SMS Requirements for Alcohol Brands

• Alcohol brands who partner with Postscript no longer have to worry about their SMS program being heavily filtered by carriers.
• As a Twilio-preferred SMS vendor, Postscript is able to quickly address any potential concerns that could arise as brands and carriers navigate Alcohol as a new vertical in promotional texting.

Alcohol brands that meet the following conditions are eligible for promotional SMS messaging:

• Located in the US and sending to US recipients.
• On Postscript’s Professional or Enterprise plans.
• Have basic age verification activated on their website (e.g. full site “are you 21+ Y/N?” prompt).
• Have in-thread robust (full birth date entry) SMS age verification activated (note: Postscript platform provides in-thread age verification feature to brands who meet the aforementioned criteria).
• Have SMS Double Opt-In and Keyword Double Opt-in enabled.

After entering their number into a collection form or going through Onsite Opt-in, the subscriber will receive the following age verification confirmed opt-in message on the mobile device that belongs to the phone number they entered:

Shop Name: Reply with your birthdate in the format YYYY-MM-DD to subscribe to automated promotional msgs (e.g. cart reminders). Msg & data rates may apply.

Once the subscriber replies with an eligible birthdate, they will receive the confirmation message below:

Shop Name: You're subscribed to {shop_name} - msgs powered by Postscript. Msg & data rates may apply. Msgs are recurring. Reply STOP to unsubscribe, HELP for help.

• If my products are primarily non-alcoholic, but I also sell a couple of alcoholic products, do I still need to adhere to these requirements? Carriers consider any merchant who sells alcohol (regardless of primary products) as an alcohol merchant and as such will be subject to the above requirements.
• Can we change the language in the age verification confirmed opt-in message (first message sent from shop to customer)? Because Postscript takes a product-led approach to compliance, we have carefully crafted the details and language of each of these messages in accordance with compliance best practices. To keep shops at the highest compliance standard, brands are unable to customize these messages.
• Once we’re approved for sending alcohol-related content, can we also start sending promotional messaging about other SHAFT-related products? Your brand is ONLY authorized to send messaging related to alcohol and other non-SHAFT related things. For example, you cannot be approved for alcohol messaging and use your SMS program to promote a CBD-infused drink. However, you can be approved for alcohol promotional messaging and use your SMS program to promote brand apparel.
• Can we be approved for promotional sending if our alcohol brand is outside of the US? Due to international (including Canadian) restrictions, sending promotional alcohol messaging outside of the US is not supported at this time. If you are interested in sending promotional alcohol messages outside of the U.S., please let us know, including the specific countries and amount of customers your shop has in each specified country.
• Is there still a chance we could be filtered? While there is still a chance that alcohol brands may experience filtering (consistent with all SMS categories), our team will work closely with you and our carrier partners to help you through an expedited escalation process.