SMS and Email Merge Tags

Last updated: November 9, 2026

Merge tags let you personalise your SMS and email templates. When a message is sent, each tag is swapped for your customer's real details, such as their name or booking date.

The same merge tags work in both SMS templates and email templates, so you only need to learn them once.

How to type a merge tag

VenueSumo merge tags sit inside « » chevrons, for example «Booking.FirstName». They must be typed exactly as shown, including the chevrons and capital letters.

The easiest way is to copy a tag from the tables below and paste it into your template. To type the chevrons yourself:

Windows: hold Alt and type 0171 on the number pad for «, or 0187 for » (Num Lock must be on).
Mac: press Option + \ for «, or Option + Shift + \ for ».

How to add a merge tag to a template

Go to Settings > SMS Templates (or Settings > Email Templates).
Open the template you want to edit, or click New Template.
Paste the merge tag where you want the detail to appear.
Save the template.
Send a test to yourself to check the details pull through correctly.

Example

Hi «Booking.FirstName», your booking is confirmed for «Booking.BookingDateFormatted» at «Booking.StartTime». See you soon! Reply STOP to opt out.

Customer and booking details

Use these in Bookings templates.

Merge tag	What it shows
«Booking.FirstName»	Customer's first name
«Booking.LastName»	Customer's last name
«Booking.BookingNo»	Booking number
«Booking.BookingDateFormatted»	Booking date (short)
«Booking.BookingFullDateFormatted»	Booking date (full)
«Booking.StartTime»	Start time
«Booking.PartyFinishTime»	Party finish time
«Booking.TotalFormatted»	Booking total
«Booking.AmountPaidFormatted»	Amount paid
«Booking.BalanceFormatted»	Balance owing
«Booking.FinalDueDateFormatted»	Final payment due date
«Booking.AnswerObject.ChildsName»	Birthday child's name (from your booking questions)
«Booking.AnswerObject.Age»	Birthday child's age (from your booking questions)

Order and member details

Use these in Orders templates, or for membership messages.

Merge tag	What it shows
«Order.FirstName»	Customer's first name on the order
«Order.LastName»	Customer's last name on the order
«Member.FirstName»	Member's first name

Venue details

Merge tag	What it shows
«Facility.Name»	Name of the booked activity or facility
«Facility.Location.Phone»	Venue phone number
«Location.CompanyName»	Your business name
«Location.DirectionsUrl»	Link to directions to your venue
«Website.WebsiteUrl»	Your booking site address

Payments and waivers

Merge tag	What it shows
«PaymentUrl»	Link for the customer to pay
«PaymentAmountFormatted»	Amount to pay
«WaiverUrl»	Link for the customer to sign their waiver

Gift cards and vouchers

Merge tag	What it shows
«Voucher.VoucherCode»	Voucher code
«Voucher.Name»	Voucher name
«Voucher.VoucherAmountFormatted»	Voucher value
«Voucher.ExpiryDate:dd MMM yyyy»	Expiry date, shown like 15 Nov 2026. You can change the format after the colon

Tips

Copy and paste tags. A missing chevron, space or capital letter will stop the tag working, and your customer will see the tag text instead of their details.
Match the tag to the template type. Booking tags fill in on Bookings templates and order tags on Orders templates. If you use a booking tag in a Customers template, there's no booking to pull details from.
Allow for length in SMS. Tags are replaced with real details, which are often longer than you expect, especially links. Longer messages can be charged as more than one SMS, so keep templates short and test them.
Be careful with System templates. Some System templates include conditional logic such as {{#if ...}} that shows different text in different situations. Edit these with care, and contact support if you're unsure.
Always include opt-out wording on marketing messages. See Managing SMS Templates.

Need something more advanced, like showing different text for parties and general bookings? Contact support and we'll help you set it up.