Collect WhatsApp marketing consent directly in the Shopify checkout

Author

Felix

Published

September 21, 2026

What Shopify has changed

Merchants can enable a separate opt-in for WhatsApp marketing in the checkout settings.

During checkout, customers are then given the option to consent to receiving WhatsApp marketing using their phone number. Shopify stores this consent as a separate marketing status in the customer profile.

This means that Shopify maintains separate consent statuses for different marketing channels.

SMS

Consent to email marketing therefore does not automatically constitute consent to WhatsApp marketing.

This is important for larger marketing setups because the communication channels can be managed separately, both technically and organizationally.

What the feature is and what it isn't

A separate opt-in for WhatsApp

Shopify treats WhatsApp marketing as a separate marketing channel.

Customers can opt in to WhatsApp marketing by providing their phone number at checkout. This consent can then be managed in the Shopify customer profile and used for relevant marketing campaigns.

Consent is not simply inferred from an existing phone number.

Just because a phone number is available for shipping or order-related communication does not automatically mean that WhatsApp marketing is permitted.

No automatic marketing to all customers with a phone number

The feature does not automatically turn existing phone numbers into WhatsApp subscribers.

Shopify explicitly stipulates that marketing messages may only be sent to customers who have expressly consented.

The marketing status is therefore more important than the mere presence of a phone number.

No connection to order notifications

Marketing consent and transactional communications should be treated separately.

For example, a customer can provide their phone number for the shipping process without subscribing to WhatsApp marketing.

An appropriate opt-in must be in place for marketing purposes.

Not a replacement for existing consent processes

The checkout is now an additional place to gain WhatsApp subscribers.

Shopify already supports other options.

This includes Shopify Forms, as well as managing and importing existing consent data in Shopify Admin.

A larger store should therefore not consider these sources in isolation.

The key point is

Which systems are permitted to create, modify, or revoke WhatsApp consent?

Requirements and data basis

Phone number required

WhatsApp marketing is based on the customer's phone number.

If the person in question does not provide a phone number, no corresponding consent for WhatsApp marketing can be recorded through this process.

WhatsApp marketing must be enabled at checkout

You can find this setting in the Shopify admin under Checkout settings, in the Marketing opt-ins section.

WhatsApp can be enabled there as a marketing option.

SMS and WhatsApp may be handled differently depending on the region

Regional targeting is a particularly interesting feature for international shops.

If both SMS and WhatsApp marketing are enabled, Shopify may display different options depending on the region.

Merchants can specify the regions where WhatsApp should be displayed instead of the SMS marketing opt-in. They can either use Shopify's recommendations or select their own regions.

This makes it possible to differentiate the preferred messaging channel by market as early as the checkout stage.

Regional recommendations do not constitute legal advice

Shopify explicitly states that its regional recommendations do not constitute legal advice.

Merchants remain responsible for complying with the local requirements applicable to them.

For international enterprise setups, the technical configuration should therefore be aligned with internal requirements from the legal, data protection, and marketing teams.

How to Set Up WhatsApp Marketing in Shopify Checkout

Open checkout settings

In the Shopify admin, go to

Settings

Checkout

Marketing-Opt-in

The settings for email, SMS, and WhatsApp are available there.

Activate WhatsApp

In the WhatsApp section, you can configure whether customers can opt in to WhatsApp marketing at checkout.

Once activated, Shopify displays the corresponding option at checkout.

Check regions

If SMS marketing is used at the same time, you should then specify which regions will display WhatsApp and which will display SMS.

Shopify can use recommended regions for this or allow a manual selection.

For international shops, this setting should be reviewed carefully.

Check text

Shopify allows you to customize the labels for marketing opt-ins.

This is important because the customer should understand which communication channel they are consenting to.

The text should not only visually match the shop, but also clearly convey that it is about WhatsApp marketing.

Place a test order

After activation, the workflow should be tested using multiple scenarios.

For example

Customer without a phone number

Customer with a phone number but no consent

Customer with WhatsApp consent

Customer from a region where WhatsApp is available

Customer from a region with SMS

Existing customer profile

New Customer Profile

After the order is placed, it should be verified that the marketing status has been saved correctly in the customer profile.

How WhatsApp Fits into the Shopify Marketing Process

The new checkout consent is only one part of the overall WhatsApp infrastructure.

Over the course of the year, Shopify gradually integrated WhatsApp into several areas.

In Shopify Admin, WhatsApp consent can already be managed directly in customer profiles. Existing subscriber lists can also be imported via CSV or updated using the bulk editor.

Shopify Forms allows merchants to collect WhatsApp consent independently of the checkout process.

Shopify Messaging can then be used to create and send WhatsApp marketing campaigns.

In simplified terms, this results in the following process chain

Shopify Forms or Checkout

→ WhatsApp-Consent

→ Customer profile

→ Customer segment

→ Shopify Messaging

→ WhatsApp campaign

This makes WhatsApp a more integral, native part of Shopify's marketing architecture.

Shopify Messaging and WhatsApp

To send WhatsApp marketing messages through Shopify, the merchant needs Shopify Messaging and a connected WhatsApp Business account.

Shopify Messaging now supports email, SMS, and WhatsApp within the same marketing environment.

For WhatsApp, campaigns can be created for scenarios such as the following

Products back in stock
Upcoming Sales
Product Presentations
VIP Promotions
Personalized marketing messages

Shopify provides templates for this purpose. Before the corresponding WhatsApp messages can be used, the templates must be reviewed by Meta. According to Shopify, this review can take up to 24 hours.

Typical practical applications

Product available again

A customer regularly purchases products from a specific category and opts in to WhatsApp marketing at checkout.

A popular product will be available again later.

The merchant can create a segment of interested customers and send them a relevant WhatsApp campaign.

For time-sensitive information, WhatsApp can therefore serve as an additional channel alongside email.

VIP customers

A retailer segments customers with a high customer lifetime value.

Customers who have already given their consent to receive WhatsApp messages can then be notified early about a product drop or an exclusive sale, for example.

The key is to take the existing marketing status into account before sending.

International Campaigns

The relative importance of WhatsApp varies across markets.

An international retailer might therefore place greater emphasis on email in one market and WhatsApp in another.

Regional checkout management provides an additional building block for this purpose.

Post-Purchase as a Consent Touchpoint

Checkout is a particularly interesting moment because a concrete customer relationship is already beginning to take shape.

Instead of asking a completely unknown visitor to sign up, customers are given the option at checkout to subscribe to future marketing communications via WhatsApp.

However, this does not mean that the opt-in should be designed to be as aggressive as possible.

The long-term quality of the channel depends on subscribers being genuinely interested in the news.

Consent quality is more important than maximizing subscriber numbers

WhatsApp differs from many traditional email setups by having an additional layer of reputation.

Meta monitors the quality of message templates and recipients' responses.

If messages are frequently blocked or reported, this may negatively affect the quality rating. Templates may be paused or disabled.

That’s why having the largest possible WhatsApp distribution list doesn’t automatically make it a good one.

A store is better off having 20,000 genuinely interested subscribers than 100,000 phone numbers belonging to people who aren't expecting to hear from it.

Explicit consent as a basis

Shopify clearly stipulates that WhatsApp marketing may only be sent to customers who have explicitly consented.

This should also be taken into account for imported customer lists.

Just because a phone number is stored in the CRM, it should not automatically be transferred to Shopify as consent to receive WhatsApp marketing messages.

Rules for Typical Consent Scenarios

New customer at checkout

If a customer actively opts in to WhatsApp marketing during their first purchase, this status is linked to their customer profile.

The profile can then be assigned to the relevant marketing segments.

Existing customer without WhatsApp consent

An existing phone number is not sufficient.

If consent to WhatsApp marketing has not yet been obtained, the customer should not be treated as a WhatsApp subscriber.

Existing WhatsApp distribution list

If a company already has WhatsApp subscribers from another system, their consent can be transferred to Shopify via an import.

Among other things, Shopify supports a corresponding column in the customer CSV import for this purpose.

Beforehand, however, it should be confirmed that the existing consent is actually valid for the intended marketing use.

Examples of effective campaigns

Available again

The item you wanted is back in stock. Check it out now while your model is still available.

VIP access

Our new drop is live. As a VIP customer, you get access today.

Sale

Our weekend sale starts today. Check out the selected offers here.

The specific implementation must align with the brand, target audience, and the requirements for WhatsApp message templates.

Meta must approve marketing templates before they are used.

When this feature is particularly useful

Stores with an existing WhatsApp strategy

Businesses already actively using WhatsApp for marketing gain an additional native consent touchpoint directly within the purchasing process.

Stores with a high repeat purchase rate

WhatsApp can be particularly useful for products that customers repurchase regularly.

The retailer can then reach customers not only at the time of purchase, but can also send them relevant information later, provided they have given their consent.

International Shops

For merchants operating in multiple markets, the regional distinction between SMS and WhatsApp is particularly relevant.

Merchants using Shopify Messaging

If you already use Shopify Messaging for email or SMS, you can add WhatsApp within the same environment.

When to take a closer look

Complex existing CRM infrastructure

Enterprise shops often already use platforms such as CRM, CDP, or external messaging systems.

The first step should be to clarify which system governs consent.

If Shopify has a different status than the CRM or CDP, this can lead to a problematic situation.

Multiple WhatsApp providers

An existing WhatsApp Business account cannot always be used alongside Shopify Messaging, depending on the setup.

For example, Shopify documents limitations involving existing provider connections and certain saved payment methods.

Therefore, the existing WhatsApp infrastructure should be documented before a migration.

Very large international distribution lists

New WhatsApp Business accounts are initially subject to messaging limits.

Shopify documents a limit of 2,000 messages per day for new accounts until the account progresses through the relevant Meta tiers.

This is an important operational consideration for enterprise rollouts.

Mistakes to avoid

Confusing a phone number with consent

That is probably the most important mistake.

A phone number in a customer profile does not constitute consent to WhatsApp marketing.

Transfer email consent

Consent to email marketing does not automatically constitute consent to WhatsApp marketing either.

The channels are managed separately.

Import old lists without validation

Existing phone numbers from CRM, ERP, or newsletter systems should not be automatically imported as WhatsApp subscribers.

It must be possible to trace where the consent came from.

Do not coordinate WhatsApp and SMS regionally

If both channels are enabled, a deliberate decision should be made about which option appears in each market.

Shopify provides its own regional settings for this.

Optimize only the opt-in rate

A high opt-in rate is of little value if the messages that follow aren't relevant.

Blocks and reports can negatively affect your WhatsApp quality rating.

Ignore unsubscribes outside of Shopify

Shopify Messaging automatically includes STOP opt-out instructions in WhatsApp marketing messages.

If a customer replies with STOP, they will be automatically unsubscribed and excluded from future WhatsApp campaigns.

Other connected systems should also handle this status correctly

Moving Primates Perspective

For larger stores, the real challenge is not the additional checkbox, but determining the authoritative source of consent. Marketing status may exist simultaneously in Shopify, a CRM, a CDP, or an external messaging system. If these systems store different statuses, the risk of inconsistent communication increases. Before rollout, it should therefore be established which system is allowed to create WhatsApp consent, how changes are synchronized, and how opt-outs are propagated to all connected platforms. International stores should also decide on a market-by-market basis whether WhatsApp or SMS is the more appropriate channel, rather than applying the same configuration worldwide.

Technical Implications for Larger Online Stores

Consent becomes a standalone data object

In an enterprise setup, simply synchronizing customer contact information is no longer enough.

Additionally, it must be clear which marketing channels the customer has consented to.

A simplified data flow might look like this

Checkout

→ Customer profile

→ WhatsApp-Consent

→ CRM or CDP

→ Segmentation

→ Shopify Messaging

→ WhatsApp

This makes consent synchronization part of the customer data architecture.

CRM and CDP must understand separate channels

A CRM should not merely track a general marketing status.

Ideally, at least separate statuses should be maintained for email, SMS, and WhatsApp.

Otherwise, during synchronization, a general field such as marketing_opt_in = true could mistakenly enable multiple channels.

Import processes require clear rules

Shopify supports importing existing WhatsApp consent data via CSV.

The same principle should apply to automated integrations.

An import or sync must not automatically infer consent from the mere existence of a phone number.

Unsubscription must be reintegrated into the data architecture

If a customer sends STOP via WhatsApp, they will automatically be excluded from future WhatsApp campaigns in Shopify Messaging.

If CRM, CDP, or external marketing platforms are also being used, you should check whether this new status is reflected there as well.

Segmentation should always take consent into account

A customer segment such as

VIP customers with more than €1,000 in revenue

alone does not constitute a valid WhatsApp distribution list.

The WhatsApp marketing status must also be taken into account.

Put simply, the logic is

VIP

UND

WhatsApp consent active

UND

Suitable for the target market

→ WhatsApp campaign

Headless does not fundamentally change checkout consent

If a headless store continues to use Shopify Checkout, the marketing opt-in configuration is managed in Shopify Checkout.

The upstream Hydrogen, Next.js, or other storefront should therefore not independently create a conflicting consent state.

If custom consent forms already exist before checkout, the data flow between the storefront and Shopify should be clearly defined.

Pre-Go-Live Checklist

Has it been decided whether WhatsApp should be enabled at checkout?
Are the correct regions set for WhatsApp and SMS?
Is the opt-in text clear and easy to understand?
Is it defined which system is the primary source of consent?
Are email, SMS, and WhatsApp treated as separate marketing statuses?
Has it been checked how existing subscribers can be imported?
Are CRM and CDP integrations ready for the new consent requirements?
Are opt-outs reliably reflected in all connected systems?
Is the WhatsApp Business account correctly connected to Shopify Messaging?
Was the entire process from checkout to the test campaign reviewed?

Summary

Since September 10, 2026, Shopify has allowed customers to consent to WhatsApp marketing directly at checkout.
Customers separately consent to WhatsApp marketing using their phone number.
Having a phone number alone does not constitute consent to receive messages via WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is managed as a separate marketing status alongside email and SMS.
Depending on the region, Shopify may display WhatsApp or SMS options at checkout.
WhatsApp consent can also be collected via Shopify Forms.
Existing subscribers can be imported into Shopify via CSV, among other methods.
Shopify Messaging can send campaigns to customers with valid WhatsApp consent.
WhatsApp marketing templates must be approved by Meta before they can be sent.
New WhatsApp Business accounts may initially be subject to messaging limits.
For enterprise stores, synchronizing consent across Shopify, CRM, and CDP is becoming increasingly important.
International retailers should not automatically configure WhatsApp the same way in every market.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Shopify change in the checkout?

Shopify can now collect separate consent for WhatsApp marketing directly during checkout. The consent is linked to the corresponding customer profile.

Is a phone number enough for WhatsApp marketing?

No. WhatsApp marketing may only be sent via Shopify Messaging to customers who have explicitly opted in.

Can SMS and WhatsApp be enabled at the same time?

Yes. Shopify allows you to configure both channels and can display WhatsApp instead of the SMS opt-in, depending on the region.

Can existing WhatsApp consent be imported?

Yes. Among other options, Shopify supports importing via the customer file, with a dedicated field for accepted WhatsApp marketing.

Do I need Shopify Messaging?

Shopify Messaging is not the only relevant component for simply collecting and managing consent. If WhatsApp marketing messages are to be sent directly through Shopify, Shopify Messaging must be connected to a WhatsApp Business Account.

What happens when you deregister?

Shopify Messaging automatically adds STOP opt-out instructions to WhatsApp marketing messages. If a customer replies with STOP, they will be excluded from future WhatsApp campaigns.