Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
SMS open rates are reported to be as high as 98%
90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of being received
The average click-through rate (CTR) for SMS marketing is 19%
91% of consumers are interested in signing up for texts from brands
58% of consumers say texting is the most effective way for businesses to reach them quickly
75% of consumers are okay with receiving SMS messages from brands after they’ve opted in
Driven by SMS, mobile commerce sales are projected to reach $728 billion by 2025
Abandoned cart text messages generate a 29% conversion rate
Brands using SMS see a 20%+ increase in overall revenue
SMS has a 209% higher response rate than phone, email, or Facebook
The average open rate for email is 20%, while SMS consistently hits 98%
Consumers are 4.5x more likely to reply to an SMS than an email
Global spending on A2P (Application-to-Person) SMS is expected to result in $46 billion by 2024
61% of marketers planned to increase their SMS marketing budgets in 2023
The number of people who can send and receive text messages is predicted to rise to 5.9 billion by 2025
Channel Comparison
- 1SMS has a 209% higher response rate than phone, email, or Facebook
- 2The average open rate for email is 20%, while SMS consistently hits 98%
- 3Consumers are 4.5x more likely to reply to an SMS than an email
- 4Running SMS and Email campaigns together increases conversion likelihood by 48%
- 5SMS produces 6-8x higher engagement rates than email marketing
- 6Paid search ads have an average CTR of 1.91% compared to 19% for SMS
- 7Facebook ads have an average CTR of 0.90% compared to SMS at 19%
- 8Push notifications have a 7% reaction rate versus 29% for SMS
- 9Cost per acquisition (CPA) is often lower on SMS retargeting than social media retargeting
- 10Only 21% of emails are opened within the first hour compared to ~80% of texts
- 11Text messages are 10x more effective than newspaper advertising for reach
- 12While email is preferred for long-form content 66% prefer SMS for time-sensitive alerts
- 13Omni-channel shoppers (using SMS, Email, Social) have a 30% higher lifetime value
- 14SMS outperforms organic social media reach by 500%+
- 15Direct mail has a response rate of 4.4% compared to 45% for SMS
- 1629% of marketers use SMS compared to 95% using email showing less saturation in SMS
- 17SMS unsubscription rates are generally lower (<5%) than email list churn
- 18Social media posts are seen by less than 2% of followers while SMS reaches 98% of the list
- 19Integrating SMS with email workflows improves email open rates by 2-3%
- 20Combining display ads with SMS retargeting boosts brand recall by 40%
Interpretation
If marketing channels had a popularity vote, SMS would win by a landslide, achieving near‑universal opens, about 4.5 times more replies, six to eight times the engagement of email, vastly higher CTRs than search or social, lower acquisition costs and churn, far greater reach than organic posts or direct mail, and when paired with email or display it reliably boosts conversions, brand recall and lifetime value.
Consumer Preferences
- 191% of consumers are interested in signing up for texts from brands
- 258% of consumers say texting is the most effective way for businesses to reach them quickly
- 375% of consumers are okay with receiving SMS messages from brands after they’ve opted in
- 464% of consumers think businesses should use SMS more often to communicate with them
- 554% of consumers would like to receive marketing promotions via text message
- 660% of consumers want to be able to text businesses back for customer support
- 767% of people would rather text with a business about appointments than talk on the phone
- 848% of consumers prefer SMS for loyalty program updates
- 9Over 50% of consumers make a purchase after receiving a text marketing message
- 1077% of consumers have a positive perception of companies that use text messaging
- 1185% of consumers prefer receiving an SMS over a voice call or email
- 1231% of consumers opt into SMS marketing to stay in the loop on orders
- 1366% of consumers identify "updates on shipping" as their most desired SMS category
- 1444% of consumers are willing to provide personal details in exchange for a coupon via SMS
- 1556% of people would rather message a customer service rep than call them
- 1680% of people use text messaging for business purposes
- 1718-34 year olds are the most likely demographic to opt-in for texts from brands
- 1871% of consumers feel more secure when a brand uses SMS for two-factor authentication
- 19Consumers are 2x more likely to prefer SMS over email for urgent notifications
- 20Only 10% of consumers find brand SMS messages "annoying" if they provide value
Interpretation
Treat SMS like a pocket-sized concierge: with 91% ready to opt in, strong preference for texts over calls or email for urgent updates and appointments, high receptiveness to promos and loyalty updates, proven purchase lift and positive brand perception, plus demand for two-way support and authentication, texting is the fast, trusted, and low-annoyance channel e-commerce brands ignore at their peril.
Conversion & Sales
- 1Driven by SMS, mobile commerce sales are projected to reach $728 billion by 2025
- 2Abandoned cart text messages generate a 29% conversion rate
- 3Brands using SMS see a 20%+ increase in overall revenue
- 4The average revenue per recipient (RPR) for a text message campaign is $1.05
- 5SMS marketing campaigns deliver a 2000%+ ROI for top-performing brands
- 6Adding SMS to an abandoned cart workflow can increase revenue per recipient by 20%
- 7Automated SMS flows generate 25x the ROI of one-off campaigns
- 896% of marketers experimenting with SMS said it drove revenue
- 9Customers who receive SMS marketing messages have a 12% higher lifetime value (LTV)
- 10SMS coupons are redeemed 8 times more often than email coupons
- 11Text messages contribute to a 40% higher conversion rate effectively than other channels
- 12Businesses can see a $500 return for every $1 spent on SMS marketing (in specific high-ticket niches)
- 13Sending 3 or more SMS messages post-purchase increases repeat purchase rates by 20%
- 1432% of recipients respond to SMS offers
- 15Real estate businesses convert leads 100% higher when using SMS
- 16Black Friday SMS campaigns see purchase rates 3.5x higher than average days
- 1716% of total e-commerce revenue comes from SMS for optimized brands
- 18Back-in-stock SMS alerts have a 15% conversion rate
- 19Replenishment SMS reminders have an average conversion rate of 18%
- 20Cross-sell via SMS drives 3.4% of total SMS-attributed revenue despite low volume
Interpretation
Think of SMS as ecommerce's secret espresso: it's propelling mobile commerce toward $728 billion by 2025, turning 29% of abandoned carts into purchases, lifting brand revenue by 20 percent or more while delivering thousands of percent in ROI for top performers, driving far higher coupon redemptions and response rates than email, and reliably increasing lifetime value, repeat buys and overall revenue contribution when automated into the customer journey.
Engagement Metrics
- 1SMS open rates are reported to be as high as 98%
- 290% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of being received
- 3The average click-through rate (CTR) for SMS marketing is 19%
- 4SMS marketing campaigns generate a 45% response rate
- 5It takes the average person 90 seconds to respond to a text message
- 6Click-through rates for e-commerce SMS campaigns can reach up to 36%
- 782% of people say they open every text message they receive
- 8Welcome series SMS messages see an average click rate of 28.6%
- 9Offers sent via SMS have a 10x higher coupon redemption rate than print coupons
- 1070% of customers say that SMS is a good way for businesses to get their attention
- 11E-commerce brands see a 24.6% click-through rate on birthday SMS messages
- 12Flash sale text messages have an average click-through rate of 22%
- 1362% of consumers subscribe to SMS marketing to get messages about deals and huge discounts
- 1459% of users want their SMS communications to be just a few sentences long
- 1543% of consumers text businesses proactively to ask questions about products
- 16SMS verification codes have an open rate of nearly 99%
- 1733% of SMS recipients react to a CTA (Call to Action) in the message
- 18Retailers engaging via SMS see a 34% increase in customer retention
- 19Abandoned cart SMS reminders typically get a 30% click rate
- 20SMS engagement rates are 6 to 8 times higher than email engagement rates
Interpretation
SMS is basically the marketing equivalent of someone tapping customers on the shoulder and getting them to act, with open rates near 98% and most messages read and replied to within minutes; CTRs commonly sit between about 19% and 36% (30% for abandoned carts and strong results for welcome, birthday, and flash-sale texts), response and coupon-redemption rates far outpace print and email, and short, deal-focused messages reliably drive conversions and retention.
Market Trends
- 1Global spending on A2P (Application-to-Person) SMS is expected to result in $46 billion by 2024
- 261% of marketers planned to increase their SMS marketing budgets in 2023
- 3The number of people who can send and receive text messages is predicted to rise to 5.9 billion by 2025
- 439% of businesses use text messaging to communicate with consumers
- 5B2B marketers utilizing SMS grew by 15% in the last 2 years
- 6E-commerce SMS volume increased by 378% year-over-year in 2021
- 754% of marketers utilize SMS as a retention channel rather than just acquisition
- 842% of millennials check their text messages 10 or more times per day
- 9Use of AI in SMS copywriting is expected to reduce campaign creation time by 40%
- 10Mobile traffic now accounts for 72.9% of all e-commerce sales
- 11The volume of promotional SMS sent on Black Friday increased by 196% over 2 years
- 1268% of businesses use some form of texting automation in their strategy
- 13SMS marketing software market size is projected to reach $12.6 billion by 2025
- 1480% of business professionals currently use text messaging for business purposes
- 1553% of marketers rank SMS as a top 3 revenue-driving channel
- 16Adoption of Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) in marketing grew 20% year-over-year
- 1770% of consumers expect a mobile-friendly experience when clicking an SMS link
- 1827% of marketers report SMS is now a standalone channel in their budget
- 19Regulatory compliance (TCPA) spending in SMS marketing has increased by 15% due to stricter rules
- 20Over 33% of marketers are now using SMS to solicit product reviews
Interpretation
Texting has graduated from casual chatter to boardroom strategy, with global A2P spend headed for $46 billion, e-commerce SMS volume surging nearly 400 percent, and billions more people able to text by 2025, so marketers are treating SMS as a standalone, mobile-first, AI-accelerated retention and automation channel that drives revenue, solicits reviews, expands B2B use, adopts MMS, and increases compliance spending to navigate stricter rules.
