In short
- Order journey: login code, confirmation, payment or cash-on-delivery check, shipped, out for delivery, delivered, refund.
- Two kinds of message: transactional (triggered by the customer's order) and promotional (offers, cart reminders).
- Two sender names: promotional sender names end in "-AD"; order updates go from your other registered sender name.
- Connection: REST API from your store system; SMPP for very high volume; web platform for campaigns.
- Pricing: quoted for your volume and traffic type.
The messages a store sends, from login to refund
Each example below is a single SMS segment. "example.com" stands for your own tracking or help pages.
| Moment | Type | Example message | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Login or checkout | OTP | Your login code is 482913. It expires in 5 minutes. Do not share it with anyone. | 80 |
| Order placed | Transactional | Order 10482 confirmed. Total SAR 349. We will message you when it ships. | 72 |
| Cash on delivery | Transactional | Order 10482: please confirm your cash-on-delivery order at example.com/cod | 74 |
| Shipped | Transactional | Order 10482 has shipped. Track it: example.com/t | 48 |
| Out for delivery | Transactional | Order 10482 is out for delivery today between 2 and 6 pm. | 57 |
| Delivered | Transactional | Order 10482 was delivered. Need help? example.com/help | 54 |
| Refund | Transactional | Your refund of SAR 120 for order 10482 has been processed. | 58 |
Keep each order message to one purpose. The order number lets your customer service team find the order quickly when the customer calls.
For offers, cart reminders and back-in-stock messages, see the ready examples in our marketing SMS guide.
Marketing SMS examples by occasion
Order updates and offers follow different rules
A message is transactional when the customer's own action triggered it and it contains no offer: the confirmation of an order they placed, or an update on its delivery. Transactional messages do not carry the marketing-consent requirement that promotional messages do.
Offers, discount codes, cart reminders and back-in-stock alerts propose a new purchase, so treat them as promotional. Under the Communications, Space and Technology Commission's (CST) "Regulations for Curbing SPAM Messages & Calls" (version three, October 2022, approved by CST decision 493/1444):
- Consent: the customer must have explicitly agreed to receive promotional messages; a line in your privacy policy or terms does not count. Promotional messages are blocked by default until the recipient allows them, in general or from specific sender names.
- Sender name: promotional sender names carry the suffix "-AD", and each message must go from the sender name that matches its type.
- Opt-out: customers can ask to stop at any time, and you must stop within 24 hours.
- Hours: outside Ramadan, operators block advertising messages from 10 pm to 9 am Saudi time; during Ramadan, from 1 am to 12 noon.
Do not add a discount line to an order confirmation. It generally turns the whole message into a promotional one. Send the offer separately, to customers who opted in.
Transactional vs promotional SMS
Login and checkout codes
Many stores send a one-time code at login, at sign-up or before a high-value order. Keep the code message short, give it a short expiry, and say that the code must not be shared.
Codes sent on request are a target for SMS pumping, where bots trigger messages to numbers that earn the attackers money. Limit how often one number or device can request a code. On the platform side, Digital Connect accounts have fraud protection, country blocking and spending limits, agreed during onboarding.
OTP SMS for customer verification
SMS pumping protection for OTP senders
How your store connects to Digital Connect
There are two routes, and you can use one or both.
| Route | Suited to | What your team does |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | Messages triggered by store events: codes, order, shipping and refund updates | Your developer calls the API when an order changes status |
| Web platform | Campaigns and announcements to opted-in customers | Manage contact lists, use approved templates, schedule the send, export reports |
- SMPP is also available for stores that send very high, sustained volume.
- API access is limited to whitelisted IP addresses or a VPN connection, so plan which server will send the requests.
- Templates are approved by both your team and Interkey before they are used.
- Sender names are registered by Interkey with the operators through CST's central bulk-SMS system during onboarding.
- Permit: Interkey holds CST's permit to provide short message services (SMS).
If your store runs on a hosted e-commerce platform, tell us which one in the form below and we will explain how messages from it can reach Digital Connect.
Writing order messages in Arabic and English
An English message fits 160 characters in one segment. An Arabic message fits 70, and so does any message with a single Arabic word or an emoji in it. Each extra segment is billed.
- Lead with the order number and the status.
- Keep product names out of the message; link to the order page instead.
- Send the same message in the customer's chosen language rather than both languages in one SMS, which usually needs two or more segments.
Delivery receipts for customer service
Digital Connect gives a delivery receipt for each message, and reports you can export. When a customer says they never got the "out for delivery" message, your team can check whether it was delivered.
Is Digital Connect a fit for your store?
- Good fit: stores and retailers sending to customers in Saudi Arabia, with enough monthly volume to plan around: order updates every day, plus campaigns.
- Not a good fit: stores sending only a few hundred messages a month, or selling almost entirely to customers outside Saudi Arabia.
- Pricing: by quote, for your volume and traffic type. OTP and promotional traffic are priced differently.
Questions from e-commerce teams
Do order confirmations need the customer's marketing consent?
No. A confirmation triggered by the customer's own order, with no offer in it, is transactional and does not carry the marketing-consent requirement. Offers do.
Can we send cart reminders by SMS?
Yes, as promotional messages: to customers who opted in, from your "-AD" sender name, outside the blocked hours (10 pm to 9 am; during Ramadan, 1 am to 12 noon), with an opt-out. Promotional messages are blocked by default until the recipient allows them.
Can our store platform send SMS through Digital Connect?
Your store system or your developer connects through the REST API. Tell us which platform you use and we will explain how the messages can reach Digital Connect.
Do we need two sender names?
In practice, yes, if you send both kinds of message. Promotional messages go from a sender name with the "-AD" suffix, and each message must go from the sender name that matches its type.
How long can an Arabic order message be?
70 characters in one segment. Longer messages are split into parts of 67 characters, and each part is billed.
How is SMS for a store priced?
By quote, based on your volume and traffic type.