The Center for Data Innovation spoke with Adam Turner, co-founder and CEO of Postscript, an Arizona-based software provider that helps online retailers build stronger customer relationships through SMS marketing powered by real-time data and AI. Turner discussed how Postscript’s approach helps businesses tailor communications to individual needs and deliver more relevant offers to consumers.
Martin Makaryan: What inspired you to co-found Postscript?
Adam Turner: Before Postscript, I became interested in e-commerce and in my previous roles, I noticed the growing need for stronger, more personalized relationships between brands and their customers, especially as email was becoming less effective over time. Around the same time, a friend running a Shopify store asked for help to have better outreach to his customers using SMS texts. That sparked the idea for Postscript. We realized mobile-first communication was the future, as more people preferred sharing their phone numbers over their email. Today, we empower 20,000 merchants—from small startups to major brands—to engage meaningfully with their customers through SMS, helping them build relationships through data-driven tools and AI.
Makaryan: How does Postscript’s approach to mobile marketing differ from traditional methods?
Turner: At its core, Postscript uses marketing automation to help merchants target the right customers at the right time. We sync real-time Shopify data to help marketers create personalized messages—for example, we analyze abandoned carts based on what consumers left in them and make targeted recommendations based on those items. But we have gone beyond traditional automation. SMS is a rich conversational channel, and we have leveraged that to gather what we call “zero-party data”—direct insights from customer conversations with chatbots. This allows merchants to better understand why customers shop, their preferences, and even emotional triggers. For example, customers may share that they are buying a gift for a friend, which is far more insightful than just knowing their browsing history. This focus on real-time data and two-way communication has been a game-changer.
Makaryan: How do you use AI?
Turner: AI plays a central role in both outbound and inbound messaging. On the marketing side, we have developed our own tools like one called Infinity Testing, which uses generative AI to create and test hundreds of message variations based on a brand’s voice and tone. This tool not only boosts revenue but also uncovers new audience insights—for instance in one case, the tool helped our client find that mentioning dogs in company messaging resonated with a brand’s audience and increased conversions. On the conversational side, we have built an AI-powered agent that can handle customer inquiries when they are not satisfied. Initially, we used real salespeople to have conversations with customers, learning why they did not purchase and addressing their concerns. Those interactions helped us train our AI agent to replicate this experience at scale, turning missed opportunities into sales.
Makaryan: What challenges do online retailers face in adopting data-driven marketing strategies?
Turner: One major challenge is the sheer scale of modern marketing. Merchants might have millions of customers on their lists but lack the tools to develop unique relationships with each person. Traditional segmentation only goes so far; merchants are still sending broad messages to thousands of people. Postscript solves this issue with AI-driven personalization. Merchants set their goals, and the AI assistant tailors messages for each individual customer based on their journey. For example, a recent purchaser might receive a thank-you note, while a lapsed customer might get a special offer. This kind of one-to-one communication, which AI enables at scale, allows merchants to connect with customers more meaningfully without overwhelming resources.
Makaryan: What is your vision for the future of Postscript?
Turner: Our vision extends beyond Shopify to broader retail and multi-platform environments. We are exploring richer communication channels like rich communication services, a mobile protocol that allows us to send voice notes, and other interactive features. I believe that storytelling and relationship-building will be key to the future of retail and that brands will have to transition from one-way email newsletters to true conversations with their customers. AI will play a pivotal role in scaling these conversational relationships, enabling brands to build trust and personalize interactions like never before. Postscript is at the forefront of this shift, helping merchants embrace a more conversational, data-driven future.