Flowhub Text-to-Order lets customers place pickup orders by texting your store's dedicated phone number. In this article, we'll guide you through getting Text-to-Order set up, understanding where customers find it, and using the dashboard to track results.
​
Please note that a Flowhub Ecommerce subscription is required to use this feature.

Contact Flowhub at help@flowhub.com to request access to Text-to-Order. The Flowhub team will enable the feature for the store and assign a dedicated texting number.

Please note:

• Text-to-Order requires Flowhub Ecommerce. Before getting started, make sure you have enabled Ecommerce.

• Orders placed by text are pickup orders, paid in cash at the store.

• Customers must confirm they are 21 or older before any order is placed.

• Employees need Ecommerce permissions to access the Text-to-Order dashboard (see Enable Ecommerce for assigning permissions).

Once enabled, a Text-to-Order tab appears when you select Ecommerce from the left navigation, and the store's texting number is advertised automatically across the online menu.

Once Text-to-Order is live, the store's texting number appears automatically in these locations. There is nothing to configure:

Online Menu header (desktop) — A Text-to-Order button with the store's number appears at the top of the online menu. It hides once a customer adds items to their cart.

Empty cart — When a customer opens an empty cart, a Prefer to text your order? link appears with the store's texting number.

Menu footer and store details — The texting number is listed alongside the store's address and contact information.

Mobile — A floating Text-to-Order button appears at the bottom of the screen and tucks away while the customer scrolls the menu.

Receipts (optional) — Print a scannable Text-to-Order QR code on every sale receipt so in-store customers can text their next order. See the Print the Text-to-Order Number on Receipts section below to enable this.

Selecting any of these opens the customer's messaging app with the store's number ready to go.

Customers text the store number and the assistant handles the rest in a natural conversation:

💡 Tip: The assistant describes products by attributes like strain type, flavor, and potency. It never makes medical or therapeutic claims, and it never places an order without a quoted subtotal and clear confirmation from the customer.

Customers can reply STOP at any time to stop all texts (and START to opt back in). Opt-outs are honored immediately, including any scheduled follow-ups.

The dashboard displays how texting is performing for the selected date range:

• Orders placed, Revenue, Conversion rate, and Avg order value for text orders

• Conversations — how many customers texted in

• Carts recovered by follow-up — orders saved by the idle-cart follow-up text (see below)

• A Trends chart of conversations, orders, and revenue over time

• A Conversion funnel from first text through Bot engaged, Browsed, Cart started, and Ordered

• Top products ordered by text

• Customers — new customers, repeat orderers, and personalization coverage

• A Conversations list with turn counts, outcomes (Ordered, Cart abandoned, Browsed, No engagement), and order totals

💡 Tip: Customer phone numbers are masked for privacy — only the last four digits are shown in the Conversations list.

The store's Text-to-Order number is displayed at the top of the dashboard. Select Configure next to it to open the settings panel.

A scannable QR code and the store's texting number will print at the bottom of every sale receipt. Scanning the QR code opens a new text to the store — a convenient way to turn in-store customers into repeat text orders.

Turn on the idle-cart follow-up to have the assistant check in once when a customer builds a cart by text but goes quiet.

💡 Tip: The assistant sends at most one follow-up per cart, and skips it entirely if the customer already ordered, emptied their cart, or opted out. If the customer texted in within the last few minutes, the follow-up waits so it never interrupts an active conversation. If the store is closed when the follow-up comes due, it waits and sends after the store reopens. This behavior is based on the store hours set in your ecomm settings.

Recovered orders are counted in the Carts recovered by follow-up card on the dashboard.

Note: The idle-cart follow-up is off by default. Confirm it fits your state's messaging rules before turning it on.

Add the Text-to-Order number to your Google Business Profile so customers can find it from search. Flowhub cannot manage your Google listing, and a profile displays only one phone number.

Is Text-to-Order available to all dispensaries automatically?

• No. Access must be requested by contacting Flowhub at help@flowhub.com. Once approved, the Flowhub team enables the feature and assigns the store's texting number.

Do customers need to download anything?

• No. Text-to-Order works in the customer's regular messaging app. There is no app to install and no account to create.

How are text orders paid?

• Orders placed by text are pickup orders, paid in cash at the store.

Which inventory does the assistant sell from?

• The same inventory as the Ecommerce menu. Pricing, deals, and availability always match the online menu.

Can a customer under 21 order by text?

• No. The assistant requires a date of birth before placing any order and refuses orders for anyone under 21.

What happens if a customer texts STOP?

• All texting to that customer stops immediately, including scheduled follow-ups. The customer receives a confirmation. Replying START opts them back in.

Can I turn parts of it off?

• Yes. Receipt printing and the idle-cart follow-up are independent toggles in the Configure panel, and Flowhub can disable Text-to-Order for the store entirely on request.

Where do text orders appear?

• In the same order queue as other Ecommerce orders. Fulfillment works exactly the same way.

You did it! 🙌

Text-to-Order is live for the store. Customers can now browse, build a cart, and place pickup orders over text, and the Text-to-Order dashboard shows every conversation, order, and recovered cart along the way.