SMS
SMS on Registered Templates, Sent by Mercayo
In India every business SMS must use a sender and template registered under DLT. Mercayo handles that for all its stores, so you never apply for one yourself.
- In every plan
- Free for 14 days
Kosha is a demo store on Mercayo. Its products, orders and customers are sample data.
In short
What It Does
SMS is used for the messages where a phone matters most:
| Message | When | Its Switch |
|---|---|---|
| The COD confirmation code | Before a cash on delivery order | Confirm COD Orders by Code (off) |
| Shopper sign-in code | A shopper signs in with their mobile number; WhatsApp is tried first, and SMS is offered when WhatsApp cannot deliver | Sign In With a Phone Code (on) |
| Delete-my-account code | A shopper confirms deleting their account by phone | Always, when asked for |
| Gift card | To the person a gift card is for, when it is sent to a mobile number | Follows gift cards |
| Order cancelled | An order cancelled automatically because it was not paid or confirmed in time | Tell the Shopper When an Order Expires (off) |
| New order alert | To the owner's phone, for each new order | Text Message About New Orders (off) |
Mercayo sends them through MSG91 with Mercayo's own registered sender header (MERCAY) and DLT templates. Each message's wording is a registered template (Indian rules allow no free text), with your store's name placed inside it. A message without an approved template is never sent, and free text is never sent in its place.
How Mercayo Writes Them
The templates follow the operators' rules to the letter, because a message that differs from its registered template by even one character is silently dropped:
- plain characters only, so each SMS stays short and costs one part (money is written "Rs", never the ₹ sign);
- links as short links on mercayo.com;
- every message ends with the brand, "-Mercayo", as DLT requires;
- never "reply to this message": replies to a sender header go nowhere.
In Localization, the SMS texts are shown read-only for this reason: any change would need a new approval first.
Each SMS is paid from your store's notification credits at one price, and the Notifications screen lists every message with its channel and price.
Offers to many customers at once by SMS are SMS campaigns, on Mercayo's promotional template, sent only to customers whose consent to promotional SMS you have on record.
For your store
Why It Matters
For COD protection and phone sign-in, SMS reaches every phone, including those without WhatsApp or data. DLT registration takes weeks and paperwork per business; Mercayo doing it once for every store means you get SMS without any of that.
Codes by SMS also reach shoppers whose phones have no data at the moment of checkout, which is exactly when a cash on delivery order needs confirming. A shopper in a small town on a basic plan, or travelling with a weak signal, still gets the code.
Paying per message from your notification credits, at one price, keeps the cost clear: you see every SMS your store sends on the Notifications screen. And because the templates are Mercayo's, kept to the operators' rules, you never have to learn the difference between a header, an entity id and a content template.
Step by step
How It Works
Nothing to Connect
There is no SMS account to add: Mercayo's registered sender is used for every store, with your store's name inside each message. You need no DLT registration, sender header or template of your own.
Switch On What Uses SMS
The COD confirmation code (Settings → Checkout and COD → COD Confirmation Code), phone sign-in for shoppers (Settings → Shopper Accounts), the message when an order expires (Order Clean-up) and SMS alerts to your phone (Settings → Notifications → Order Alerts) each have their own switch.
Choose WhatsApp First, or SMS Only
With Send Phone Codes on WhatsApp First on, sign-in codes go on WhatsApp and a SEND BY SMS button appears after 30 seconds if the shopper is still waiting. Off, codes always go by SMS.
See the Words
In Settings → Notifications, PREVIEW shows an SMS as the shopper will read it, with your store's name in place. The words are the registered template's and cannot be edited.
Watch the Cost
Settings → Notifications shows each message's price per channel and what your plan includes each month; your notification credits pay for the rest. Recent Messages shows how each one went.
Your shoppers
What Your Shoppers See
A short SMS from MERCAY with the code or the message, naming your store, for example a 6-digit code to confirm their cash on delivery order at your store, valid for a few minutes, with a reminder not to share it. Every message ends "-Mercayo". On the sign-in screen, a shopper waiting for a WhatsApp code can ask for it by SMS instead.
Settings
Settings You Control
Each one is in your admin. A new store starts with the value shown.
Mercayo
Mercayo's Controls
Mercayo owns the DLT registration, the sender header and the templates for all stores, and keeps the template ids. SMS wording cannot be free text by law, so message texts follow the registered templates; Mercayo writes them and registers each change. Mercayo sets the price per SMS and how many seconds a shopper waits before SEND BY SMS appears (30 to start with), and can lock any SMS switch for a store with a reason your admin shows.
Limits today
Good to Know Before You Start
- SMS wording follows registered templates; it cannot be edited freely.
- Promotional SMS go only as campaigns, on Mercayo's promotional template: you write the offer (up to 30 characters) and choose the page its link opens.
- Messages go from Mercayo's sender MERCAY; a store's own sender header is not offered.
- Shipped, out-for-delivery and delivered updates go by email, and on WhatsApp to shoppers who said yes; not by SMS.
Questions
About SMS
Do I need my own DLT registration?
No. Mercayo's registration covers every store, with your store's name inside the message. You do not need an entity id, a header or templates of your own.
How much does an SMS cost?
The price per SMS is shown in Settings → Notifications, paid from your notification credits; your plan includes some messages each month. Every SMS has one price, whether it is a code or an alert.
Can shoppers sign in without a mobile number?
Yes. Sign-in by an email code and with Google work beside phone codes, each with its own switch in Settings → Shopper Accounts.
Why can't I change the SMS wording?
Indian rules let a business send only SMS that match a registered template, character for character; a message that differs is dropped by the operator. Mercayo keeps the templates and shows them in Localization read-only.
Why does the message say Rs instead of ₹?
The ₹ sign and other special characters turn an SMS into a longer, costlier kind of message. Writing Rs keeps each SMS to one part, at one price.
Will a shopper get both a WhatsApp and an SMS code?
Only if they ask. With WhatsApp first on, the code goes on WhatsApp; if it has not arrived after 30 seconds, the shopper can press SEND BY SMS. Each message sent is counted.
Related
Related Features
- COD Confirmation CodeShoppers confirm their mobile number with a 6-digit code before a cash on delivery order is placed, so orders with wrong numbers never happen.
- Notification CreditsYour plan's messages first, then a prepaid rupee balance: what each message costs, a full statement, low-balance alerts and a GST invoice per top-up.
- WhatsAppOrder updates, COD confirmation buttons, bag reminders, back-in-stock alerts and offers on WhatsApp, in your store's name, from Mercayo's number or your own.
- Order EmailsShoppers get order emails in your store's name and colours, from placed to delivered; you switch each on or off, preview it and change its words.
- Customer AccountsShoppers sign in with a one-time code by email or phone, or with Google, and find their orders, invoices, addresses and credit in one place.
More in Integrations: Razorpay · Shiprocket · Order Emails · WhatsApp · Google Sign-In · Ads Pixels and Analytics Tags
Try It on Your Own Store
Every feature is in every plan, free for 14 days.
