The Commercial Message Consent Process

Sending a customer an e-mail, a campaign SMS or an announcement over WhatsApp looks simple at first glance. Behind those messages, though, lies something most companies do not take seriously enough: the recipient's consent. Commercial electronic messages in Türkiye are now bound by strict rules, and at the centre of those rules sits the concept of explicit consent.

So how do these consent processes actually work? Here is the short version.

No message reaches its recipient without consent: every channel passes through the same consent check before sending.

Consent Comes Before Sending

The most basic rule is this: before you send anyone a message for commercial purposes, you must have obtained that person's consent. This consent is not something vague, assumed to exist because it probably does. It must be clear what subject the person has agreed to receive messages about, and through which channel — e-mail, SMS or a phone call.

What is more, the burden of proving that consent was obtained rests entirely with the sender. Saying "we did get consent" is not enough; you have to be able to show when, how and within what scope it was given. This is the point at which many companies are caught unprepared.

The Message Management System (İYS) Is the Heart of It

The Message Management System sits at the centre of consent management in Türkiye. Registering the consents you obtain with this system is mandatory. A consent that is not entered into the system is treated, in practice, as invalid.

What this means is that before sending a campaign, you have to check whether the recipient stands as consented or refused in that system. A person can withdraw consent at any time, and you are obliged to respect that choice. In short, consent is not a one-off transaction but a live process that has to be followed continuously.

The İYS cycle: consent is obtained, registered with the system, and its current state is queried again before every send.

Each Channel Works Its Own Way

On the e-mail side, consent is usually collected through a form or during sign-up. The most important point here is that the consent box must not be pre-ticked. The choice has to be the user's own. Every e-mail you send must also carry an option that lets the person leave the list easily.

The situation on the SMS side is similar. When consent is obtained, the purpose the messages will serve must be stated clearly, and every message must offer a way to say "no more".

On the WhatsApp side things have another layer. You have to comply both with local legislation and with the platform's own rules. It is essential that users know, when they share their number, that they will receive messages through this channel, and that they can stop that communication whenever they wish.

What About Informational Messages?

Informational messages that carry no commercial purpose — shipment tracking, appointment reminders, balance notifications — are assessed outside these rules. The widespread belief that consent is required for every message is therefore not quite accurate. What matters is the nature of the message: if it contains promotion or marketing, consent is compulsory.

Following All This by Hand Is Hard

Collecting consents, recording them, processing refusal requests, running checks before sending — handling all of it manually takes time and raises the risk of error. Missing even a single step can create serious liability for your company.

At Arca Yazılım we have approached this subject carefully from the start. By adding İYS integrations to the software products we develop, we have made consent management a natural part of our clients' everyday workflow. Who can be sent a message, whose consent is on record and who has requested to opt out can all be followed through your own system, so keeping the process compliant takes no separate effort.

If you want to manage your consent processes with confidence and put your communications on solid ground, we recommend looking at the solutions Arca Yazılım offers. We are here to build you a structure that is both compliant with the legislation and easier to work with.

For detailed information about your consent processes you can reach us on 0312 256 72 78, and for our İYS integration solutions you can visit www.arcayazilim.com.