The Right to Leave

Consent is not permanent. Customers can withdraw it anytime. Making this easy is not just polite—it is required.

Requirements for Opt-Out

Every marketing message must include:
  • Clear identification that it is from your business
  • Simple method to unsubscribe
  • Honoring of unsubscribe requests within a reasonable time (typically immediately to 24 hours)
Acceptable opt-out methods:
  • Reply “STOP” or “UNSUBSCRIBE”
  • Click a link in the message
  • Use a menu option (e.g., “Reply 3 to unsubscribe”)
  • Contact via email or phone with a request
Unacceptable practices:
  • Requiring a login to unsubscribe
  • Charging a fee to unsubscribe
  • Ignoring unsubscribe requests
  • Requiring an explanation for unsubscribing
  • Taking more than 48 hours to process

The Opt-Out Process

Step 1: Customer sends opt-out signal
Customer: “STOP”
Step 2: The system acknowledges immediately
“You have been unsubscribed from marketing messages. You will no longer receive promotions. You may still receive order updates if you have active orders. To resubscribe, reply START.”
Step 3: Update records
  • Mark the customer as unsubscribed from marketing
  • Ensure no marketing messages are sent
  • Maintain a record of the unsubscribe date and method
Step 4: Respect the decision
  • No further marketing messages
  • No guilt trips or re-subscription pressure
  • Continued service messages only if relevant to the active relationship

Re-Engaging Unsubscribed Customers

You may attempt to re-engage after a cooling-off period, but carefully:
Acceptable:
  • Send one message after 6+ months asking if they want to resubscribe
  • Include a clear value proposition for returning
  • Make re-subscription easy
Unacceptable:
  • Continue messaging after unsubscribe
  • Pretend the unsubscribe was an error
  • Use different numbers or channels to bypass opt-out
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