Articles on: Timesact V2

Send back-in-stock alerts by SMS

Timesact can text shoppers when a product they signed up for is back in stock, as well as (or instead of) emailing them. You turn on the phone number field in the Notify Me form of your Customer Experience, then publish the Notify Me SMS notification on the Notifications page. SMS alerts are available on Flexible and Fixed plans billed monthly, and each text is billed per message through your Shopify bill, from $0.02 per SMS, varying by country.


Plan: Flexible or Fixed plan, billed monthly (CORE or PRO) · Where: Timesact → Experiences → your Customer Experience → Storefront → Product page / Collection page → Notify Me form → SMS signup, and Timesact → Notifications → Notify Me SMS


Before you start

  • You have a Customer Experience with Back in Stock, Notify Me or Waitlist added, attached to the products you want. See Back in Stock.
  • Your store is on a Flexible or Fixed plan with monthly billing. SMS charges are usage charges, which Shopify bills on monthly plans. You can see and change your plan in Timesact → Billing & Account. Plan prices are on the Timesact App Store listing.
  • SMS alerts use one store-wide message, the Notify Me SMS notification. Every Customer Experience that collects phone numbers uses it.


Step 1: Turn on SMS signup in the Notify Me form

SMS signup adds a phone number field to the Notify Me form, the pop-up shoppers fill in when they click your back-in-stock button. You switch it on separately for the product page and for the collection page.


  1. In Timesact, open Experiences and click your Customer Experience.
  2. Under Storefront, click Product page. If the Customer Experience runs more than one functionality, choose the Back in Stock (or Notify Me / Waitlist) tab at the top.
  3. Expand Notify Me form.
  4. In the SMS signup section, turn the switch on. The form preview now shows the phone field and the consent text under the button.
  5. Click Save.
  6. To collect phone numbers from collection pages too, click Collection page and repeat steps 3 to 5.


The Notify Me form in a Timesact Customer Experience with the SMS signup switch on and a phone field in the preview



Step 2: Edit the SMS wording on the form

The Form content section of the Notify Me form has four SMS fields. Shoppers see them when SMS signup is on:

  • SMS field label: the label above the phone field. Default: "SMS".
  • Phone placeholder: the example number inside the field. Default: "202 555 0123".
  • SMS consent text: the text shown under the Notify Me button.
  • Phone error message: shown when the number can't be read. Default: "Please enter an international phone number with + and country code (for example, +1 202 555 0123)".


The default SMS consent text is:


By entering your phone number, you agree to receive a one-time automated SMS sent by Timesact (Kairock Partners SRL) when this item is back in stock. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.


You can keep it or write your own. Check the local rules on SMS consent for the countries your customers are in.


The Form note reads "We'll send you an email when this item is available." by default. If you collect phone numbers, you can change it to mention texts as well.


Step 3: Publish the Notify Me SMS notification

The Notify Me SMS notification starts as Draft. Phone signups are saved while it is a draft and stay Pending. Once you publish it, Timesact texts them at the next restock, or straight away with Send notifications.


  1. In Timesact, open Notifications.
  2. Under Notify Me notifications, click Notify Me SMS.
  3. Read the message in the preview. To change it, see "Edit the SMS text" below.
  4. Click Publish.
  5. The SMS alerts include additional charges window shows how SMS is billed. Click Got it to publish.
  6. Notify Me SMS now shows Live in the list.


The Timesact Notifications page with the Notify Me SMS notification listed under Notify Me notifications




If the Publish button is greyed out, the page shows a banner that says why:

  • SMS notifications need monthly billing: your plan is billed yearly. Change to monthly billing in Billing & Account, then publish.
  • SMS requires a paid monthly plan: choose a Flexible or Fixed monthly plan. The banner's Go to Billing & Account button takes you there.


Edit the SMS text

The Notify Me SMS is plain text, one version for the whole store. The default message is:


{{productTitle}} is back in stock! Get it here: {{productLink}}


  1. Open Notifications → Notify Me SMS.
  2. Click Edit code.
  3. Change the message in SMS body. You can use two smart variables, typed exactly as shown:
    • {{productTitle}}: the product name.
    • {{productLink}}: a link to the product on your store.
  5. Click Preview to see the message with an example link.
  6. Click Save in the save bar. Timesact confirms with Notification saved.


Emojis, accented characters and non-Latin alphabets all work. Carriers may split a long or special-character message into several parts on the phone, and Timesact still bills one SMS at the rate for that country.


What happens next

  • On your storefront, the Notify Me form shows an email field and a phone field with a country code menu. The country code starts on the shopper's country. A shopper can enter an email, a phone number, or both. Entering both creates two signups, one email and one SMS.
  • When the variant is back in stock, Timesact texts each phone signup once, using the Notify Me SMS message. Emails go out in the same run through the Customer Experience's email channel.
  • Each SMS that is sent creates a usage charge on your Shopify bill. Nothing is charged for a text that fails to send.
  • In your Customer Experience, Admin → Notifications shows an SMS notifications card. It shows Live once Notify Me SMS is published, or SMS notification not published while it is a draft, with a Manage SMS notification button that opens it.


How SMS works with email, Klaviyo and Shopify Flow

SMS runs alongside the email channel you choose in the Customer Experience. In Admin → Notifications, the Email notifications choice (Built-in notifications, Shopify Flow or Klaviyo) decides how email signups are notified. Phone signups are texted by Timesact whichever email channel you pick, as long as Notify Me SMS is Live. More on the email channels: Notifications overview.


SMS pricing and billing

  • Each SMS costs from $0.02, and the rate varies by the country of the phone number. The SMS alerts include additional charges window shows the current range before you publish.
  • You pay one rate per SMS sent, whatever the length of the message.
  • Timesact bills SMS as app usage charges through Shopify. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Billing and click View current charges to see charges not yet on a bill. Shopify explains app usage charges in Charges for apps.
  • You approve a spending limit for usage charges in Shopify when you approve your plan.


Where SMS signups show in Analytics

Phone signups are listed with email signups in Timesact → Analytics → Notify Me, Back in Stock and Waitlist → Subscribers & email performance. In the signups table, the Type column shows SMS and the Value column shows the phone number. Status shows Pending until the text is sent.


You can also text pending signups straight away: tick them and click Send notifications. The window counts SMS signups separately and notes that each SMS is charged by the customer's country. See [Manage back-in-stock signups: send now, delete, and move to another variant](NEW: manage-back-in-stock-signups).


Questions merchants ask

Can I send SMS alerts on the Free plan?
No. SMS alerts need a Flexible or Fixed plan billed monthly, because each text is billed as a usage charge through Shopify.


I'm on a yearly plan. Can I use SMS?
Change to monthly billing first. The Notify Me SMS page shows SMS notifications need monthly billing until you do, and then you can publish.


How much does each text cost?
From $0.02 per SMS, varying by the country of the phone number. The exact range shows in the app before you publish. You are billed per SMS sent, and only for texts that were sent.


Do shoppers have to give an email if they give a phone number?
No. With SMS signup on, a shopper can sign up with a phone number only, an email only, or both.


I use Klaviyo for back-in-stock emails. Can I still use Timesact SMS?
Yes. Timesact texts phone signups whichever email channel the Customer Experience uses, as long as Notify Me SMS is Live.


Can I change the text message?
Yes. Open Notifications → Notify Me SMS → Edit code and edit SMS body. Use {{productTitle}} and {{productLink}} to add the product name and link.


Updated on: 11/11/2026

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