30 Latest SMS Marketing Statistics For 2024
When you hear the term digital marketing, you probably think of email campaigns and business blogs, and social media strategies.
These channels are go-to options for marketers and businesses, however, they’re not the only options available.
SMS marketing is an effective, and somewhat underutilized way to reach your subscribers and build customer relationships.
Keen to learn more? We’ve got you covered.
In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the latest SMS marketing statistics, facts, and trends, to help you learn more about the SMS industry, and the potential it holds for marketers.
Editor’s top picks – SMS marketing statistics
These are our most interesting statistics about SMS marketing:
- Almost 50 million people worldwide are opted-in to receive SMS messages for businesses. (Source: TextLocal)
- 66% of consumers prefer mobile messaging, or consider it their second choice of communication. (Source: Simple Texting)
- SMS marketing can have ROI rates as high as $8.11 per message. (Source: Postscript)
General SMS marketing statistics
SMS marketing is a growing industry, and many people don’t know much about it. Here are some general facts and SMS marketing statistics that will give you a better idea about the state of SMS marketing this year.
1. Almost 40% of businesses engage in SMS marketing
Although SMS marketing is growing in popularity, it’s still relatively underutilized by businesses. In comparison to email marketing and social media, SMS marketing is a less popular, but potentially more effective option. Currently, only around 39% of businesses include SMS in their digital marketing strategies.
Source: ZipWhip
2. Almost 50 million people worldwide are opted-in to receive SMS messages for businesses
Despite businesses being slow on the uptake of SMS marketing, consumers seem extremely open to the idea of interacting with businesses via text message. At present, almost 50 million consumers are already opted-in to receive text messages from businesses and companies that they have interacted with, and this number is expected to keep growing.
Source: TextLocal
3. 70% of consumers think that SMS is a good way for businesses to grab their attention
If you’re looking to peak the interest of your subscriber base, and your email campaigns aren’t doing the trick, SMS could be the way to go.
According to a statistic published by LearnHub, 70% of people report that text messages are one of the best ways to grab their attention. People are extremely engaged with text messaging, making it a great way to get your messages across.
Source: LearnHub
4. ¼ of businesses are currently using SMS for marketing and promotions…
SMS services are used in a variety of ways by businesses to stay in touch with their customers. Some of the most common uses for text messaging was scheduling appointments and customer service or support.
However, more and more businesses are starting to use SMS for marketing purposes too. According to a 2021 ZipWhip study, around 25% of businesses are currently using text messaging for marketing and promotions.
Source: ZipWhip 2021
5. … and 22% are using SMS for inbound and outbound sales
In addition to marketing and promotions, businesses are also using text messaging to help with their sales efforts. The same ZipWhip study found that 22% of businesses used text messaging for inbound and outbound sales purposes. Some less common uses for SMS included recruitment and staffing and mobile payments and donations.
Source: ZipWhip 2021
6. 31% of people would like more options when it comes to communicating with businesses
As the world is changing and technology becomes a bigger part of everyday life, consumers are keen to use every tool at their disposal to make contacting businesses easier and more convenient.
A Learn Hub study found that 31% of people would like more ways to communicate with businesses. With that in mind, marketing strategies that include multiple channels like email, social media, and SMS are becoming more popular.
Source: Learn Hub
7. 66% of consumers prefer mobile messaging, or consider it their second choice of communication
Consumers also find mobile messaging, including SMS and social media-based instant messaging to be a convenient way to get in touch with businesses. 60% of people reported that mobile messaging was their preferred method of communication or their second choice after email or telephone.
Source: Simple Texting
8. 1 in 2 people believe business messaging is the modern way to communicate
If you’re keen to stay on the cutting edge of marketing trends, SMS may be the right option for you. SMS marketing and communication are seen as the trendy and new way to contact customers, and around 50% of consumers feel that business messaging is one of the most modern ways to communicate.
Source: Facebook
9. 33% of people that receive a CTA by text act on it…
Although SMS marketing still has relatively low adoption rates, the figures relating to conversion rates and effectiveness look promising. According to a study by Learn Hub, around 1/3 of people act on CTA’s that are sent to them via text message.
Source: LearnHub
10. … and 47% end up making a purchase as a result
In addition to that, almost 1/3 of that 33% go on to make a purchase based on the text they received. With the right strategy and clear CTA’s, SMS marketing could lead to a huge boost in sales.
Source: LearnHub
SMS marketing engagement statistics
Want to know more about how consumers feel about interacting with businesses via text? Here are some statistics that shed some light on engagement and consumer opinions about SMS marketing.
11. 58% of consumers said texting is the most effective way to reach them quickly
If you have a time-sensitive offer to share or a limited-time promotion, SMS marketing could be the best way to share it with your customers. Unlike emails that can go unread for long periods of time, text messages reach people fast. In fact, almost 60% report that text messaging is the most effective way to meet them quickly.
Source: ZipWhip 2021
12. Text messages have open rates of almost 100%…
One of the main benefits of SMS marketing is the super high open rates. Most people open every text they receive, regardless of where it came from. A study by Gartner found that text messages have as much as a 98% open rate on average.
Source: Gartner
13. … and 45% response rates
In addition to this, text messages also have a super high response rate. The same Gartner study found that response rates for text messages can be as high as 45%. These rates are significantly higher than email marketing. Open and response rates for emails are around 20% and 6% respectively.
Source: Gartner
14. 40% of consumers check text notifications within 5 minutes of them being received
When running an SMS marketing campaign, you can expect to see the results of your efforts pretty quickly. 40% of mobile users check their text notifications within 5 minutes of them being received.
In fact, 18.7% of people will check their notifications less than 1 minute after they’re received. That means that you can get your message to your customers almost instantaneously, and this can lead to a fast uptick in conversions and sales.
Source: Simple Texting
15. 35% of consumers are most open to receiving special offers, promotions, and sales information via text
In a study conducted by Simple Texting, consumers were asked which topics they were most open to receiving text messages about from businesses.
35% of respondents said that they were most open to marketing messages such as information about sales, special offers, and promotions. This was the 4th most popular response, behind topics such as order and shipment tracking, and scheduling reminders.
Source: Simple Texting
16. 32% of consumers believe that having the option to text businesses back is useful…
The Simple Texting survey also found that people are keen to do more than just receive texts from businesses, they’d also like the ability to respond to businesses via text. 32% of people believe this would be a useful feature, and a further 26% of respondents said that a two-way texting option would be ‘highly useful’.
Source: Simple Texting
17. … and 60.8% of consumers would like the ability to text businesses about customers service queries
Respondents were also asked about what sort of topics they were most likely to text businesses about. The most popular answer was for customer service and support, with over 60% of people choosing this answer. 16.3% of people said that they would like the ability to text businesses regarding sales and promotions.
Source: Simple Texting
18. 49.1% said that flash sales or promotions would motivate them to opt-in to texts from businesses
When contacting customers via text it’s important that you have their permission. However, encouraging people to opt-in to your texting service may be easier than you think.
48.1% of people told Simple Texting that offers and promotions would motivate them to opt-in to business texts. That means that building your SMS contact list could be as simple as giving your customers a coupon or discount.
Source: Simple Texting
19. Almost 50% of people are most likely to opt-in to text messages from e-commerce and retail businesses
If you’re running an e-commerce business or retail store, then it’s well worth considering SMS marketing. Simple Texting found that 45.5% of people are most likely to opt-in to text messages from e-commerce and retail businesses.
This was the most popular answer given by respondents. Other industries that people were interested in receiving texts from included healthcare businesses and banking and finance institutions.
Source: Simple Texting
20. 29% of consumers said a text about ‘a great discount on a product or service’ was the most valuable business text they’ve received this year
People are keen to receive texts about marketing and promotions and a study by ZipWhip found that some people believe these are the most valuable type of texts you can receive from businesses.
Almost 30% of people said a text about a great discount on a product or service was the most valuable message they’d received from a business. This was the 3rd most popular response, behind reminders of an appointment, and updates about shipping and delivery.
Source: ZipWhip 2021
SMS marketing effectiveness and revenue statistics
Wondering whether SMS marketing is worth the investment? Here are some SMS marketing statistics relating to how effective this channel can be, and how much ROI you can expect.
21. 60.8% of businesses said they planned on increasing their SMS marketing budget in 2020
Slowly but surely, businesses are starting to take note of the effectiveness of SMS marketing. After the popularity of this marketing channel boomed in 2019, more and more businesses are now investing in SMS. According to ZipWhip, 60% of businesses were planning on increasing their marketing budget in 2020.
Source: Simple Texting
22. SMS marketing can have ROI rates as high as $8.11 per message
Like with many other marketing channels, ROI for SMS marketing can be extremely hard to calculate. However, Postscript did its best to take an average of the potential ROI of SMS marketing, and the results were quite extraordinary. According to the study, businesses can expect ROI rates as high as $8.11 per message from their SMS marketing campaigns.
Source: Postscript
23. 62% of businesses said fast delivery was the main benefit of texting their audience
Just like consumers, businesses are keen to use SMS to improve the speed of their communications. 62% of businesses told Simple Texting that fast delivery was the main benefit of SMS marketing over other marketing channels. Other benefits included high open rates, cost-effectiveness, and wide demographic reach.
Source: Simple Texting
24. SMS messages have a 209% higher response rate than phone calls, emails, or Facebook messages
If you’re keen to elicit responses from your audience, then it may be a good idea to consider using SMS. According to PostScript, text messages have over 200% higher response rates than other popular forms of communication, including telephone calls, Facebook messages, and emails.
Text messages offer a convenient way to communicate that most people have experience with using. This could explain why they receive more responses than other channels.
Source: PostScript
25. On Black Friday, businesses experienced a 592% higher order rate via SMS than email…
SMS marketing really proved its worth for businesses during the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday.
According to Omnisend, businesses saw extremely high order rates via their SMS services. The figures showed that the order rate was almost 600% higher than that of emails over the Black Friday weekend.
Source: Omnisend
26. … and the average SMS order value was around $83
Ordering via SMS is becoming more popular too. In addition to SMS ordering being extremely high over the Black Friday weekend, Postscript also found that the order values were extremely high during the 2020 cyber week.
On average, the SMS order value stood at $83 based on orders made across the week, with the most orders being made on Thanksgiving day.
Source: Postscript
SMS marketing trends
SMS marketing is becoming more popular, and new trends are emerging in the industry. Here are some SMS marketing statistics relating to future predictions and trends in the industry.
27. 34% of businesses adopted texting as a result of the pandemic…
In 2020, the world changed dramatically, and businesses had to find ways to adapt. Digital communication became more important than ever as many industries couldn’t meet with their customers in person.
This led to a huge rise in the use of SMS marketing. According to ZipWhip, 34% adopted the use of SMS as a way of staying in touch with customers during the pandemic.
Source: ZipWhip 2021
28. … and 77% plan to continue utilizing SMS after the world returns to normal
The rise of the use of SMS in business may have been sparked by the pandemic, but this has shown more businesses that it’s a useful and effective tool to have at your disposal. When asked if they would continue using SMS when the world returned to normal, 77% of businesses responded that they plan to. This is a promising sign for the SMS industry and consumers too.
Source: ZipWhip 2021
29. Almost 50% of consumers would like to make payments by text
SMS marketing is still in its infancy, and many companies only use it to share information or promotions with their audiences. However, we can expect to see SMS usage develop, with more functions being introduced.
According to ZipWhip, almost 50% of consumers would like to be able to make payments by text. Therefore, we may see a rise in SMS payment options in the near future.
Source: ZipWhip 2021
30. 41.3% of businesses said that their text opt-in rates increased in 2020
Not only has the use of SMS for businesses increased in recent years, but so too has the acceptance of SMS marketing. In 2020, businesses saw a marked increase in the number of people that were willing to opt-in to text communications. Around 40% of businesses said they had seen a substantial rise in opt-in rates.
Source: Simple Texting
SMS marketing statistics sources
- Gartner
- LearnHub
- Omnisend (no longer available)
- Simple Texting
Final thoughts
So there you have it, 30 interesting SMS marketing statistics, facts, and trends. Hopefully, this article has helped gain the knowledge you need to launch your own SMS marketing campaign.
If you’re keen to check out more digital marketing stats, check out these posts: