Birthday texts

How to Text a Customer on Their Birthday: 6 SMS Templates

A birthday is the one marketing date the customer chose for you. Most stores waste it on a generic coupon. These six texts start by asking for the date, then mark it with something that feels like a present, all within one segment.

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Collect the date by reply birthday text on an iPhoneCollect the date by reply birthday text on an Android phone Ask the date for iPhone and AndroidShow →
Before, on and after

Birthday SMS examples from the first ask to the final reminder

Collecting the date comes first, because nothing else works without it. Every card carries its timing and two lengths of copy, plus a phone preview you can flip from iPhone to Android.

Collect the date by reply birthday text on an iPhoneCollect the date by reply birthday text on an Android phone
No. 01 · Ask the date

Collect the date by reply

MarketingFashionTwo weeks after sign-up, once trust is there

You cannot celebrate a date you do not have. Asking by text, with the reward stated up front, gets far more answers than a form field nobody fills in.

Full SMS
MAREN: When's your birthday? Reply with the date as DD/MM and we'll send you something on the day. No year needed. Reply STOP to opt out
136 characters with sample values · GSM-7 · 1 segment

Personalise it →

A code that lasts the whole month birthday text on an iPhoneA code that lasts the whole month birthday text on an Android phone
No. 02 · Birthday code

A code that lasts the whole month

MarketingBeautyThe morning of the first day of their birthday month

A month-long window suits people who are busy on the day itself. The code is personal, so there is no reason to share it, and the deadline is natural.

Full SMS
LUMA: Happy birthday month, {{name}}! Take 20% off anything with {{code}}, valid until the last day of the month: luma.co/treat Reply STOP to opt out
148 characters with sample values · GSM-7 · 1 segment

Personalise it →

A free product in the birthday order birthday text on an iPhoneA free product in the birthday order birthday text on an Android phone
No. 03 · Free product

A free product in the birthday order

MarketingSupplementsOn the birthday itself

A physical gift feels more like a present than a percentage does. Adding it to the next order automatically means there is nothing to remember.

Full SMS
NORTHWELL: Happy birthday, {{name}}. Order anything this week and a steel shaker goes in the box, on us. No code needed: nwl.co/shop Reply STOP to opt out
152 characters with sample values · GSM-7 · 1 segment

Personalise it →

Delivery covered for the week birthday text on an iPhoneDelivery covered for the week birthday text on an Android phone
No. 04 · Free delivery

Delivery covered for the week

MarketingHomeThree days before the birthday

For bulky goods, delivery is the cost people notice most. Removing it for a week gives the shopper room to choose something larger.

Full SMS
ALDER & CO: Your birthday's coming up, {{name}}, so delivery is on us all week, even for the big pieces. Ends next Sunday: alder.co/gift Reply STOP to opt out
155 characters with sample values · GSM-7 · 1 segment

Personalise it →

The code is about to lapse birthday text on an iPhoneThe code is about to lapse birthday text on an Android phone
No. 05 · Last days

The code is about to lapse

MarketingFashionFour days before the birthday code expires

Birthday codes often go unspent because the month gets busy. One nudge near the end, with a specific product, is enough for most people who meant to use it.

Full SMS
MAREN: Your birthday code {{code}} has 4 days left. Our soft wool scarves make a good present to yourself: maren.co/scarves Reply STOP to opt out
147 characters with sample values · GSM-7 · 1 segment

Personalise it →

A heads-up the week before birthday text on an iPhoneA heads-up the week before birthday text on an Android phone
No. 06 · Heads-up

A heads-up the week before

MarketingBeautySeven days before the birthday

Telling someone a treat is coming builds anticipation, and gives them time to plan an order around it.

Full SMS
LUMA: Your birthday is next week, {{name}}, and your treat arrives by text on Monday. Start your wishlist now: luma.co/masks Reply STOP to opt out
141 characters with sample values · GSM-7 · 1 segment

Personalise it →

Message editor

Personalise the message and keep it short

Load one, add the customer's name and your own code, and see the text appear in the chat. The counter stays on top of the length, because a name can be the thing that tips a text into a second segment.

0 / 160 characters1 segment
  • Brand first
  • Mentions the occasion
  • Has STOP
  • Fits one segment
9:41
Text Message
Today 10:02
Text message
Tuesday 7 October9:41
Messages · now62418now

The birthday-month text as a notification on an iPhone lock screenThe same birthday text as a notification on an Android lock screen
On the day

A birthday text is read from the lock screen

Birthdays bring a flood of messages from friends. Yours lands among them, so the preview has to feel warm before it feels like a sale.

Greeting before the offer

'Happy birthday' belongs in the first words. A percentage in that spot reads as a promotion that happens to mention a birthday.

Use their first name

On this day of all days, a name is expected. Without it, the text sounds automated.

Keep the code personal

A code with their name in it is hard to share and easy to remember.

Do this

Five rules for texts on the big day

  • Never ask for the yearDay and month are enough. Asking for the year adds friction and data you do not need.
  • Send in the morningA text at 8 or 9am arrives with the first greetings of the day, not after them.
  • Give the whole monthA month-long window is kinder than a 24-hour code for people who are busy on the day.
  • Keep it out of the sale calendarA treat that coincides with a sitewide sale feels like nothing extra.
  • Consent still appliesThese offers are promotional: send them only where SMS marketing consent exists.

Make the big day count with Zefir

Zefir writes the date request and the celebration texts with you, sends each one on the right day over SMS or WhatsApp, and credits every resulting order to its text.

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$530M+in WhatsApp revenue attributed through Zefir
12 to 15%average gain in revenue per order
Questions

Birthday texts: the details

How do I collect dates of birth by SMS?

Ask by text with the reward stated, and accept a simple DD/MM reply without the year. Zefir sends the ask and the birthday text that follows it.

What time of day should it be sent?

In the morning, either on the day or when the birthday month begins if the offer runs all month. Zefir schedules each one in the customer's own time zone.

What makes a good offer for the occasion?

Something that feels like a present, such as a free product or free delivery, often lands better than a plain percentage. Zefir credits each order to the birthday text behind it, so offers can be compared.

Can these texts include a discount code?

Yes; a personal code built from the first name is hard to share and easy to remember. Zefir writes the code into each text for you.

Do birthday texts need consent?

Yes; the subscriber needs to have agreed to promotional texts first. Zefir checks the consent record and adds opt-out wording to every one of them.

Also on Zefir
ArticleWelcome SMS TemplatesThe first-week texts, where asking for the date often begins.ArticleSMS Marketing for Ecommerce: Still the Highest-ROI Channel in 2026Why personal moments work so well by text.ArticleWhatsApp Marketing for Ecommerce in 2026Marking customer moments on WhatsApp instead.