2026: How Schools and Retailers Can Use SMS & WhatsApp During One of the Busiest Seasons of the Year
Back-to-school season creates a unique communications challenge for Saudi schools, retailers, e-commerce businesses and service providers.
The published general education calendar lists August 23, 2026 as the start of the 1448–1449 academic year, making August a critical period for organizations preparing their communication campaigns and operational workflows.
Schools need to update parents. Retailers need to manage increased demand. E-commerce platforms need to send verification codes, order confirmations and delivery updates.
The challenge is not simply sending more messages.
It is delivering the right message, through the right channel, at the right moment.
Why Back-to-School Communication Gets Complicated
For a school, communication may start weeks before the first day.
Parents may need information about attendance, schedules, transportation, registration or important school instructions.
Retailers face a different journey. Customers are browsing school supplies, placing orders, signing into apps, verifying accounts and waiting for deliveries.
When these messages are managed manually or without audience segmentation, communications can quickly become fragmented.
How Schools Can Use SMS and WhatsApp
Send Important Notifications by SMS
SMS works well for short and direct updates that require immediate attention.
For example:
“Reminder: The new school year begins this Sunday. Please review the school instructions sent to parents.”
The objective is not to include every detail in one message. It is to make the key information easy to receive and understand.
Use WhatsApp for Richer Communication
Some communications require a richer, conversational environment.
WhatsApp Business Platform supports several message categories, including marketing, utility, authentication and service messages.
This makes it possible for organizations to structure communication according to the purpose of each message while following WhatsApp requirements and policies.
Send OTP Messages
Schools, universities and education platforms may also require identity verification when a student or parent signs into an online portal.
An OTP delivered through SMS can support this process and can be triggered automatically from the organization’s application.
Connect Messaging to Existing Systems
The biggest operational improvement comes when employees do not need to manually send every notification.
Using an SMS API, organizations can connect messaging to applications, CRM platforms, ERP systems and internal tools.
OurSMS supports API and SMPP integrations designed to connect messaging services with business systems and applications.
How Retailers Can Use Messaging During Back-to-School Season
Back-to-school is also a major commercial period for stationery stores, electronics retailers, fashion businesses, school uniform suppliers and e-commerce platforms.
Messaging can support customers throughout the buying journey.
Before the Purchase
Retailers can communicate seasonal offers to customers who are eligible to receive marketing communications.
A simple SMS might say:
“Get ready for the new school year. Explore our back-to-school offers before the season ends.”
WhatsApp marketing messages can also support promotions when used according to the platform’s applicable policies.
During the Purchase
An OTP may be required for account verification or another step inside the retailer’s application.
After the Purchase
Communication should not end when the customer checks out.
Businesses can send:
- Order confirmations.
- Order preparation updates.
- Shipping notifications.
- Delivery status updates.
Meta describes utility messages as messages typically connected to user actions, including orders, payments and delivery updates.
SMS or WhatsApp? Use the Channel That Fits the Message
Businesses often approach messaging with the question:
Should we use SMS or WhatsApp?
A better question is:
Which channel best fits this specific communication?
SMS is effective for concise, direct notifications.
WhatsApp can support richer and more interactive communication.
The two channels can therefore complement each other instead of competing for the same role.
Back-to-School Messaging Best Practices
Start planning before demand peaks. Segment audiences instead of sending one message to everyone. Make every message useful and relevant. Connect messaging to business events through APIs wherever possible.
Timing and frequency also matter. Meta’s current WhatsApp guidance recommends planning around important seasonal moments while monitoring message frequency to avoid overloading users with promotional communications.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest mistake is treating back-to-school communication as nothing more than a discount campaign.
A delivery notification, OTP or important school reminder may provide significantly more immediate value to the recipient than another promotional message.
Businesses operating in Saudi Arabia should also consider applicable messaging regulations. The Communications, Space & Technology Commission maintains regulations aimed at limiting spam communications and provides mechanisms for users to report unwanted SMS messages.
Preparing with OurSMS
OurSMS provides business messaging solutions including SMS, SMS API, OTP and WhatsApp Business API, together with integration capabilities, campaign management and reporting.
According to the company profile, OurSMS has more than 15 years of messaging experience in Saudi Arabia, has served more than 10,000 customers and has processed more than one billion messages through its platform.
During a fast-moving period such as back-to-school season, the goal should not be to send the highest possible number of messages.
It should be to make every important message reach the right audience at the right time.
Preparing for Back to School 2026? Explore OurSMS SMS API, WhatsApp Business API and OTP solutions, or contact our team to discuss the right messaging setup for your organization.