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Now that's called bait and switch...
One day it's 40 degrees F and sunny, the last patches of snow are disappearing, and we're sighing with relief at the end of our brutal cold snap.
The next day, our phones erupt in "Blizzard Warning! State of Emergency!" and the streets are blanketed in 12+ inches of wet, heavy snow, our car is buried, and all the kids are home again building snowmen and tracking snow through the house and leaving wet coats and hats all over the place.
Not fair, Mr. Winter. Not fair.
Bait and switch is just mean and trust-destroying.
That's why I can't figure out this new shtick I've noticed on multiple ecom websites lately.
They offer you a discount for subscribing to emails.
You enter your email...
And suddenly you're hit with, "Finish signing up with text to activate 20% off".
I'm sorry? Didn't you tell me that if I sign up for EMAIL I get the code? What's all this trickery?
This tactic isn’t just annoying.
It’s actively REPELLING subscribers.
Research from Baymard Institute consistently shows that every extra step in a form increases abandonment. And I don't even need that study to know this - I see it in my own behavior. I have zero interest in SMS notifications, so I don't finish the opt-in if it requires my SMS number.
Email → phone → legal consent for SMS → verification code?
You just turned a low-friction opt-in into a mini checkout process.
You will lose people.
And worse - you’ll lose trust.
If your opt-in pop-up says “Enter your email for 20% off,” and that’s not actually true, you’ve eroded brand equity before the user even had a chance to get to know you.
Yes, SMS is powerful.
Yes, it has higher open rates.
Yes, it drives urgency.
But it’s also more regulated (hello TCPA), more complaint-sensitive, and more likely to trigger frustration if it feels forced.
There’s a smarter play:
• Deliver the discount you promised via email.
• Warm up the customer with a GOOD welcome sequence that builds trust and lets them get to know your brand
• THEN position SMS as an upgrade - “Want early access?”, “Want restock alerts?”, "Want free shipping?"
Now it’s voluntary, transparent and builds goodwill instead of resentment.
SMS should feel like VIP access.
Not a bait-and-switch gatekeeper.
So - don't try to kill two birds with one stone.
Unless you want your subscribers to feel about your brand the way I feel about Winter Storm Hernando.
Gotta go unbury the car,
Chavy