Text alerts for grocery stores

Grocery store text alerts for customers who opted in

Built for grocers and independent markets. Send price alerts, closing notices, and curbside updates to shoppers who said yes.

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16,000+ organizations send with Text-Em-All.

A mass texting platform showing a recipient list with the Loyalty Program Members, Main Street Store, and Midtown Store contact groups selected. The broadcast, named "October Weekly Sale - Bakery," promotes a buy-one-get-one 50% off deal on bakery bread at the Main Street and Midtown grocery store locations.
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The short answer

How do grocery stores send text alerts to customers?

 

Grocery stores send text alerts by collecting a shopper's mobile number and consent, then sending messages through a messaging platform. Price drops, closings, and curbside updates all go out as one text to everyone on the list. Text-Em-All serves 16,000+ organizations and connects to ECRS.

Every alert goes to a shopper who opted in

Shoppers can opt in at the register, on a sign-up sheet, or online, and the store keeps a record of how and when.

See how retailers collect opt-in at checkout

A mass texting platform showing an Opt-In Growth chart for the year to date, with total opt-ins rising steadily from January through September and dipping slightly toward December for a net gain of more than 1,800 contacts. Filters let users view growth over 30 days, 6 months, year to date, all time, or a custom date range.

How do grocery stores send price alerts?

 

A grocery store sends a price alert by texting opted-in shoppers about a markdown, a weekly special, or a clearance. Price alerts are promotional, so each shopper must have given express written consent first, such as a checked box at the register. Send only what shoppers want.

What to send

  • A price drop Say what dropped, the new price, and when it ends.
  • A short-dated deal Move prepared foods or produce that need to go.

How do grocery stores send store-closing alerts?

 

A grocery store sends a closing alert by texting opted-in shoppers when the store closes early, opens late, or shuts for weather. Closing notices are informational, so shoppers still have to consent, but a form, a website, or a spoken yes can do it.

The closing and delays text alerts page goes further on timing.

What to send

  • An early close or late open Give the new hours and when normal ones resume.
  • A weather closure Send it as soon as you decide.
  • The reopening Text again when the doors open.

How does curbside pickup text work?

 

A curbside pickup text tells shoppers how pickup works at a store and what changed today. A grocery store can text the hours, where to park, how to check in, and any delay. Half of first replies to a Text-Em-All text broadcast arrive within 18 minutes, so have someone watching the inbox.

What to send

  • Hours and parking Say when pickup runs and which spots are marked.
  • How to check in Tell shoppers to reply with a spot number, call, or walk in.
  • A delay Text when pickup runs behind.

One text campaign brought Marczyk 36 pie pre-orders

Marczyk Fine Foods had one cherry pie on order. Within 36 hours of a promotional text campaign, the store had 36 pie pre-orders.

Read the Marczyk Fine Foods case study

A smartphone screen displaying an MMS marketing message from Marczyk Fine Foods, with a photo of a cherry pie and a text reminding customers there is still time to order cherry pies, burger night to-go kits, and other items for the 4th of July. The message includes a link to the store's website.

When Text-Em-All isn't the right fit for a grocery store

Online ordering

Text-Em-All isn't an online ordering system. It texts your shoppers and doesn't take or track orders.

Alcohol, tobacco, and firearms

Under its Responsible Use policy, Text-Em-All doesn't carry texts that promote them, so a price alert can't feature them.

Purchased lists

A purchased list doesn't qualify. Every number has to come from a shopper who has explicitly opted in to texts.

Questions about grocery text alerts

Does a store need ECRS to use Text-Em-All?

No. Any store with opted-in shoppers can use Text-Em-All. Stores that run ECRS can connect it to their system through the ECRS integration.

How do shoppers opt in?

A store can ask at the register, pass around a sign-up sheet, or add a form to its website. For price alerts, use a checked box or a signed form, because promotions need express written consent.

What does it cost to start?

Credits from 9¢, or monthly plans from $19. Carrier registration follows, and the carriers approve most registrations in 1 to 2 business days, so leave room if you're planning around a date.

Send your first message today

No contract, no sales call, and a report telling you who got it.

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