Guide

SMS marketing for Australian salons: consent, timing and the Spam Act

SMS is the most effective channel a salon has for follow-up, and also the one with the clearest legal requirements. Here's what to get right before sending a single text.

The Spam Act basics

The Spam Act 2003 (Cth) governs commercial electronic messages in Australia, and SMS is covered by it the same as email. Three things are required: consent before sending, clear identification of the business sending the message, and a functional way for the recipient to opt out. Getting any one of these wrong is a compliance problem, not just a best-practice miss.

What counts as consent

Consent can be express, a client explicitly agreeing to receive messages, or inferred from an existing business relationship in some circumstances. It should never be assumed just because a phone number was collected for booking purposes. When in doubt, treat it as something to obtain clearly rather than infer.

Identification and opt-out are not optional

Every message should make it clear which business is sending it, and every message needs a working way to opt out, most commonly a reply of STOP. Once a client opts out, they should never receive another message from that channel again.

Timing and quiet hours

There is no single legislated cutoff time in the Spam Act itself, but sending texts late at night or very early in the morning is poor practice and increases the chance of a complaint. A reasonable default is contacting clients within normal waking hours, the same courtesy you would want extended to you.

Why SMS works for salons

ACMA’s 2024-25 telecommunications report found 96% of Australian adults used text messaging in the six months to June 2025. For time-sensitive messages like appointment reminders and reactivation follow-ups, SMS is read and replied to far faster than email or app notifications, which is why it is the primary channel for salon follow-up.

Building compliance into the system, not a checklist

The safest way to stay compliant is to have these rules enforced automatically rather than relying on staff to remember them for every message. Rebook enforces STOP requests, quiet hours and consent in its messaging pipeline directly, so compliance is the default rather than something to double-check.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need consent before sending marketing texts in Australia?

Yes. The Spam Act 2003 requires consent before sending commercial electronic messages, including SMS. Consent can be inferred from an existing client relationship in some cases, but it must be genuine, not assumed from a phone number alone.

What has to be included in a marketing text?

The message needs to clearly identify the sending business and include a functional way to opt out, such as replying STOP. Both are requirements under the Spam Act, not optional extras.

What counts as a reasonable time to send SMS?

There is no single legal cutoff, but good practice is avoiding late evening and early morning hours, generally texting within normal waking hours the way you would want to be contacted yourself.

Why is SMS a good channel for salons specifically?

ACMA's 2024-25 telecommunications report found 96% of Australian adults used text messaging in the six months to June 2025, and SMS is read far faster than email, which matters for time-sensitive things like appointment reminders.

What happens if a client replies STOP?

That client should be excluded from further messages immediately and permanently. Treating this as a hard rule, enforced automatically rather than manually, avoids accidental non-compliance.