Personalize your SMS messages with contact attributes and automation data

Personalize your SMS with contact attributes and automation data to send tailored messages to your subscribers and customers. Include unique details for each contact, such as their first name or order total, and send a single SMS to multiple recipients while making the message feel personal.

Good to know

If you are using a Brevo plugin to send SMS messages directly from your website (rather than through Brevo's interface), the process may differ from the one described here. We recommend checking the help article specific to your plugin for detailed instructions.

How does SMS personalization work?

SMS personalization works by manually adding variables in your SMS content. These variables are then automatically replaced with information relevant to each recipient when the SMS is sent.

You can include two types of variables in your SMS messages:

👤 Personalize an SMS message with contact attributes

Use the contact attributes stored in your Brevo account to personalize your SMS messages. You can include details like your recipients' first and last names, birthdays, and more—any information saved in their contact attributes.

In what type of SMS messages can I use contact attribute variables?

Contact attribute variables can be used in:

How are contact attribute variables formatted?

Contact attribute variables are formatted using single curly brackets like this:

{ATTRIBUTE_NAME}

You should then replace ATTRIBUTE_NAME with the exact name of your contact attribute, matching the spelling and case as it appears on the Contact Attributes page.

For example, if the contact attribute for the first name of your contacts is FIRSTNAME, you should insert {FIRSTNAME} in your SMS content.

❗️ Important

If a contact attribute is empty for a recipient, the variable will be replaced with a blank space in the SMS message, as fallback text is currently not supported in SMS.

How to insert a contact attribute variable in an SMS message?

To insert a contact attribute variable in an SMS message:

  1. Create an SMS campaign or an automation that contains the Send an SMS step.
  2. In the content field, enter your contact attribute variable using single curly brackets like this: {ATTRIBUTE_NAME}. Replace ATTRIBUTE_NAME with the exact name of the contact attribute as it appears on the Contact Attributes page.
    SMS_attribute_EN-US.png

You have personalized your SMS with a contact attribute. When the SMS is sent, the variable will automatically be replaced with information relevant to each recipient.

SMS sent from Brevo SMS received by a recipient named John
SMS_contact-attribute-placeholder_EN-US.png SMS_contact-attribute-replaced_EN-US.png

⚡ Personalize an SMS message with automation data

❗️ Important

Only transactional SMS messages sent through an automation created in the new editor can be personalized with automation data. Ensure that the Brevo tracker is installed on your website to receive the events that trigger the automation.

Use automation data to personalize your transactional SMS messages. This data is gathered from the event that triggered the automation. For example, if your automation is triggered by an Order completed event (when a contact completes a purchase), you can include details like the recipient's order total in the SMS.

Here's an example of how it'd work for an automation that sends a transactional SMS when a contact completes a purchase:

sms_auto_ perso_ex_en-us.png

  1. A contact completes a purchase on your website.
  2. The Order created event and its associated data, such as the order total, are sent to Brevo.
  3. The automation is triggered by the event and the contact enters it.
  4. The contact progresses through the steps of your automation. When they reach the Send an SMS step, the variables in the SMS are replaced with data from the Order created event, and the SMS is sent to the contact.
  5. The contact receives the personalized SMS.

In what type of SMS messages can I use automation data variables?

Automation data variables can only be used in transactional SMS messages sent through an automation created in the new editor.

How are automation data variables formatted?

Automation data variables are formatted using double curly brackets like this:

{{params.parameterNAME}}

There are two types of automation data variables you can use to personalize your transactional SMS messages:

  • Default automation data variables
    These variables are available by default once the Brevo tracker is installed on your website and allow you to include basic cart information from eCommerce events in your SMS messages.
  • [Advanced] Custom automation data variables
    These variables can be used with custom events and allow you to include more advanced data from your own custom events in your SMS messages.

Use the tabs below to view more information about the default and custom automation data variables ⬇️.

Default automation data variables [Advanced] Custom automation data variables

Once the Brevo tracker is installed on your website, you can personalize transactional SMS messages using data from our default eCommerce events: Cart updated, Cart deleted, and Order created. When one of these events triggers an automation, the relevant data will be sent to Brevo, and the variables in your SMS will be replaced with the personalized data from that event.

You'll find the list of default automation data variables you can use to include basic cart information in your SMS messages in the table below ⬇️.

Cart data Corresponding variable
URL to view cart {{params.url}}
Subtotal {{params.subtotal}}
Subtotal, including tax, including discounts, excluding shipping {{params.subtotal_taxinc}}
Discount {{params.discount}}
Discount, including tax {{params.discount_taxinc}}
Shipping {{params.shipping}}
Shipping, including tax {{params.shipping_taxinc}}
Total before tax {{params.total_before_tax}}
Tax {{params.tax}}
Total {{params.total}}
Currency  {{params.currency}}
Date {{params.date}}
Affiliation {{params.affiliation}}

How to insert an automation data variable in an SMS message?

To insert an automation data variable in an SMS message:

  1. Using the new editor, create an automation that contains the Send an SMS step.
  2. In the content field, enter your automation data variable using double curly brackets like this: {{params.parameterNAME}}. Replace parameterNAME with the exact name of your event parameter, matching the spelling and case as passed via the API or as it appears in your event logs.
    💡 Good to know
    To view the list of available default automation data variables, check the Default automation data variables tab above.
    SMS_transac_attribute_EN-US.png

You have personalized your SMS message with automation data. When the SMS is sent, the variable will automatically be replaced with information relevant to each recipient.

SMS sent from Brevo SMS received by a recipient who made a $49.99 purchase
SMS_transac-variable_en-us.png SMS_transac-variable_FR.png

⏩ What's next?

🤔 Have a question?

If you have a question, feel free to contact our support team by creating a ticket from your account. If you don't have an account yet, you can contact us here.

If you’re looking for help with a project using Brevo, we can match you with the right certified Brevo expert partner.

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