Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
SMS messages have a 98% open rate compared to 20% for email
90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of being received
The average response time for a text message is 90 seconds compared to 90 minutes for email
75% of consumers want to receive offers via SMS
58% of consumers say texting is the most effective way for businesses to reach them quickly
48% of consumers prefer direct communication from brands via SMS marketing
SMS marketing coupons are 10 times more likely to be redeemed than print coupons
29% of targeted SMS marketing recipients make a purchase
SMS campaigns yield a 209% higher response rate than phone, email, or Facebook
80% of business professionals use text messaging for business purposes
Sales prospects that receive a text message during the qualification process conversion is 40% higher
39% of businesses use SMS to schedule appointments with clients
The global A2P (Application-to-Person) SMS market size is valued at over $62 billion
Spending on mobile messaging marketing is projected to reach $70 billion by 2024
61% of marketers planned to increase their SMS marketing budgets in 2023
B2B & Customer Service
- 180% of business professionals use text messaging for business purposes
- 2Sales prospects that receive a text message during the qualification process conversion is 40% higher
- 339% of businesses use SMS to schedule appointments with clients
- 468% of businesses use some form of texting to communicate with their employees
- 5Customer satisfaction scores (CSAT) are 25% higher for support interactions via text
- 6Costs of customer service interactions are reduced by 50% when engaged via SMS chat versus voice
- 770% of employees think organizations should use text messaging for internal communication
- 8Field service agents using SMS are 20% more efficient in job completion
- 933% of B2B buyers want the option to text sales reps during the buying journey
- 1061% of call centers plan to offer SMS support in the near future to reduce call volume
- 11SMS reduces "phone tag" with clients by 80%
- 12Recruitment agencies using SMS for job alerts fill positions 2 days faster on average
- 1340% of insurance claims are now updated or managed partially via text messaging
- 1489% of customers resent having to repeat themselves, which persistent SMS history solves in B2B service
- 1524% of businesses use SMS for delivery tracking updates
- 16B2B Decision makers are 10% more likely to respond to a cold text than a cold email
- 17Schools using SMS for emergency alerts reach 99% of parents within 10 minutes
- 1853% of billing departments use SMS to collect late payments successfully
- 19Response rates for B2B surveys sent via SMS are 20 points higher than email-based surveys
- 20Event organizers using SMS for logistics reduce attendee questions by 40%
Interpretation
If your business isn't texting, it's leaving money on read, because SMS has become a business lingua franca that boosts conversions and satisfaction, slashes support costs and phone tag, speeds scheduling, hiring and field work, strengthens internal communication and collections, and delivers urgent alerts and updates far faster and more reliably than email or voice.
Consumer Preferences & Behavior
- 175% of consumers want to receive offers via SMS
- 258% of consumers say texting is the most effective way for businesses to reach them quickly
- 348% of consumers prefer direct communication from brands via SMS marketing
- 464% of consumers think businesses should use SMS messages to interact with them more often
- 554% of consumers would like to receive marketing promotions via text message
- 667% of people would rather text with a business about appointments than talk on the phone
- 791% of consumers are interested in signing up for texts from brands
- 859% of users say a user-friendly unsubscribe process is critical for them to opt-in initially
- 9Consumers check their phones an average of 96 times a day
- 1077% of consumers have a positive perception of a company that offers text messaging
- 1160% of customers prefer to text support over waiting on hold
- 1243% of consumers text businesses proactively to ask questions about products
- 1355% of consumers have redeemed a coupon code received via SMS
- 1485% of mobile device users prefer a central inbox for all brand communications via SMS
- 1533% of consumers cite "too many messages" as the primary reason for opting out
- 16Millennial consumers are 40% more likely to react to SMS marketing than Baby Boomers
- 1770% of consumers willingly share their phone numbers for loyalty program points
- 1856% of people would rather message a customer service rep than call a helpline
- 19Consumers are 4.5x more likely to reply to an SMS than an email
- 2080% of people feel uneasy leaving their home without their mobile phone, making them constantly reachable
Interpretation
SMS isn't a nice-to-have but the communications channel consumers actively crave, with most people wanting offers by text, 91% willing to sign up, phones checked 96 times a day and users 4.5 times more likely to reply than by email, so brands that send concise, relevant messages, make unsubscribing easy, avoid over-messaging and centralize texts will win faster replies, more redemptions, better support interactions and stronger loyalty, especially since Millennials respond 40% more than Boomers.
Effectiveness & ROI
- 1SMS marketing coupons are 10 times more likely to be redeemed than print coupons
- 229% of targeted SMS marketing recipients make a purchase
- 3SMS campaigns yield a 209% higher response rate than phone, email, or Facebook
- 4Companies using SMS marketing often see a 500% ROI or higher when executed correctly
- 5Sending text reminders increases appointment attendance by over 50%
- 616% of abandoned carts are recovered via SMS marketing
- 7SMS marketing drives revenue for 73% of businesses that use it
- 8Text messages can increase conversion rates by up to 328% when used after initial contact
- 9The cost per lead for SMS marketing is generally 40% lower than other digital channels
- 10Retargeting via SMS resulted in a 48% increase in repeat purchases for retail brands
- 11Luxury brands see a 20% higher conversion on high-ticket items via personal SMS concierge
- 12Mobile offers are redeemed 10x more frequently than paper offers
- 1332% of recipients react to offers via SMS within minutes of receiving them
- 14Adding SMS to an email marketing workflow increases email open rates by 20-30%
- 15Real estate agents using SMS close deals 10-15% faster than those who do not
- 16E-commerce stores using SMS marketing see a 12-15% increase in annual revenue
- 17Financial institutions using SMS for fraud alerts save millions annually by stopping theft instantly
- 18Non-profits see a 25% increase in donations when implementing text-to-donate campaigns
- 19SMS marketing generates $71 for every dollar spent for top-tier performers
- 2050% of US consumers make direct purchases after receiving a branded text
Interpretation
Short message, big impact: these stats show that timely, personal texts turn fleeting attention into faster sales, recovered carts, higher appointment attendance and donations, stronger conversions and massive ROI, making SMS marketing one of the sharpest tools a brand can use.
Open Rates & Engagement
- 1SMS messages have a 98% open rate compared to 20% for email
- 290% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of being received
- 3The average response time for a text message is 90 seconds compared to 90 minutes for email
- 4SMS marketing campaigns generate a 45% response rate
- 5The click-through rate (CTR) for SMS marketing is approximately 19%
- 682% of text messages are read within 5 minutes
- 7SMS verification codes have a 95% completion rate
- 8Welcome text messages have an open rate of roughly 98.5%
- 975% of consumers are OK with receiving SMS messages from brands assuming they opted in
- 10Text messages produce 6 to 8 times higher engagement rates than email marketing
- 11SMS engagement rates are 10-15 times higher than Facebook and Twitter posts
- 12Only 10% of SMS marketing messages are considered spam by consumers compared to nearly 50% of emails
- 1360% of consumers read business texts within 1 to 5 minutes of receipt
- 14Nearly 30% of SMS marketing recipients click on a link within the message
- 15Messages with emojis have a 15% higher conversion, but readability can vary
- 1696% of marketers rated the speed of SMS delivery as a major benefit
- 17Personalizing SMS content improves the click-through rates by up to 30%
- 18Abandoned cart SMS reminders typically see a 30-45% open rate
- 19Texts sent during business hours have a 20% higher response rate than off-hours
- 20Push notifications have a 7% lower open rate on average compared to SMS
Interpretation
If you want customers to actually see, click and respond fast, SMS is the wake-up call that works: near-universal opens within minutes, lightning-quick replies, click and engagement rates many times higher than email or social, low spam perception, and reliable boosts from personalization, timing, emojis and verification or welcome texts that almost always get completed or opened.
Trends & Market Growth
- 1The global A2P (Application-to-Person) SMS market size is valued at over $62 billion
- 2Spending on mobile messaging marketing is projected to reach $70 billion by 2024
- 361% of marketers planned to increase their SMS marketing budgets in 2023
- 4RCS (Rich Communication Services) is expected to grow to a $50 billion market by 2025
- 53.5 billion people worldwide have access to SMS capabilities, which is 65% of the population
- 6There is a projected 20% year-over-year growth in adoption of SMS for medical alerts
- 753% of marketers currently use SMS in their omnichannel strategy
- 8SMS Marketing software market is growing at a CAGR of 20.3%
- 9By 2025, 80% of customer service organizations will abandon native mobile apps in favor of messaging
- 10Political ad spending on peer-to-peer texting increased by 500% in the last major cycle
- 11AI-driven text messaging is predicted to handle 40% of all mobile interactions by 2025
- 1265% of brands say SMS is their fastest-growing marketing channel
- 13The volume of business text messages sent daily is expected to reach 3.5 trillion by the end of year
- 14Multi-factor authentication (MFA) via SMS is used by 90% of organizations despite security trends
- 1540% of fast-food chains now prioritize SMS ordering over dedicated apps
- 16Retailers using geolocation SMS triggers (geofencing) are projected to double in 3 years
- 1754% of marketers say privacy regulations (TCPA/GDPR) are the biggest barrier to SMS scaling
- 18Cross-channel messaging (SMS + Social) campaigns are up 50% in adoption
- 1992% of smartphones are now RCS-enabled, paving the way for advanced messaging
- 20The number of businesses adopting 10DLC (10 Digit Long Code) increased by 300% recently
Interpretation
If you think texting is quaint, think again: with 3.5 billion people reachable by SMS, a $62+ billion A2P market pushing mobile messaging spend toward $70 billion, RCS set to be a $50 billion opportunity by 2025, marketers flooding budgets, AI and 10DLC scaling fast, apps being abandoned for messaging, political peer-to-peer texting exploding, and SMS powering everything from medical alerts to fast-food ordering and MFA despite privacy concerns, the humble text has become the strategic backbone of modern customer engagement.
