Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
SMS open rates are as high as 98% compared to just 20% for emails
The average response time for a text message is 90 seconds
SMS marketing campaigns see a 45% response rate on average
75% of consumers want to receive offers via SMS
91% of consumers are interested in signing up for texts from brands
58% of consumers say text is the most effective way for businesses to reach them quickly
SMS marketing coupons are 10 times more likely to be redeemed than print coupons
Text messages can produce a 2000% ROI or more when executed correctly
29% of targeted customers respond to text messages with a purchase
SMS marketing click-through rates are 10-15% higher than email marketing typically
While email has a 20% open rate, SMS consistently hovers around 98%
It takes the average person 90 minutes to respond to an email but only 90 seconds to respond to a text
61% of marketers planned to increase their SMS marketing budgets in 2022 and beyond
39% of businesses use some form of text messaging to communicate with their customers
SMS marketing grew by 75% year-over-year in 2021 within ecommerce
Adoption & Growth Trends
- 161% of marketers planned to increase their SMS marketing budgets in 2022 and beyond
- 239% of businesses use some form of text messaging to communicate with their customers
- 3SMS marketing grew by 75% year-over-year in 2021 within ecommerce
- 43.5 billion people will use SMS messaging for business communications by 2025
- 5Mobile commerce sales are projected to reach $728 billion by 2025 driving SMS adoption
- 642% of millennials check their text messages 10 or more times per day prompting higher adoption
- 7B2B text messaging usage increased by 197% from 2015 to 2021
- 897% of companies found they communicated with consumers more efficiently after adopting texting
- 965% of brands say SMS is a "very significant" part of their marketing strategy
- 10The global Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS market size is expected to reach $72.8 billion by 2026
- 11Political SMS spending increased by 50% during the last major election cycle reflecting trend adoption
- 1253% of marketers currently use SMS as one of their top 3 revenue-generating channels
- 1388% of respondents in a survey said their use of SMS marketing has increased in the last 12 months
- 14The number of people opting into text messages from businesses is growing by 12% annually
- 1525% of marketers are integrating SMS with their loyalty programs for the first time this year
- 16Retail and e-commerce are the leading industries adopting SMS marketing at a 40% adoption rate
- 17By 2024 mobile devices will drive 73% of all ecommerce sales necessitating SMS usage
- 1841% of marketers used SMS marketing software in 2021 up from 30% in 2020
- 1980% of businesses plan to invest in conversational marketing tools like SMS in the coming year
- 20The number of business text messages sent daily is expected to double by 2025
Interpretation
As consumers check texts multiple times a day and businesses reap faster, more profitable interactions, SMS has surged from niche tactic to the new storefront in everyone's pocket, with accelerating adoption, rising budgets and billion-dollar market projections proving texting is now an essential channel for capturing the mobile commerce boom.
Channel Comparison
- 1SMS marketing click-through rates are 10-15% higher than email marketing typically
- 2While email has a 20% open rate, SMS consistently hovers around 98%
- 3It takes the average person 90 minutes to respond to an email but only 90 seconds to respond to a text
- 4SMS engagement rates are 6 to 8 times higher than email engagement rates
- 5Mobile offers are redeemed 10x more frequently than print offers
- 6Push notifications have a 60% lower open rate than SMS messages
- 7SMS produces engagement rates 6x to 8x higher than retailers achieve via email marketing
- 8Cost per acquisition (CPA) for SMS is often 50% lower than paid social media ads
- 980% of professionals currently use text messaging for business purposes compared to email alone
- 10Social media posts typically reach only 2% of followers while SMS reaches 100% of subscribers
- 11SMS outperforms email in speed of delivery with 90% of messages delivered in under 5 seconds
- 12While 33% of people ignore email offers, only 4% ignore SMS offers
- 13SMS marketing opt-out rates are significantly lower (under 5%) than email unsubscribe rates (up to 20%)
- 1419% of links in SMS are clicked compared to just 2% in emails
- 15Consumers check their phones 150 times a day making SMS more visible than desktop ads
- 16Omnichannel shoppers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only one channel (like just email)
- 17Direct mail response rates are 4.4% compared to SMS which results in 45%
- 18SMS has a higher deliverability rate (typically 99%+) than email marketing (around 80-90%)
- 19Apps are deleted by 70% of users within 30 days while SMS remains a permanent channel
- 20Facebook posts have an organic reach of roughly 5% versus SMS reach of effectively 100%
Interpretation
If your marketing strategy still treats SMS like a side hustle, these stats are a wake-up call: with near-universal delivery and visibility, near-instant responses, 6–8× higher engagement, dramatically higher click and redemption rates, far lower CPA and opt-outs, and far greater reach than email, social, push, print or apps, SMS turns attention into action faster and more reliably than any other channel.
Consumer Preferences
- 175% of consumers want to receive offers via SMS
- 291% of consumers are interested in signing up for texts from brands
- 358% of consumers say text is the most effective way for businesses to reach them quickly
- 454% of consumers want to receive marketing text messages, but only 11% of businesses send them
- 564% of consumers think businesses should use SMS messages to interact with them more often
- 667% of people would rather text with a business about appointments and scheduling than talk on the phone
- 748% of consumers prefer direct SMS updates from brands over email or app notifications
- 859% of users want communications like shipping notifications via text
- 977% of consumers have a positive perception of companies that use text messaging
- 1083% of millennials open SMS messages within 90 seconds, highlighting demographic preference
- 11Over 40% of consumers say they are likely to unsubscribe from SMS if messages are too frequent
- 1256% of people surveyed would rather text customer support than call them
- 1385% of mobile device users prefer a text from a business over a phone call
- 1460% of consumers want to be able to text businesses back for customer support
- 1536% of consumers are interested in paying a bill via text message
- 169 out of 10 consumers prefer to communicate with businesses via text message
- 17The primary reason 46% of consumers opt into text lists is to receive coupons or deals
- 1831% of consumers respond to SMS surveys, with an average response time of under 6 minutes
- 1968% of consumers would use SMS to check order status if given the option
- 2062% of consumers subscribe to SMS marketing to stay informed about their orders
Interpretation
Consumers overwhelmingly prefer and rapidly engage with SMS for offers, updates and support, so brands that still ignore texting are knocking on the wrong door while the keys to attention and loyalty sit in customers' pockets, but they must mind message frequency or risk mass unsubscribes.
Engagement & Open Rates
- 1SMS open rates are as high as 98% compared to just 20% for emails
- 2The average response time for a text message is 90 seconds
- 3SMS marketing campaigns see a 45% response rate on average
- 4Click-through rates for SMS marketing are typically between 19% and 36%
- 5About 95% of texts are read within 3 minutes of being sent
- 682% of people say they open every text message they receive
- 7Text messages have a 209% higher response rate than phone, email, or Facebook
- 8Almost 50% of campaigns are successful when SMS is used in conjunction with other channels
- 960% of consumers check their text messages within 1 to 5 minutes of arrival
- 101 in 3 consumers check their text notifications within one minute of receiving a text
- 11Verification SMS messages have the highest engagement rates of all text types
- 1270% of customers say that SMS is a good way for businesses to get their attention
- 13The opt-out rate for SMS marketing campaigns is generally less than 5%
- 14Welcome messages via SMS see an average click-through rate of 27%
- 15Over 50% of daily text messages are read just moments after they are received
- 1696% of marketers say their text marketing lists are growing or staying the same
- 17Consumers are 4.5x more likely to reply to an SMS than an email
- 1833% of recipients have reacted to a CTA (Call to Action) in an SMS text message
- 19Only 10% of SMS marketing messages are considered spam by consumers
- 2080% of people use text messaging for business, looking for quick answers
Interpretation
Think of SMS as the espresso shot of marketing because with nearly universal opens within minutes, response and click-through rates that dwarf email and social, low opt-out and spam perception, and clear lift when paired with other channels, it delivers fast, measurable customer engagement businesses can actually rely on.
ROI & Conversion
- 1SMS marketing coupons are 10 times more likely to be redeemed than print coupons
- 2Text messages can produce a 2000% ROI or more when executed correctly
- 329% of targeted customers respond to text messages with a purchase
- 4SMS marketing generates $71 for every $1 spent according to some platform data
- 5Text messaging has a 14% conversion rate for retail stores specifically
- 6Abandoned cart SMS reminders increase conversion rates by over 20%
- 716% of consumers have made a purchase directly from a text message link
- 8Stores that use SMS marketing see up to 26% more profit per customer than those that do not
- 9Text marketing campaigns drive 6-8 times higher engagement rates for retailers than email marketing
- 1050% of US consumers make direct purchases after receiving a branded SMS text
- 11Using SMS in the sales process can increase conversion gains by over 100%
- 12Beauty brands see an average of 18% revenue per recipient on SMS campaigns
- 13SMS subscribers have a 25% higher customer lifetime value (LTV) than non-subscribers
- 14Real estate agents using SMS see a 30-40% increase in lead conversion
- 15Automated SMS flows generate 2500% more revenue per recipient than one-off campaigns
- 16Brands sending 3-4 text messages per month see the highest conversion rates
- 17Including a discount code in SMS increases conversion probability by 50%
- 1823% of consumers seek products they have seen in mobile text ads
- 19Companies using SMS for sales support reduce their sales cycle by 20%
- 20Click-to-buy SMS campaigns have a 12% average conversion rate
Interpretation
SMS marketing is the savvy, politely persistent salesperson of digital commerce, because a few well-timed texts each month cost little but generate far higher engagement, conversions, lifetime value and profit per customer, shorten sales cycles and can deliver returns measured in the hundreds or even thousands of percent.
