WooCommerce: How do customers subscribe to email and SMS marketing

On the My Account page and at checkout, customers can opt in to marketing emails, SMS, or both, using the separate email and SMS checkboxes.How do customers subscribe to email and SMS marketing in WooCommerce

Collect customer permission for email and SMS marketing in WooCommerce to stay compliant with GDPR, TCPA, and CCPA.

October 7, 2025

Applies to: WooCommerce
This guide is specific to the WooCommerce integration.

Capture your customers' marketing opt-in preferences

When customers shop on your WooCommerce store, give them the option to join your database and receive marketing by email and SMS. Permission is required by law (including GDPR, TCPA, TCIA and 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:

Opt-In Functionality in WooCommerce

WooCommerce does not have built-in marketing opt-in functionality.
Customers can opt in at checkout or on the My Account page through the Marsello plugin. They can also opt in through Marsello sign-up forms and the Marsello Customer Portal.

How do customers opt in to marketing through Marsello sign-up forms?

Marsello sign-up forms (pop-up, landing page, link in bio and POS check-in forms) have separate checkboxes for email and SMS marketing, each with disclosure text. Submitting a form doesn’t subscribe a customer on its own. They must tick the checkbox for each channel they want to receive.

Default disclosure text:

Email: I agree to receive marketing emails from [Business Name]. You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time. [Terms and Conditions] [Privacy Policy].
SMS: I agree to receive marketing text messages from [Business Name]. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to unsubscribe. [Terms and Conditions] [Privacy Policy].

You can edit this text and add your Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions links in Settings › Compliance › Marketing compliance.

⚠️ Important:

If you are using another app for sign-up forms, you need to update your forms to include separate email and SMS opt-in checkboxes, with disclosure text that tells the customer what they’re agreeing to for each channel.
If you edit your SMS disclosure text, keep the message frequency, message and data rates, HELP and STOP wording. You’re responsible for making sure your edited wording meets the laws that apply to your store.

Setting Up SMS Subscriber Collection

To collect mobile numbers for SMS subscribers, you’ll need to update your WooCommerce settings, including:

Your Privacy Policy
Your Checkout settings

How Marsello Adds Opt-In Options

Marsello adds two separate opt-in checkboxes at checkout and on the My Account page: one for email marketing and one for SMS marketing.

Customers can choose email, SMS, both, or neither. Selecting one checkbox does not opt them in to the other.
Each checkbox includes disclosure text that tells customers what they’re agreeing to. You can edit this text in Settings > Compliance > Marketing Compliance.

⚠️ Important: Update your plugin. Separate email and SMS checkboxes and disclosure text are only available in the latest version of the Marsello for WooCommerce plugin.

Compliance with Age Restrictions (TCIA)

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) prohibits illegal or improper promotion to individuals under 18 years of age.

Depending on your industry standards, you may need to discourage underage visitors from browsing your WooCommerce store.
It is recommended to add an age selection form (age-gate) to your storefront.
👉 Learn how to add an age-gate to WooCommerce.

Customer Opt-Out Options

You must always provide customers with an easy way to unsubscribe:

Marsello automatically includes:
- An ‘unsubscribe’ link in all email templates.
- “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” in all SMS templates.

Staff Training and Compliance

As mentioned in the SMS Marketing Compliance Introduction and GDPR Introduction, to collect SMS and Email Marketing opt-in from your customers, there may be some changes that you need to make to your WooCommerce store.

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.

📝 Note: Customers who check out as a guest are added to Marsello without marketing consent. They only receive marketing if they opt in themselves. Both checkboxes are unticked by default. Leaving a checkbox unticked doesn’t remove a customer’s existing consent.

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.
If you edit your SMS disclosure text, keep the message frequency, message and data rates, HELP and STOP wording. You’re responsible for making sure your edited wording meets the laws that apply to 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.

Capture customers' marketing opt-in preferences in-store via WooCommerce

⚠️ Important:

To use Marsello on your WooCommerce, please enable the required sites under the Integrations page and install the Marsello for WooCommerce plugin.
By default, customers do not accept marketing, and they must opt-in to receive marketing through Marsello.

As outlined in the Marketing Compliance Introduction, customers must give express written consent before receiving marketing emails or SMS.

To collect full marketing consent from customers in WooCommerce you need to install the Marsello plug in. Once installed, the plugin adds separate email and SMS opt-in checkboxes to your checkout and My Account page.

🎉 Congratulations

You can now start collecting customers' consent to receive email and SMS marketing via Marsello and WooCommerce.

What is the customer experience with marketing opt-ins?

On the My Account page and at checkout, customers can opt in to marketing emails, SMS, or both, using the separate email and SMS checkboxes.

In Marsello's Customer portal

After creating a WooCommerce store account, customers can update their marketing preferences at any time through Marsello’s Customer portal. Signing up to the Customer Portal collects the customer’s email address only. It doesn’t subscribe them to marketing. The first time a customer signs in, a pop-up asks whether they’d like to receive marketing, with a separate checkbox for email and SMS.

To opt in to email, SMS or both, toggle the corresponding switch under Promotional messages to On.

To opt out of email, SMS, or both, toggle the corresponding switch to Off.

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 eCommerce merchants – to seek legal advice for counsel on how they specifically should prepare for GDPR, CCPA TCPA, and TCIA.