Although SMS is typically a highly preferred method of communication for customers, it is important that the SMS landscape is regulated to ensure customers are free to determine who can and cannot contact them and that they are free to identify which messages are valuable and which are considered spam.
As a result, many countries, such as the US, the UK, Australia and EU Member States, have distinct regulations regarding texting customers – especially text message marketing. A list of these regulations can be found here
How this applies to you
When you send messages to your customers, you are bound by the relative regulations of the local jurisdiction. This is particularly prevalent when it comes to collecting contact numbers during the checkout process.
Compliance requirements when collecting shipping numbers
During the checkout process, it is possible to collect customer contact numbers for the purpose of sending shipping information relating to their purchase; however, you may also want to use that same number for marketing communications. This means there are some requirements around the language used to explain to customers the purpose of this data collection and the intended use of the number collected.
How to make your account compliant
1. Go to settings in your store
2. Go to Checkout
3. In the Customer Contact section, check the box that makes shipping address phone number optional
4. Scroll down to Checkout language and select Manage Checkout Language
5. Scroll down until you see the Checkout contact in large bold text
6. Find the phone label setting underneath
7. Under Phone label and Optional Phone Label add “Phone number for updates and exclusive offers by SMS” (or something to this effect, indicating that the customer's number will receive promotional messages via SMS from your store).
8. Click the save button at the top or bottom of the page
Now, when your customers proceed through the checkout process, they will see the phone fields clearly labelled with the intent for usage:
