Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
SMS and MMS marketing messages have a widely cited open rate of 98%.
The average open rate for email marketing is roughly 20%, compared to 98% for text marketing.
SMS marketing campaigns perform 7 times better than email campaigns in terms of engagement.
90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes of delivery.
It takes the average person 90 seconds to respond to a text message vs 90 minutes for an email.
60% of consumers read a text within 1 to 5 minutes of receiving it.
The average click-through rate (CTR) for standard SMS marketing is approximately 19%.
MMS messages (text with media) achieve a 15% higher click-through rate than standard SMS.
29% of targeted MMS marketing recipients click on links within the message.
58% of consumers say that receiving a text is the most effective way for brands to reach them quickly.
75% of consumers are OK with receiving SMS messages from brands (after opting in).
48% of consumers prefer direct communication from brands via SMS.
Mobile marketing can drive a 209% higher response rate than phone, Facebook, or email.
Retailers see a 25x ROI on average for SMS/MMS marketing campaigns.
E-commerce brands using SMS see approx $71 in revenue per recipient.
Consumer Preferences
- 158% of consumers say that receiving a text is the most effective way for brands to reach them quickly.
- 275% of consumers are OK with receiving SMS messages from brands (after opting in).
- 348% of consumers prefer direct communication from brands via SMS.
- 491% of consumers are interested in signing up for texts.
- 554% of consumers would like to receive marketing promotions via text message.
- 677% of consumers have a positive perception of companies that use text messaging.
- 764% of consumers think businesses should use SMS specifically for appointment reminders.
- 867% of people would rather text a business about appointments than call.
- 943% of consumers proactively text businesses.
- 1031% of consumers opt-in to SMS to receive order status updates.
- 1185% of consumers prefer receiving an SMS over a voice call or email.
- 1271% of people feel more secure when a business uses SMS for 2FA.
- 1360% of consumers unsubscribe from SMS due to "too many messages".
- 1430% of consumers will switch brands if they don't offer mobile-friendly communication.
- 1544.5% of consumers say they would prefer to receive order updates via SMS.
- 1672% of business professionals prefer texting to messaging apps.
- 1790% of leads would rather be texted than called.
- 1875% of people like to have offers sent to them via SMS.
- 1955% of consumers prefer SMS for appointment reminders vs email.
- 2069% of consumers appreciate getting texts with tracking numbers.
- 2189% of consumers say they would like to use two-way messaging with businesses.
- 2260% of customers want to be able to text back to support agents.
Interpretation
Since 58% say a text is the fastest way to reach them, brands that text smartly win—about nine in ten want to sign up and 85% prefer SMS over calls or email, roughly three quarters welcome marketing and view texting companies more positively, many want texts for appointments, order updates, tracking and 2FA, and nearly nine in ten want two-way messaging, but be careful: 60% will unsubscribe from too many messages and 30% will switch brands that aren't mobile-friendly.
Conversion & Click-Through Rates
- 1The average click-through rate (CTR) for standard SMS marketing is approximately 19%.
- 2MMS messages (text with media) achieve a 15% higher click-through rate than standard SMS.
- 329% of targeted MMS marketing recipients click on links within the message.
- 4Consumers redeem SMS-delivered coupons 10 times more than other types of coupons.
- 5Welcome series texts generate a 51.1% conversion rate on average.
- 6SMS conversion rates are 10-15% higher than email for the same campaigns.
- 7The click-through rate for entertainment-related MMS is statistically higher at 20%.
- 850% of US consumers make a purchase after receiving an advertising text.
- 9Click-through rates for retail SMS campaigns average 10.6%.
- 10Mobile offers are redeemed 10x more frequently than print offers.
- 11Texts with URLs have a CTR of 36% when branded with a custom domain.
- 12SMS drives a 14% conversion rate for fundraising campaigns.
- 1333% of SMS recipients react to a CTA (Call to Action).
- 14SMS generates a 30% to 50% conversion rate for opt-in confirmation flows.
- 15Click-through rates on SMS marketing messages are 9.18% higher than email generally.
- 16SMS marketing CTR outperforms Facebook ads by nearly 400%.
- 1732% of recipients respond to SMS offers.
- 18SMS coupons are 10 times more likely to be redeemed than mail coupons.
- 19CTR for SMS marketing campaigns is 19.3% on average annually.
- 2052% of consumers say they have made a purchase as a direct result of a text.
Interpretation
Taken together, these stats show that media rich MMS and well branded SMS act like a tiny, relentless sales team in every customer's pocket, generating industry leading click-through and conversion rates, vastly outperforming email, print and social, and turning links and coupons into purchases and donations with remarkable consistency.
Open Rates & Engagement
- 1SMS and MMS marketing messages have a widely cited open rate of 98%.
- 2The average open rate for email marketing is roughly 20%, compared to 98% for text marketing.
- 3SMS marketing campaigns perform 7 times better than email campaigns in terms of engagement.
- 4Adding an image (MMS) to a text message increases the likelihood of a share by 300%.
- 5Approximately 66% of consumers have subscribed to receive mobile messages from a brand.
- 6Text messages produce 6-8 times higher engagement rates than email.
- 780% of people use text messaging for business, driving high B2B engagement.
- 8The opt-out rate for SMS marketing campaigns is generally low, averaging less than 5%.
- 9SMS verification and transactional messages have an open rate near 99%.
- 10The average American checks their phone 96 times a day, increasing SMS visibility.
- 11The average churn rate for SMS programs is 1.4% to 3.7% per campaign.
- 1270% of employees think texting should be used for inter-office communication.
- 1353% of consumers say they check their text messages 11 or more times a day.
- 14The average open rate for non-profit SMS campaigns is 99%.
- 1583% of Millennials open SMS messages within 90 seconds.
- 1682% of people say they open every text message they receive.
- 17Adding emojis to SMS increases engagement by roughly 8%.
- 18Text messaging has a 98% open rate compared to 15-20% for email.
- 19Using a dedicated short code increases read rates by 5-10%.
- 20Read rates for SMS generally hold steady at 97-98% regardless of industry.
- 2180% of millennials say their phone is the first thing they check when they wake up.
Interpretation
The bottom line is that if you want your message to be seen, shared and acted on, move from the crowded inbox to the phone because SMS and MMS deliver near universal opens and far higher engagement than email, images and emojis dramatically boost sharing, opt-outs and churn stay low, and both consumers and employees habitually check and respond within minutes.
ROI & Revenue Impact
- 1Mobile marketing can drive a 209% higher response rate than phone, Facebook, or email.
- 2Retailers see a 25x ROI on average for SMS/MMS marketing campaigns.
- 3E-commerce brands using SMS see approx $71 in revenue per recipient.
- 445% of potential clients would choose a product or brand after receiving an SMS.
- 596% of marketers using text marketing say it helped them drive more revenue.
- 6Abandoned cart SMS reminders recover 33% of lost sales.
- 7Brands sending SMS messages see a 20% increase in customer lifetime value (CLV).
- 8Customers who receive SMS marketing messages are 40% more likely to convert than those who don't.
- 9Campaigns using MMS generally cost 3x more than SMS but drive 4x higher engagement.
- 1056% of support desks see higher customer satisfaction when using text messaging.
- 11Using SMS for customer service can reduce call volume by 20%.
- 1261% of marketers increased their SMS budgets in 2021.
- 13Real estate agents using SMS see a 100% increase in lead conversion.
- 14Sending text messages to leads can increase conversion gains by 112%.
- 15Black Friday SMS campaigns see a 2000% ROI on average.
- 16Customers receiving SMS messages have a 12% higher retention rate.
- 17AOV (Average Order Value) increases by 15-20% when using SMS marketing.
- 18Automated SMS workflows generate 29% of all SMS orders with only 2% of messages sent.
- 1965% of brands say SMS marketing is a "very significant" revenue generator.
- 20ROI for SMS averages 500% when used for re-engagement campaigns.
Interpretation
These stats prove that tiny texts pack a punch: with response rates up 209%, retailers earning 25 times their spend, Black Friday SMS returning 2000%, abandoned-cart reminders recovering a third of lost sales, MMS delivering four times the engagement despite costing three times as much, and broad gains across conversion, revenue, CLV, retention, and customer satisfaction, SMS and MMS marketing are the shockingly efficient backbone your brand can no longer afford to ignore.
Speed & Response Times
- 190% of text messages are read within 3 minutes of delivery.
- 2It takes the average person 90 seconds to respond to a text message vs 90 minutes for an email.
- 360% of consumers read a text within 1 to 5 minutes of receiving it.
- 4Response rates for SMS are 295% higher than telephone call response rates.
- 559% of people respond to a text message within 1-2 minutes.
- 634% of people read texts within 5 minutes of receipt solely to get rid of the notification.
- 7On average, it takes 3 clicks to convert a customer via SMS versus 4 via email.
- 880% of notifications on mobile screens are read immediately.
- 9SMS produces result 4 times faster than email regarding time-to-conversion.
- 10Flash sale texts are opened within 15 minutes by 67% of recipients.
- 11Consumers are 4.5x more likely to reply to an SMS than an email.
- 1262% of businesses report their fastest response times come from texting customers.
- 1319% of links in SMS messages are clicked within 60 seconds.
- 1495% of texts from businesses are read within 3 minutes.
- 15It takes an average of 90 seconds to respond to a text.
- 16SMS produces a 600% better response rate than email.
- 17Text messages are read on average in under 5 seconds.
Interpretation
Think of SMS as marketing's espresso shot, jolting customers into action: 90% of texts are read within three minutes, responses average about 90 seconds, and reply, click, and conversion rates are multiple times higher than email, delivering dramatically faster and more efficient ROI.
