Quick answer: Choose an email and SMS agency that plans both channels on one calendar, treats consent as the starting point, uses SMS only where speed matters, and reports the combined revenue honestly. Test any agency with the questions below. Excelohunt, for example, runs email and SMS together for ecommerce brands; see Excelohunt’s SMS marketing service and pricing.
Key takeaways
- One team, one calendar: two agencies, or two people who never talk, will send the same offer twice.
- Consent is not a detail: SMS needs its own opt-in, an easy opt-out and sending rules that fit each market.
- SMS is for speed: carts, restocks, price drops and launches. Email carries the story.
- Measure the pair: judge the combined share of store revenue, not each channel on its own.
- Proof matters: ask for results where email and SMS moved together.
Most brands add SMS after email is already running, often with a different tool, a different freelancer or a different plan. That is where problems start: duplicate offers, texts at the wrong moment, and two reports that both claim the same sale. This guide explains what to look for in an agency that runs both channels, and how Excelohunt approaches it.
Why email and SMS belong with one agency
Email and SMS reach the same customers, so they need one plan. When the channels are planned separately, three things go wrong:
- Offer fatigue. The same discount arrives by email in the morning and by text in the afternoon. Customers learn to wait for the next one.
- Wasted urgency. Texts are read quickly, which makes them valuable for time-sensitive moments. Spend them on routine newsletters and opt-outs rise.
- Confused reporting. Each channel claims the same order, so neither number can be trusted.
A single team sets one calendar, decides which moments deserve a text, and reports the combined result. That is how 8 Other Reasons took email and SMS from about 12% to 81% of store revenue in one season, and how The Wig Outlet grew the two channels from 28.9% to 38.0% of store revenue in a year.
What to check before any texts go out
SMS carries more rules than email, so a good agency starts with consent and compliance. The basics to confirm:
- A separate, clear opt-in. Signing up for email is not permission to text. The sign-up form should collect SMS consent explicitly.
- An easy opt-out on every message. Customers should be able to stop texts at any time.
- Sending rules for each market. Quiet hours, frequency and local regulations differ by country. Some countries, such as Australia, also require a registered sender ID before you can send under your brand name.
- List hygiene on both channels. Unengaged email profiles hurt deliverability; texting people who never buy costs money on every send.
If an agency cannot explain how it handles each of these, keep looking.
Which journeys should use SMS
Use SMS where minutes matter and email where explanation matters. A practical split:
| Journey | Lead channel | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Abandoned cart and checkout | Email first, SMS for consented shoppers | A short text can recover a purchase while intent is still high |
| Back in stock and price drop | SMS and email | The first to know are the first to buy |
| Launches and early access | SMS and email | Speed rewards your most engaged customers |
| Welcome series | New subscribers need the brand story and the reasons to buy | |
| Post-purchase and education | Longer content, care guides and cross-sells read better in email | |
| Win-back | Email first | Re-introduce the brand before asking for an order |
Excelohunt’s email automation service builds these flows, and fixed-price versions are in Excelohunt’s shop if you only need one or two.
Questions to ask an email and SMS agency
- How do you decide what goes by text and what goes by email? Listen for a rule based on timing and intent, not a vague “both, every time”.
- How do you collect SMS consent and handle opt-outs? The answer should cover the sign-up form, the opt-out and each market you sell in.
- What does the shared calendar look like? Ask to see an example month.
- How do you report the two channels together? You want the combined share of store revenue, plus each channel’s flows and opt-out rates.
- What results have you had with both channels? Ask for case studies with real numbers.
- How often do you review live flows? Excelohunt goes through its clients’ live flows at least every two weeks.
What it costs
Pricing follows scope: how many campaigns, which flows and how many markets. Excelohunt’s managed campaign plans run from $499 a month (Starter, 2 campaigns) to $2,999 a month (Enterprise, 20+ campaigns), with Growth at $849 a month the most popular. Its fixed-price projects start from $209 and are bought online in Excelohunt’s shop. SMS is scoped alongside email for your list size and markets, so the exact number comes from a free audit. Everything is on Excelohunt’s pricing page, and brands the Excelohunt team confirms as eligible are covered by its 3x ROI guarantee.
How Excelohunt runs email and SMS
- Audit first. Excelohunt looks at deliverability, consent capture, list health and existing flows before changing anything.
- One calendar. A monthly strategy decides which moments get a text, which get an email and which get both.
- Flows before blasts. Time-sensitive flows get SMS steps for consented customers; everything else stays in email.
- One report. Each month you see the combined result, flow by flow, with next month’s plan.
If you would rather add a specialist to your own team, you can hire a vetted SMS marketing specialist through Excelohunt instead.
Frequently asked questions
Should one agency run both email and SMS?
Usually yes. When one team plans both channels on the same calendar, customers are not sent the same offer twice, SMS is saved for the moments where speed matters, and reporting shows the combined result instead of two channels taking credit for the same sale.
What should an email and SMS agency check before sending texts?
Consent first. SMS needs a clear, separate opt-in, an easy way to opt out, and sending rules that respect quiet hours and local regulations. Some countries also require a registered sender ID. A good agency checks all of this before the first text goes out.
Which flows should use SMS as well as email?
The time-sensitive ones: abandoned cart and checkout, back in stock, price drops and launch or early access moments. Slower, more educational journeys such as a welcome series usually work best led by email.
How much does an email and SMS agency cost?
At Excelohunt, managed campaign plans run from $499 to $2,999 a month and fixed-price projects start from $209. SMS is scoped alongside email for your list and markets; a free audit gives you an exact number.
How do I measure an email and SMS program?
Look at the share of store revenue the two channels drive together, flow revenue, list growth for each channel, and unsubscribe and opt-out rates. Agree how revenue is attributed before you start so the numbers mean the same thing every month.
About the author
Ravinderpal Singh is the founder of Excelohunt, an email and SMS marketing agency for ecommerce brands. Over 7+ years the team has worked with 500+ brands in 26+ countries. Get a free audit or see Excelohunt’s pricing.
Prefer a specialist to run this for you? Meet Excelohunt's vetted email marketing talent.
