For BigCommerce merchants
Capture your customers' marketing opt-in preferences
When a new customer makes an in-store purchase, it’s important that staff ask whether they’d like to join your database and receive marketing via email and SMS. Permission is required by International Law (including GDPR, TCPA, TCIA & CCPA) and our Terms of Use.
Capturing marketing consent (opt-in) means:
If you already use Marketing or SMS add-ons → you can immediately send campaigns and automations to those opted-in customers.
If you don’t yet use Marketing or SMS add-ons → you’ll be building your list now, so when you decide to upgrade, you’ll have a database ready to go from day one.
⚠️ Important: Opt-in is required
By default, customers are not subscribed to marketing. They must provide explicit consent (opt-in) before they can receive campaigns and automations through Marsello. Capturing their preferences early means you won’t miss out on future opportunities to engage them when you’re ready to start marketing.
Before you get started
Here are some key details to know about customer opt-in for marketing messages:
To collect mobile numbers as SMS subscribers with Marsello, you’ll need to update certain BigCommerce settings, including your Privacy Policy and online checkout settings.
Consent at Checkout
BigCommerce’s “Subscribe to our newsletter” checkbox at checkout applies to both email and SMS subscriptions.
When a customer selects this checkbox, they are agreeing to receive promotional emails and SMS messages from your store.
Compliance with Age Restrictions (TCIA)
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits illegal or improper promotion to individuals under 18 years of age.
Based on your industry and community standards, you may need to discourage underage visitors from browsing your store.
It is recommended to add an age selection form (age-gate) to your BigCommerce storefront.
Opt-Out Options for Customers
It’s important to always provide an opt-out option for marketing communications:
Marsello automatically includes:
An ‘unsubscribe’ link in all email templates.
“Reply STOP to unsubscribe” in all SMS templates.
Compliance and Staff Training
To properly collect SMS and email opt-ins, review your store setup and staff processes:
Make sure your BigCommerce store reflects compliance requirements.
Train staff on how to capture marketing consent correctly.
Refer to Marsello’s SMS Marketing Compliance Introduction and GDPR Introduction for best practices.
We also still encourage you to consult a legal advisor familiar with GDPR, TCPA and TCIA before gathering contacts or sending promotional emails or text messages..
How do customers opt in to marketing through Marsello sign-up forms?
Marsello has two different types of sign-up forms: pop-up and landing page. These form templates include a text disclaimer that informs the customer that by submitting the form, they are opting in to receive both transactional and promotional emails and SMS messages from your store.
Default text disclaimer:
*I agree to receive transactional and promotional emails and text messages (to the email address and phone number provided). Consent is not a condition to purchase. You can opt out or change your email and SMS preferences anytime.
⚠️ Important: If you are using another app for sign-up forms, you need to update your forms to also include such a disclaimer that informs the customer that by submitting the form, they are opting-in to receive both email and SMS marketing from your store.
📝 Note: Customers are always in control of their marketing preferences and can opt-out at any time. All promotional messages sent through Marsello include an unsubscribe link, allowing customers to opt out whenever they choose. Alternatively, customers can request to opt out in-store at checkout or manage their preferences online through the Marsello Customer Portal.
How do I capture customer marketing opt-in preferences in BigCommerce?
⚠️ Important:
To use Marsello on your BigCommerce online store, please enable the required site under the Integrations page.
By default, customers do not accept marketing, and they must opt-in to receive marketing through Marsello.
The below changes are vital steps towards compliance. Please follow and complete each section.
As mentioned in the Marketing Compliance Introduction, consumers have to provide “express written consent” before they can receive marketing via email or SMS.
To collect full marketing consent from customers in BigCommerce, you may need to update a few settings in your store. These updates ensure you are compliant with international laws and that your customers clearly agree to receive marketing. The key settings to review are:
✔️ At checkout: Update your privacy policy
✔️ At checkout: Allow your customers to give consent to receive SMS marketing
✔️ At checkout: Update your privacy policy
1. In your BigCommerce admin, go to Storefront > Web Pages
2. Under View Web Pages, click Privacy Policy
3. Scroll to Web Page Details
4. In the Page Content page, add the following text to your Privacy Policy:
💬 Text example:
"Text Marketing and notifications: By subscribing to text notifications you agree to receive recurring automated marketing text messages at the phone number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg and data rates may apply."
5. Click Save & Keep Editing
✔️ At checkout: Allow your customers to give consent to receive SMS marketing
BigCommerce has introduced a new Checkout Type: Optimized One-Page Checkout (Recommended). This checkout type includes a built-in marketing opt-in checkbox, making it easier to collect customer consent.
Why This Matters for Marsello SMS Campaigns
⚠️ Important: To send SMS campaigns through Marsello, you must have a way for customers to provide explicit consent to receive email and SMS marketing.
The Optimized One-Page Checkout ensures that customers can opt in during the checkout process.
Without this opt-in checkbox, you cannot legally or compliantly collect consent for SMS marketing.
What You Need to Do
If you plan to send SMS campaigns with Marsello:
Update your BigCommerce checkout type to Optimized One-Page Checkout (Recommended).
Confirm that the marketing opt-in checkbox is visible and functioning at checkout.
Ensure customers understand that by selecting the checkbox, they are agreeing to receive promotional emails and/or SMS messages from your store.
✅ By switching to Optimized One-Page Checkout, you’ll provide a seamless customer experience while ensuring proper consent collection for your email and SMS campaigns.
How to check your BigCommerce Checkout Type
1. In your BigCommerce admin, go to Advanced Settings > Checkout
2. Next to Checkout Type, identify which option you are currently using:
Optimized one-page checkout type:
If you are currently using the Optimized one-page checkout (Recommended), there is nothing extra that you need to do. The "Subscribe to our newsletter" opt-in is already available for your customers.
⚠️ Important: It is recommended that you also update the text to let the customer know that they are also opting in to receive email and SMS marketing from your store. To do this, you will need access to a developer to update your content on your checkout page.
Other checkout types:
If you are currently using one of the other checkout options, you will need to evaluate if you want to update your checkout process.
⚠️ Important: Before you update your Checkout Type, please take into consideration your chosen Payment Gateways and any other apps that may be affected by this change. Learn more: BigCommerce's Optimized one-page checkout.
🎉 Congratulations
You can now start collecting customers' consent to receive email and SMS marketing via Marsello and BigCommerce.
What's next?
As your subscriber list begins to grow, you can create marketing campaigns to help increase sales and further drive customer loyalty.
Marketing initiatives:
Disclaimer: The information provided here is intended to be educational and should not be construed as legal advice. Marsello encourages all of our users — and all merchants – to seek legal advice for counsel on how they specifically should prepare for GDPR, TCPA and TCIA.
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