As an ecommerce brand, you know the importance of customer experience. Providing an excellent customer experience is one of the key ways to differentiate your business from the competition.

One way to provide a seamless customer experience is through SMS. Adopting a text message strategy can build customer satisfaction and loyalty with engaging marketing messages, proactive outreach, and attentive customer support.

While your customer service team should monitor your SMS inbox to provide human assistance, you can also streamline customer communications with automated text messages.

By programming a few key automations into your SMS marketing software, you can boost customer engagement, speed up support, and drive more sales.

Here are 12 auto-reply text message examples you can use as a starting point for your automated SMS messaging strategy.

1. Opt-in confirmation text

An opt-in confirmation text is a message that is sent to customers after they have provided their phone number to subscribe to your SMS marketing list. It double-confirms that the customer wants to subscribe. This can be helpful if someone gives the wrong phone number so you don't end up text messaging someone who doesn't want to hear from you.

Be concise and give just the need-to-know information at this point.

Hey, [Brand] here. Reply 'Y' to subscribe to recurring automated marketing messages. Message & data rates may apply.

2. Subscription verification

This auto-reply text message confirms that the customer has subscribed to your SMS marketing list. It's your chance to welcome new subscribers, tell them what they can expect, and show your brand personality. If you promised a subscriber discount, now's the time to give it. You'll want to add instructions on how to opt out as well.

If you didn't provide an opt-in confirmation, remember to tell subscribers who you are.

Hi, it's [Brand]. Thanks for subscribing! Get [X]% off your first order with code: [discount code].

[link to shop]

Save our number in your contacts so you don't miss special offers, new product announcements, and more.

Text STOP to unsubscribe.

3. Message received confirmation

When a customer sends a message to your SMS number, it can be helpful to auto-reply with a confirmation that you received their message, particularly if your customer service team can't respond immediately. Include information on when texters can expect a response.

Thanks for reaching out! We've received your message and will respond within 24 hours.

4. After hours automation

Your customer support team may not be available to provide prompt responses outside of your standard business hours. This auto-reply message lets customers know when they can expect a response and gives them alternative resources if possible.

Thanks for contacting us. Our customer support team is currently unavailable, but we will respond during our regular business hours of [9 am to 5 pm EST]. In the meantime, feel free to visit our FAQ page for information on common questions:

[link to FAQs]

5. Purchase confirmation

After a customer completes a purchase, send them an auto-reply text message confirming the transaction and providing a link to more details.

Hey [First Name]! Thanks for your purchase at [Brand]. Your order confirmation is: [order number]. View more order details here: [order details link].

6. Shipping confirmation

These auto replies let customers know that their order has shipped and include tracking information. This helps customers stay in the loop and gives them confidence that everything is running smoothly.

Hi [First Name]! Your order from [Brand] has shipped and is estimated to arrive on [delivery date]. Track your order here:

[tracking link]

7. Delivery confirmation

When a customer's order has been delivered, send them an auto-reply text message to confirm. This can stoke excitement in a customer and help them locate an order if it was misdelivered.

Your order has been delivered! Track it here:

[tracking link]

We can't wait to hear what you think!

8. Refund confirmation

If a customer returns their order, send them an auto-reply text message confirming when you've refunded their order.

Hi [First Name]! We have processed your refund for order #[order number]

View its status here:

[refund status link]

It may take up to [X] business days to finish processing.

9. Browse and cart abandonment messages

Browse and cart abandonment auto-reply text messages can be a great way to recover lost sales. Consider offering an incentive for customers to complete their purchase, like a discount code or free shipping.

Hi [First Name]! We saw you were looking at our [Product Name]. Nice choice! Here's a code for [X]% off: [discount code].

Let us know if we can help answer any questions.

10. Product recommendation flows

You can use automated conversations to recommend products based on a customer's preferences. This flow might include two or more auto-reply texts depending on how many questions you need to ask shoppers to find the best product for them. Think of it like a product recommendation quiz but conducted through text.

You might instruct customers to text a specific word or code that initiates the product recommendation flow. For example, if you're a skincare brand, you might tell customers to text "SKINQUIZ" to get their product recommendations.

From there, you might have a sequence that looks like this:

Hey there, I'd be happy to help you find the perfect product! What is your main skin concern? (Reply: wrinkles, dryness, sensitivity, redness, acne, loss of firmness, etc.)

Once a customer replies, you can send something like:

Great, we can help with that! How would you describe your skin type? (Reply: dry, normal, oily, etc.)

You can continue until you have enough information to recommend the right product. Then send a message with a product recommendation:

We've got the perfect product for you. We recommend trying our [Product Name]. It's been a customer favorite for [relevant benefit based on quiz results].

Check it out here:

[link to buy]

11. Replenishment flows

Automated replenishment flows initiate a conversation with a customer asking if they'd like to reorder a product. This can be helpful for frequently used products like shampoo, coffee, toilet paper, or even subscription boxes.

Hey [First Name]! It's been about a month since you last ordered [Product Name], and we thought you might be running low. Do you want to place another order?

If they reply yes, it's a good idea to confirm their shipping and payment information before placing the order:

Great!

The shipping address we have on file for you is: [customer shipping address], and the credit card on file ends in [last 4 digits of credit card].

Is that correct?

Finally, once shipping and payment information is confirmed, text the customer an order confirmation message:

Great, your order #[order number] has been placed. We'll send you tracking information when it ships.

12. Product feedback requests

Gauging customer satisfaction can help make sure everything went smoothly with the customer's order, and they're happy with the product. It's also an easy way to get social proof for your website to help convert other shoppers.

You can request feedback with a two-part text flow:

Hi [First Name]! How do you like your [Product Name] so far?

If all is well, request a review:

Amazing! Would you mind leaving a quick review? Here's the link:

[link to review]

If they reply with any concern or dissatisfaction, offer to address the issue:

Sorry to hear that. Can you tell us more about the problem? We'd love to make it right for you.

Any future messages should be directed to your customer support team, so they can help resolve the issue.

Use an SMS platform built for automated conversations

These 12 templates will get you started with automated SMS replies. You'll want to customize each message with your brand's personality and test different copy to see what customers respond best to. Want more text templates? Check out our library of 600+ engaging SMS marketing templates for any occasion – restocks, BFCM, product launches, fun seasonal events, and more. Copy, paste, and customize for your brand in under a minute.

If you're ready to automate SMS conversations with customers, use an SMS platform like Emotive that makes creating auto-reply messages easy. Leverage pre-built conversation flows so you can hit the ground running with your SMS strategy. Manage automated marketing flows that engage customers, build loyalty, and drive sales.

And with integrations for your ecommerce platform, email marketing software, customer service platform, and more, it's simple to create a seamless customer experience with SMS.

Try Emotive for free to see how automated SMS conversations can supercharge your revenue.