Food delivery: multiply your sales with SMS marketing

The food delivery market is booming and shows no signs of slowing down, particularly thanks to SMS. You can’t walk down the street without spotting delivery riders on bicycles, scooters, or in cars. Countless providers have emerged, covering every type of cuisine. Many restaurants also offer their own delivery service.

This new consumption model meets the new expectations of consumers, who are looking for new culinary experiences and ways to save time — something sought by workers during their lunch break, as well as by the population at large. This convenient service has now become firmly embedded in everyday habits.

SMS is establishing itself as a key tool for optimizing food delivery to homes and offices, whether for improving organization, promoting offers, or building customer loyalty.

Table of Contents

Improve your organization
Promote your special offers
Build customer loyalty
FAQ: SMS marketing for food delivery

Improve your organization

To avoid the oversights and misunderstandings that hurt restaurants, customers, and delivery platforms alike, use SMS! With confirmation or reminder texts sent at a time of your choosing, you can improve your organization and communication with customers. It also reassures them: between paying for their order and receiving it, they may wonder whether the restaurant got the order, whether a delivery rider has been assigned, what time their food will arrive — all of these uncertainties can be resolved with SMS confirmations.

SMS also lets you send your delivery partners all the information they need (address, door code, time, specific customer requests). With the ability to include short URLs, you can also send them maps (e.g. Google Maps), traffic information (e.g. Waze), or alerts in case of last-minute changes.

Large companies like Uber Eats or Deliveroo also use SMS to inform their riders of fare variations due to weather conditions or peak demand, as well as safety measures (in case of rain or black ice, for example). Even on a smaller scale, SMS remains a valuable asset for your internal communications with your delivery drivers.

Our tip: Automate SMS sending for urgent orders or address changes to save time and avoid human error. You can use Zapier, Make, or HubSpot, all of which are compatible with SMS Partner.

Examples of food delivery SMS confirmations

1. “Your order has been confirmed”
2. “Your order is being prepared”
3. “Your delivery rider is heading to our restaurant”
4. “Your delivery rider is on their way to your address”
5. “Your order has been delivered! Share your feedback: [link]”

Promote your special offers

As in any market — especially one as competitive as the restaurant industry — it’s important to innovate and spark interest among your customers. This might mean a new dish on your menu, a new restaurant partner for a delivery platform, or a price promotion at a restaurant. In any case, you’ll need to communicate these offers to the public to encourage them to take advantage!

With its 95% open rate, SMS is a fundamental asset for your external communications. It pairs perfectly with email marketing or even a voice campaign — a channel that is still largely unexplored and can help you stand out from the competition. SMS is valued for its immediacy and the fact that it’s read within minutes of being received. Perfect for short-lived offers where customers need to make a quick decision.

Personalization

Maximize the impact of your SMS marketing campaigns by using personalization. By leveraging your customer data (first name, order history, preferences, birthday…), you can send tailored commercial offers that resonate with each recipient. Customers are more likely to respond to a message that is directly addressed to them and includes personal information.

Examples of personalized promotional SMS messages:

• Favorite dishes: “Hi [First Name], your favorite dish — the four-cheese pizza — is 15% off this weekend! Order now: [link].”
• Birthdays: “Happy birthday, [First Name]! To celebrate, here’s a 20% promo code for your next order: BDAY20. Valid until [date].”
• Re-engagement after inactivity: “Miss us? Here’s a little gift to welcome you back: 10% off your next order with the code WELCOME10.”

Automation

Automation lets you send SMS messages at the perfect moment, without any manual input, and optimize your sales during slow periods. Our Make, Zapier, and HubSpot integrations allow you to schedule SMS scenarios based on your customers’ behavior — for example, after a purchase, after a period of inactivity, or on a customer’s birthday.

Examples of automated SMS messages:

• Slow periods: “Feeling hungry? Enjoy 10% off all orders placed between 2pm and 4pm today! Code: SLOW10.”
• Abandoned cart reminder: “Your cart is waiting! Complete your order within the next 2 hours and get free delivery with the code FREESHIP.”
• Flash promotion: “⚡ Flash deal: 25% off burgers tonight only! Order before 8pm with the code BURGER25.”

Build customer loyalty

The growth of the home food delivery market stems from the ever-increasing expectations of customers. If they’re not satisfied, the level of competition among restaurants means you can’t afford to fall short.

Loyalty

A simple gesture of appreciation can make all the difference when it comes to retaining customers. These small touches show your customers that they matter to you, which encourages them to come back. Remember: it costs up to 22 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one (Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, 2025), so don’t hold back when it comes to keeping customers. Another interesting statistic: 89% of customers say they are more loyal to a brand when it offers a better experience than its competitors (Medallia State of Brand Loyalty).

On our SMS Partner platform, you can also send satisfaction surveys or thank-you messages to your customers, to strengthen that relationship.

Examples of loyalty SMS messages:

• Post-order thank you: “Thank you for your order, [First Name]! We hope you enjoyed your meal. Here’s a 10% discount code for your next order: THANKS10.”
• Birthday offer: “Happy birthday, [First Name]! To celebrate, here’s a gift: 15% off your next order with the code BDAY15.”
• Loyalty program: “Congratulations, you’ve placed 5 orders! Here’s a 20% voucher for your next delivery: LOYAL20.”

Segmentation

For effective communication, you absolutely need to segment your customer base based on the information you hold, their behavior, and their habits. Tailoring your messages increases the relevance of your SMS campaigns, which improves open and conversion rates. A regular customer will appreciate having their loyalty recognized, while an inactive customer will need an incentive to order again.

Examples of customer segments:

• Regular customers: Those who order at least once a week or month. Send them exclusive offers: “Thank you for your loyalty! Here’s a 15% promo code for your next order: LOYAL15.”
• Occasional customers: Those who order from time to time. Encourage them to return with a targeted offer: “We’d love to see you again! Here’s 10% off your next order: RETURN10.”
• Inactive customers: Those who haven’t ordered in more than 3 months. Re-engage them with a special offer: “Miss us? Here’s a 20% voucher to welcome you back: WELCOME20.”

Feedback management

SMS is perfect for collecting reviews and resolving issues quickly, which improves customer satisfaction and strengthens your brand reputation. Customer feedback helps you identify what’s working well and what needs improvement in your service, whether that’s delivery or your products. Moreover, resolving a problem quickly can turn a bad customer experience into a loyalty-building opportunity. Take good care of your customers, and they’ll return the favor!

Examples of feedback SMS messages:

• Review request: “We hope you enjoyed your meal! Take 2 minutes to share your feedback by clicking here: [link].”
• Problem resolution: “We noticed a delay with your delivery. We apologize for the inconvenience. Reply to this SMS for an immediate solution or a discount voucher.”
• Post-delivery follow-up: “Your order has been delivered. Did everything go smoothly? Let us know by replying with a number from 1 (⭐) to 5 (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐).”

Start integrating SMS marketing into your strategy today to optimize your food deliveries, improve the customer experience, and boost your sales. Try an SMS campaign today and measure its impact on your business! 20 SMS messages are included free with your first sign-up on SMS Partner.