SMS updates for Shopify pickup and delivery orders
Text customers when their order is ready for pickup, out for delivery, delivered or changed, and text your staff when a new order comes in. Each text is charged per message.
All paid plans include a 14-day free trial.
SMS notifications
Customer notifications
Staff notifications
Stores that can text
Charged per message, by the recipient's country, from your app spending limit.
Needs a paid plan. Email keeps sending if the limit runs out.
What are Bird's SMS notifications?
Bird Pickup & Delivery, the Shopify app by BirdChime, can send text messages at the same order stages as its emails: Ready for Pickup, Order Picked Up, Out for Delivery, Order Delivered and Order Edited for customers, and New Order Notification for staff. SMS needs a paid plan and a store in the US, UK, Canada or Sweden.
- Countries
- Stores based in the US, UK, Canada and Sweden
- Plan
- Any paid plan
- Billing
- Per message, by the recipient's country, from your app spending limit
- Customer texts
- Ready for Pickup, Order Picked Up, Out for Delivery, Order Delivered, Order Edited
- Staff texts
- New Order Notification, to the numbers you add for each location
- Price
- Paid plans from $19.99 a month, with a 14-day free trial; texts are charged per message
Which texts can customers and staff get?
The same order stages as Bird's emails, on both the customer and staff side.
Sent when a pickup order is marked ready for pickup.
- Order Picked Up
Sent when a pickup order is marked picked up.
Sent when a delivery order is marked dispatched.
- Order Delivered
Sent when a delivery order is marked delivered.
- Order Edited
Sent for any order, shipping included, when delivery details change and Notify customer is checked.
- New Order Notification
Texted to your staff when a new pickup or delivery order is placed.
What does it look like for one order?
A delivery order from placed to delivered, using the stages the help center describes.
- Order placed
Staff at that location get the New Order Notification text, if you've added their numbers.
- Driver leaves
Staff mark the order dispatched and the customer gets Out for Delivery.
- Order arrives
Staff mark it delivered and the customer gets Order Delivered.
- Date moved
Staff change the date with Notify customer checked, and the customer gets Order Edited. Unchecked, nothing is sent.
When does a text go out?
When your team updates the order's status. No customer text fires on a timer.
- Ready or dispatched
Marking an order ready or dispatched sends Ready for Pickup or Out for Delivery.
- Complete
Marking it complete sends Order Picked Up or Order Delivered, depending on the method.
- From the Bird app
Update one order or many at once from Bird's Orders page.
- From the Shopify order
Use Bird: Order Status on the Shopify order, on a computer or in the Shopify mobile app.
Staff can mark an order ready in the Bird: View Orders tile, and customer notifications follow your settings.
- No duplicates
Updating a pickup or delivery order through Bird suppresses Shopify's generic shipping confirmation. Shopify's own Fulfill button would send it on top.
How is SMS billed?
Per message, by the recipient's country, from your app spending limit. There's no separate SMS plan; if the limit runs out, SMS stops and email continues.
- Per message
Each text is charged at send time, by the recipient's country.
- One limit
There's no separate SMS plan or balance. Texts draw from your app spending limit.
- If the limit runs out
SMS stops sending along with any other usage charge. Email notifications keep going.
- Yearly plans
On yearly plans, texts are charged from your prepaid balance.
What do I need before texts can send?
A paid plan, a store in one of four countries, and phone numbers to text.
- Four countries
SMS works for stores based in the US, UK, Canada or Sweden. It isn't available elsewhere, on any plan.
- Customer phone numbers
Shopify checkout must collect phone numbers, so each order has one to text.
Add one or more numbers for each location's staff. Customer texts don't need this.
- Your policies
Your privacy policy and terms should say customers may get order texts. Bird doesn't check this for you.
Does SMS work with my other tools?
Yes. Texts follow status changes made anywhere Bird works, alongside your emails.
Every text has a matching email, and every email template can be edited.
The pickup code and QR code are sent in the Ready for Pickup email.
Mark pickup orders ready from the Bird: View Orders tile at the counter.
Our post on why order texts matter for Shopify stores.
How do Bird's texts compare with its emails?
Texts cover the same stages as emails, but Shopify's Order Confirmation and Shipping Confirmation stay email only, and SMS wording can't be edited yet.
| Capability | SMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Ready for Pickup, Picked Up, Out for Delivery, Delivered, Edited | EmailYes | SMSYes |
| Staff New Order Notification | EmailYes | SMSYes |
| Shopify's Order Confirmation and Shipping Confirmation | EmailYes | SMSNo, email only |
| Edit the wording | EmailEvery template | SMSNot yet |
| Cost | EmailPart of every plan | SMSCharged per message on paid plans |
How do I turn on SMS notifications?
Make sure Shopify checkout collects phone numbers, raise your app spending limit if it's near its cap, then switch on the texts you want in Bird. The help center has a guide for each part.
FAQ
What else do merchants ask about SMS notifications?
Which countries can send texts?
SMS works for stores based in the US, UK, Canada or Sweden. It isn't available outside those countries, regardless of plan. Email notifications are part of every plan.
How much does each text cost?
Each text is charged per message, by the recipient's country, from your app spending limit. That's the same limit that covers extra orders and extra locations.
Can I change what the texts say?
Not yet. SMS wording can't be customized; email templates can.
Do texts go out automatically?
Customer texts go out when your team updates the order's status, for example marking it ready or dispatched. The staff New Order Notification goes out as soon as a new order is placed.
Is the order confirmation sent by text?
No. Shopify's own Order Confirmation and Shipping Confirmation emails have no SMS version and stay email only.
What happens if my spending limit runs out?
SMS stops sending, along with any other usage charge, until you raise the limit. Email notifications aren't affected.
Do I need to change my Shopify checkout settings?
For customer texts, yes: Shopify checkout must collect phone numbers. Without a phone number on the order, Bird has no one to text. Staff texts don't need this.
Do I need a developer to set up SMS?
You set it up yourself: turn on phone number collection in Shopify checkout, raise your app spending limit if needed, and switch on the texts you want in Bird.
Can customers get both an email and a text?
Yes. Texts mirror the same order stages as Bird's emails, and each text is switched on separately in Bird's SMS settings, so a customer can get both for the same update.
Do I need customer consent to send order texts?
Bird asks you to make sure your privacy policy and terms of service say customers may receive SMS about their orders. Bird doesn't check this for you, so review the rules that apply to your store.
Which plan do I need for SMS?
Any paid plan. Texts are then charged per message on top of the plan.
How much does it cost?
Paid plans start at $19.99 a month, priced in US dollars and billed through Shopify, with a 14-day free trial and 10% off annual billing. Texts are charged per message from your app spending limit.
Terms on this page
- App spending limit
- The Shopify billing limit that covers extra orders, extra locations and SMS. Texts stop if it's maxed out.
- Order Edited
- The text or email a customer gets when delivery details change and Notify customer is checked.
- Notify customer
- The checkbox that decides whether a change to an order's date, time or method sends Order Edited.
- New Order Notification
- Bird's message to a location's staff when a new pickup or delivery order is placed.
Related features
- Email NotificationsBranded emails confirm the date and time, then keep customers posted as the order moves.
- Click and CollectShoppers buy online and pick a collection time, so orders are packed and waiting when they walk in.
- POS IntegrationPickup and delivery details carry into Shopify POS, so the counter sees the same order the website took.
- Date & Time PickerCustomers choose a pickup or delivery date and time, and only see the ones you can actually fill.
- Delivery ZonesDecide where you deliver by postal code, radius or driving distance from your store.
- Multi-location SupportRun every store or kitchen from one dashboard, each with its own hours, slots and rates.
Industry guides: florists, bakeries and grocery stores.
Comparing apps? Bird vs Zapiet, Pickeasy, Stellar and Flare, or the best Shopify pickup and delivery apps.
Tell customers the moment it's ready.
Paid plans include a 14-day free trial, and texts are charged per message. Switch on the texts you want and mark a test order ready.