, explore our dedicated SMS campaigns service to see how we build high-converting, compliant campaigns for growing brands.
