Retail & e-commerce · Rwanda

SMS for retailers and online shops in Rwanda

Rwandan retailers use SMS for order updates, receipts and loyalty points, and for promotions that bring customers back. Retail is where RURA's rules bite hardest: promotional messages need consent, the source of the number and a free opt-out, and none can go out between 7pm and 7am.

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MTN, Airtel Delivery reports From RWF 21 per SMS

KGBASKETTransactional

Kigali Basket: order #{order} confirmed. Total RWF {amount}, paid by MoMo ref {ref}. Delivery today 2pm-5pm. Help: 0788 000 000

133 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Rwanda context

What makes retail & e-commerce messaging different in Rwanda

Article 15 of the RURA regulation bars commercial communications between 19:00 and 07:00 local time unless the recipient explicitly agreed. Evening flash sales are the most common way retailers break this rule.
Article 7 requires each commercial message to identify who authorised it, give accurate contact details and state where the recipient's data came from. A line such as 'You joined our loyalty club at Kigali Heights' covers the source.
Article 10 requires the opt-out statement to be given in at least two languages used in Rwanda, and the opt-out must be free. 'Opt out / Se desabonner' plus a link is one compact way to do it.
Card use is growing in Kigali, but MTN MoMo and Airtel Money merchant payments remain the default at many tills and online checkouts, so receipts should show the MoMo reference.

What to send

Messages retail & e-commerce teams in Rwanda send

Order confirmations and receipts

Confirm each online order with the order number, total in RWF and payment method. Receipts confirm a purchase, so they can be sent at any hour.

Delivery and pick-up updates

Tell customers when an order is packed, when the rider leaves and when it is ready for collection. Include the store or pick-up point and a contact number.

Loyalty points balances

After each purchase, send the points earned and the balance. A balance update relates to the customer's membership, which the regulation treats as account information.

Daytime promotions

Schedule promotions between 07:00 and 19:00 only, to customers who joined your list, with the list source and a bilingual opt-out link in the message. Use the dashboard's approval step so nothing goes out early.

Abandoned cart reminders

A reminder about items left in a cart is promotional. Send it only with consent, during the day, and stop as soon as the customer opts out.

Sample messages

Copy-ready templates for Rwanda

Character counts and segments are calculated with the same GSM-7 and Unicode rules used for billing. Replace the example brand and values with your own.

Order confirmation Transactional

Kigali Basket: order #{order} confirmed. Total RWF {amount}, paid by MoMo ref {ref}. Delivery today 2pm-5pm. Help: 0788 000 000

133 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Loyalty balance Transactional

Kigali Basket: you earned 120 points today. Balance 1,840 points = RWF 1,840 off your next shop. Thank you!

107 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Promotion, opted-in list Promotional

Kigali Basket: 15% off fresh produce this weekend. You joined our club at Kimihurura. Opt out/Se desabonner: kgbasket.rw/stop

125 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Offre promotionnelle Promotional French

Kigali Basket: -15% sur les fruits et legumes ce week-end. Inscrit a notre club a Kimihurura. Se desabonner/Opt out: kgbasket.rw/stop

133 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Rules that apply

Compliance for retail & e-commerce SMS in Rwanda

A practical summary with sources, not legal advice. Check the regulator's current text for edge cases.

Promotions must not be sent between 19:00 and 07:00 local time unless the customer explicitly agreed (RURA Article 15). Schedule campaigns in Kigali time and leave a margin for large lists.
Each promotional SMS must identify the sender, give contact details and state the source of the customer's number (Article 7), with a free opt-out given in at least two languages used in Rwanda (Articles 9 and 10).
Stop sending within 24 hours of an opt-out and confirm it to the customer (Articles 11 and 12). Adding the number to your eSMS opt-out list blocks further sends from your account.
Do not buy number lists or collect numbers with harvesting tools (Article 16). RURA can fine RWF 50,000 to 500,000 for unsolicited commercial communications (Article 28).

Across Rwanda

Telecom regulator: Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA)
Data protection: Law No 058/2021 on the protection of personal data and privacy, National Cyber Security Authority (NCSA)
Languages: Kinyarwanda, English, French, Kiswahili
Payments: MTN MoMo, Airtel Money

RURA Regulation No 001/R/STD-CMR/RURA/018 governs unsolicited commercial communications. Messages must identify who sent them and state the source of the recipient's data.
Every commercial message needs a free opt-out (stop, end, cancel, unsubscribe or quit). Sending must stop within 24 hours of an opt-out, and the opt-out must be confirmed.
No commercial communications between 19:00 and 07:00 local time unless the recipient explicitly agreed.
Under Law No 058/2021, people can object to direct marketing, and data controllers and processors must register with the NCSA.

Sender ID registration in Rwanda

Send it

From your system to MTN and Airtel in one call

1Create an account and copy a test key (esms_test_...) to try the integration without spending credit.
2Request your sender ID for Rwanda. Until it is approved you can send from the eSMS default sender.
3Call the send endpoint from your app, or upload a CSV in the dashboard with merge fields like {{name}}. Delivery reports arrive by webhook.

Need one-time codes? eSMS Verify generates, sends and checks them in two calls. Full reference in the API docs.

curl -X POST https://sms.esmsafrica.io/api/messages/send \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ESMS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "+250788123456",
    "text": "Kigali Basket: order #4471 confirmed. Total RWF 23,400. Delivery today 2pm-5pm.",
    "sender_id": "KGBASKET"
  }'

Live pricing

SMS pricing in Rwanda

Per-SMS rates for one segment, updated live. Pay as you go with no monthly minimum; volume rates apply automatically by monthly spend.

Basic

RWF21

per SMS· USD 0.0142

Monthly spend USD 1 - USD 1,000

Business

RWF16

per SMS· USD 0.0108

Monthly spend USD 1,001 - USD 4,999

Enterprise

RWF10

per SMS· USD 0.0068

Monthly spend USD 5,000+

Estimate a campaign with the SMS cost calculator or compare all countries in the Africa SMS pricing index.

FAQ

Retail & e-commerce SMS in Rwanda: common questions

What time can I send promotional SMS in Rwanda?

Between 07:00 and 19:00 local time. Article 15 of the RURA regulation bars commercial communications from 19:00 to 07:00 unless the recipient explicitly agreed or night delivery is part of the service description. Order confirmations and receipts are excluded from the rule, so they can go out at any hour.

Do I need to say where I got the customer's number?

Yes, for commercial messages. Article 7 of the RURA regulation requires the message to give identifying details of the source of the recipient's personal information. A short phrase such as 'You joined our club at Kimihurura' or 'You signed up at kgbasket.rw' is usually enough to cover it in one segment.

How do customers opt out if they cannot reply to our sender ID?

Standard A2P routes in Rwanda do not carry replies, so give a short link to an opt-out page, a phone number or a two-way number. When someone opts out, add them to your eSMS opt-out list and eSMS blocks future sends to that number from your account.

Can I send a promotion to every customer who ever bought from us?

Only if they agreed to receive marketing. A purchase gives you a basis for receipts and delivery updates, not for promotions. Under Law No 058/2021 customers can also object to direct marketing at any time, so ask for marketing consent separately at checkout.