Shopify Attentive Integration: Enterprise SMS Marketing Guide (2025)

Q: What is Attentive for Shopify?

Attentive is an enterprise SMS marketing platform for Shopify. It provides advanced segmentation, AI-powered personalization, and sophisticated automation for large-scale text marketing.

Q: How much does Attentive cost?

Attentive uses custom enterprise pricing based on subscriber count and message volume. Contact Attentive directly for quotes. Generally more expensive than Postscript or Klaviyo SMS.

Q: Is Attentive worth it for small Shopify stores?

Attentive is designed for enterprise and large DTC brands. For smaller stores, consider Postscript or Klaviyo SMS which offer similar features at lower price points.

Q: What makes Attentive different from other SMS platforms?

Attentive offers advanced AI personalization, predictive analytics, sophisticated segmentation, and enterprise-grade support. It's built for brands doing high volume SMS at scale.

Attentive provides enterprise-grade SMS marketing for Shopify brands. This guide covers implementation and optimization for large-scale text marketing.

Shopify

integrates with

Attentive

Why Attentive?

Enterprise SMS leader:

Feature	Benefit
AI personalization	Optimized message content
Send time optimization	Right time for each recipient
Advanced segmentation	Precise targeting
Two-way messaging	Conversational commerce
Enterprise support	Dedicated success team

Trusted by:

GUESS
Pura Vida
CB2
Coach
Steve Madden

Attentive Capabilities

AI Features

Feature	Function
Attentive AI	Content generation
Send time optimization	Best time per subscriber
Predictive analytics	Churn and LTV prediction
Smart segmentation	AI-driven audiences

Personalization

Beyond basic personalization:

Product recommendations
Dynamic content
Behavioral triggers
Lifecycle targeting

Scale

Metric	Capability
Subscribers	Millions
Messages/month	Hundreds of millions
Uptime	99.99%
Delivery	Carrier-grade

Getting Started

Step 1: Contact Attentive

Visit attentive.com
Request demo
Discuss requirements
Get custom pricing
Sign contract

Step 2: Implementation

Attentive provides:

Dedicated implementation team
Technical integration support
Custom setup
Training sessions

%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'primaryColor': '#e0f2fe', 'primaryTextColor': '#0369a1', 'primaryBorderColor': '#0369a1', 'lineColor': '#64748b', 'secondaryColor': '#f0fdf4', 'tertiaryColor': '#fef3c7'}}}%% graph LR A[Store Store] -->|Customer Data| B[Shopify] A -->|Order History| B B -->|Segments & Tags| C[Attentive] C -->|Campaigns| D[Email/SMS] D -->|Engagement| A

Real-time sync Scheduled sync

Step 3: Shopify Connection

Connect to Shopify:

Install Attentive app
Authorize data access
Configure sync settings
Historical data import

Step 4: Compliance Setup

Enterprise compliance:

Legal review
Terms and conditions
Privacy policy integration
Consent management

Subscriber Collection

Attentive’s signature:

First tap: Pre-fills text message
Second tap: Sends opt-in text
Confirmed subscriber
Higher quality list

Collection Points

Method	Conversion
Two-tap mobile popup	5-8%
Desktop to mobile	3-5%
Checkout opt-in	4-6%
Landing pages	Varies

Creative Units

Attentive provides:

Mobile popups
Flyouts
Full-page takeovers
Embedded forms
Social landing pages

List Quality

Two-tap benefits:

Verified phone numbers
Higher engagement
Better deliverability
Cleaner list

Journeys (Automations)

Welcome Journey

Subscriber opts in
    ↓
Immediate: Welcome + offer
    ↓
Day 2: Brand story
    ↓
Day 5: Best sellers
    ↓
Day 10: Social proof

Abandoned Cart Journey

Message	Timing	Element
1	30 min	Cart reminder
2	4 hours	Urgency
3	24 hours	Discount

AI optimization:

Send time per subscriber
Discount level optimization
Content personalization

Browse Abandonment

Trigger: Product view without add-to-cart

Personalized product reminder
Similar items recommendation
Dynamic pricing

Post-Purchase Journey

Order confirmed
    ↓
Thank you message
    ↓
Shipping update
    ↓
Delivery notification
    ↓
Review request
    ↓
Replenishment reminder

Win-Back Journey

Segment	Trigger	Offer
30 days	No purchase	Soft reminder
60 days	No purchase	10% off
90 days	No purchase	15% off

Campaigns

Flash Sales

AI-optimized campaigns:

Send time optimization
Audience selection
Content testing
Performance prediction

New Product Launches

Launch strategy:

VIP early access
Waitlist notification
General announcement
Follow-up reminder

Segmented Campaigns

Target by:

Purchase behavior
Browse history
Engagement level
Predictive LTV
Custom attributes

Segmentation

Behavioral Segments

Segment	Criteria
High intent	Multiple browse sessions
Cart abandoners	Added but didn’t purchase
Repeat buyers	2+ orders
VIP	Top 10% by LTV

Predictive Segments

AI-powered predictions:

Likely to purchase
Churn risk
High LTV potential
Discount sensitive

Custom Attributes

Sync from Shopify:

Customer tags
Metafields
Order history
Product preferences

Two-Way Messaging

Conversational Commerce

Enable:

Customer inquiries
Order questions
Product recommendations
Support requests

AI-Powered Responses

Attentive AI handles:

Order status
Tracking inquiries
FAQ responses
Routing to humans

Live Agent Support

Escalation to agents:

Complex questions
Complaints
Special requests
High-value customers

Analytics & Reporting

Key Metrics

Metric	Enterprise Benchmark
Click rate	35-50%
Conversion rate	15-30%
Revenue per message	$0.08-0.20
Unsubscribe rate	<1%

Attribution

Multi-touch attribution:

First touch
Last touch
Linear
Time decay

Dashboards

Report	Insights
Revenue	SMS-attributed sales
Engagement	Opens, clicks, conversions
List health	Growth, churn, quality
Campaign	Performance comparison

Integrations

Ecommerce

Platform	Integration
Shopify	Native (deep)
Shopify Plus	Advanced features
Recharge	Subscription support
Yotpo	Reviews

Marketing Stack

Platform	Integration
Klaviyo	Email sync
Gorgias	Support tickets
Segment	CDP sync
Heap	Analytics

CDPs

Platform	Integration
Segment	Bi-directional
mParticle	Events sync
Tealium	Data layer

Compliance

Enterprise Compliance

Features:

TCPA compliance
CTIA guidelines
10DLC registration
Short code management
Carrier relationships

Track and manage:

Opt-in source
Consent timestamp
Preference center
Opt-out handling

Quiet Hours

Configurable:

Time windows
Timezone detection
Campaign overrides
Holiday handling

Best Practices

Message Strategy

Type	Frequency
Promotional	4-6/month
Transactional	As needed
Conversational	On demand

Content Guidelines

Do	Don’t
Personalize content	Generic blasts
Clear CTA	Multiple asks
Short messages	Long texts
Value-first	Over-sell

List Hygiene

Maintain quality:

Monitor engagement
Suppress inactive
Clean invalid numbers
Segment by activity

Attentive vs Alternatives

Feature	Attentive	Postscript	Klaviyo SMS
Target	Enterprise	SMB	Mid-market
AI features	Advanced	Basic	Growing
Pricing	Custom	Pay-per-message	Included
Support	Dedicated	Standard	Tiered
Best for	Large brands	Shopify SMB	Unified platform

Implementation Timeline

Phase	Duration	Activities
Setup	1-2 weeks	Integration, compliance
Launch	2-4 weeks	Creative, journeys
Optimize	Ongoing	Testing, scaling

ROI Expectations

Metric	Expectation
List growth	10-20% of traffic
Revenue/recipient	$50-100/year
Payback period	2-4 months
Channel contribution	15-25% of digital

Next Steps

For enterprise SMS:

Contact Attentive - Request demo
Define goals - Revenue, list size
Plan implementation - Timeline, resources
Launch strategy - Collection + journeys
Scale & optimize - Continuous improvement

Shopify + Attentive implementation checklist (2025)

This section adds practical “make it stable” steps you can use after you install the app/connector. It’s intentionally lightweight: the goal is fewer sync surprises, cleaner reporting, and easier troubleshooting.

1) Quick setup checklist

Permissions first: grant only the scopes you need (orders/customers/products as required) and document who owns the admin credentials.
Data mapping: confirm how email, phone, currency, and SKU are mapped between Shopify and Attentive.
Historical import: decide how far back to import orders/customers (avoid importing years of data if you don’t need it).
Deduplication rules: pick one unique identifier per object (usually email for customers, order ID for orders) to prevent doubles.
Alerts: set a lightweight alert path (email/Slack) for failed syncs, auth expiry, and API rate limits.

2) Data you should verify after connecting

Most integration issues show up in the first hour if you test the right things. Use the table below as a QA checklist (create a test order if needed).

Data object	What to check	Why it matters
Customers	Email/phone format, marketing consent fields, duplicates	Prevents double messaging and broken segmentation
Orders	Order total, tax, discount, shipping, currency	Keeps revenue reporting and automation triggers accurate
Line items	SKU, variant ID, quantity, refunds/returns behavior	Avoids inventory and attribution mismatches
Fulfillment	Status changes + timestamps, tracking numbers, carrier fields	Drives customer notifications and post-purchase flows
Catalog	Product titles, handles, images, collections/tags	Ensures personalization and reporting match your storefront

3) Automation ideas for Marketing

Welcome series: new subscriber → educational sequence + first-purchase offer in Attentive.
Abandoned cart: cart started but not purchased → reminder email/SMS from Attentive (timing based on your AOV).
Post-purchase: order created → delivery/usage tips + cross-sell for complementary products in Attentive.
Win-back: no purchase in 60–90 days → reactivation campaign using Attentive segments.
VIP: customer hits LTV threshold → move into VIP tier and trigger perks via Attentive.

API sanity check (Shopify Admin API)

If your integration UI says “connected” but data isn’t flowing, a quick API call helps confirm whether the store is accessible and returning the objects you expect.

# List the 5 most recent orders (GraphQL)
curl -X POST "https://your-store.myshopify.com/admin/api/2025-01/graphql.json" \
  -H "X-Shopify-Access-Token: $SHOPIFY_ADMIN_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"query\":\"{ orders(first: 5, sortKey: CREATED_AT, reverse: true) { edges { node { id name createdAt totalPriceSet { shopMoney { amount currencyCode } } customer { email } } } } }\"}"

Tip: keep tokens/keys in environment variables, and test in a staging store/site before rolling changes to production.

4) KPIs to monitor (so you catch problems early)

Sync freshness: how long it takes for a new order/customer event to appear in Attentive.
Error rate: failed syncs per day (and which object types fail most).
Duplicates: number of merged/duplicate contacts or orders created by mapping mistakes.
Revenue parity: weekly spot-check that Shopify totals match downstream reporting (especially after refunds).
Attribution sanity: confirm that key events (purchase, refund, subscription) are tracked consistently.

5) A simple 30-day optimization plan

Week 1: connect + map fields, then validate with 5–10 real orders/customers.
Week 2: enable 1–2 automations and measure baseline KPIs (conversion, AOV, repeat rate).
Week 3: tighten segmentation/rules (exclude recent buyers, add VIP thresholds, handle edge cases).
Week 4: document the setup, create an “owner” checklist, and set a recurring monthly audit.

Common issues (and fast fixes)

Even “simple” integrations fail in predictable ways. Use this as a quick troubleshooting playbook for Shopify + Attentive.

Duplicate customers/orders: usually caused by running two connectors at once. Pick one source of truth and dedupe by email (customers) and order ID (orders).
Currency/timezone drift: confirm store timezone and reporting currency match what Attentive expects, especially if you sell internationally.
Missing permissions: if data is partially syncing, re-check API scopes (orders vs customers vs products) and re-authorize the app.
Webhooks not firing: look for blocked callbacks, disabled webhooks, or a stale token. If possible, test with a fresh order and watch for events.
Rate limits & delays: large imports or high order volume can queue syncs. Stagger imports, reduce lookback windows, and monitor retry queues.
Refund/return mismatch: clarify whether refunds create separate objects or adjust the original order record (finance teams should agree on the model).

Privacy & compliance notes (2025)

Integrations often touch personal data (email, phone, address). Keep this lightweight checklist in mind:

Least privilege: only grant the data scopes you actively use; remove unused apps quarterly.
Consent fields: treat marketing consent separately from transactional messaging (especially for SMS).
Data retention: define how long you keep customer event data, and who can export it.
Access review: restrict admin accounts and rotate keys/tokens if staff changes.

Suggested rollout plan

Connect in staging (if possible): validate mapping on a small dataset.
Import a short history window: start with 30–90 days unless you have a clear reason to import more.
Run side-by-side QA: compare a handful of orders across systems (totals, taxes, shipping, refunds).
Go live gradually: enable 1–2 automations first, then expand once you trust the data.

Change control (keep it maintainable)

One owner: assign a single owner for the integration (who approves mapping and workflow changes).
Log changes: track what you changed (fields, filters, timing) and why, so you can roll back quickly.
Monthly audit: re-check scopes, API tokens, and error logs—especially after major store/theme/app changes.

For mid-market SMS, see Postscript integration. For unified email+SMS, check Klaviyo integration.

Questions & Answers

What is Attentive for Shopify?