SMS marketing keeps getting sharper, not louder, with 3.4 billion people worldwide using mobile messaging apps in 2024 and a global SMS market forecast of $25.5 billion by 2030. At the same time, one negative message can push 10% of consumers to unsubscribe, and compliance rules like the TCPA and PECR can shape what you can send and how fast. Here are the stats that explain that tension, from ROI and response rates to consent, opt-out, and messaging costs.
Key Takeaways
- 10% of consumers will unsubscribe after just 1 negative SMS message
- 62% of consumers say a business should use their preferred channel (including SMS) for customer service
- 16% of adults in the UK (England) reported using SMS text messages for sending/receiving messages in the last 3 months (2022)
- 2-5x higher conversion rates for SMS marketing than for email marketing
- 33% of marketers say SMS has better ROI than email
- SMS marketing typically achieves a 45% response rate (2019)
- $12.7 billion global SMS marketing market size in 2023
- $25.5 billion global mobile marketing market size forecast for 2030
- 32% of consumers say they’ve shared a coupon or offer via SMS
- In the US, the TCPA restricts certain automated text messages and requires prior consent for many marketing texts
- The EU ePrivacy rules (as implemented by member states) require opt-in consent for storing or accessing device data used for sending communications like SMS marketing
- UK marketing SMS requires consent/legitimate interests and an opt-out mechanism under PECR
- Sending 1,000 SMS messages via Twilio US costs at least $7.90 (assuming $0.0079 per message)
SMS delivers far higher results than email, but compliance and consent are essential to protect customers.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption7 stats
01
10% of consumers will unsubscribe after just 1 negative SMS messagehttps://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3998728
02
62% of consumers say a business should use their preferred channel (including SMS) for customer servicehttps://www.helpscout.com/blog/customer-service-statistics/
03
16% of adults in the UK (England) reported using SMS text messages for sending/receiving messages in the last 3 months (2022)https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0026/244095/Adults-Media-Literacy-Survey-2022.pdf
04
US adults spend 5 hours 22 minutes per day on mobile devices on average (2024)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/04/16/mobile-fact-sheet/
05
In the US, 56% of adults say they use text messaging (2024)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
06
In the UK, 79% of adults use text messaging (2024)https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/273209/smartphone-and-mobile-phones.pdf
07
In the UK, 88% of adults have contacted a business using a digital channel in the last 3 months (2023)https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/265269/online-interaction-by-adults-with-businesses-in-2023.pdf
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption in text marketing is strong, with 79% of UK adults using text messaging and 88% having contacted a business via a digital channel in the last 3 months, but it remains sensitive since 10% unsubscribe after just one negative SMS.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
2-5x higher conversion rates for SMS marketing than for email marketinghttps://www.emarsys.com/blog/sms-vs-email-marketing/
02
33% of marketers say SMS has better ROI than emailhttps://www.sailthru.com/blog/sms-vs-email-roi-study/
03
SMS marketing typically achieves a 45% response rate (2019)https://www.mailchimp.com/resources/email-marketing-benchmarks/
04
In a meta-analysis of mobile messaging interventions, SMS-based communication improved intervention outcomes with a pooled effect size of OR 1.20 (peer-reviewed study, 2021)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33943955/
05
A peer-reviewed systematic review found SMS interventions increased response/engagement rates by a mean effect size of about 1.5 (2020)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32818993/
06
In a randomized controlled trial, appointment reminder SMS reduced no-show rates by 20% relative to control (2018)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6298740/
07
In a clinical study, SMS follow-up improved medication adherence by 10.7 percentage points compared with control (2019)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6882792/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In performance metrics, SMS marketing stands out with 2 to 5 times higher conversion rates than email and a typical 45% response rate, with studies also showing measurable gains such as a 20% no show reduction from appointment reminders and a 10.7 percentage point improvement in medication adherence.
03 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
$12.7 billion global SMS marketing market size in 2023https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/sms-marketing-market
02
$25.5 billion global mobile marketing market size forecast for 2030https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/mobile-marketing-market-102818
03
32% of consumers say they’ve shared a coupon or offer via SMShttps://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/report/2018/sharing-and-viral-marketing/
04
3.4 billion people worldwide use mobile messaging apps (2024)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report
05
Retail is the largest industry using SMS for marketing in the US, at 29% of surveyed marketers (2023)https://www.g2.com/reports/sms-marketing-statistics
06
Industry survey data show 38% of marketers use SMS as part of their marketing mix (2023)https://www.klaviyo.com/resources/sms-marketing-statistics
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The Industry Trends data show SMS is a major, growing channel, with a $12.7 billion global SMS marketing market in 2023 and 38% of marketers using it as part of their mix, while 32% of consumers already share coupons or offers via SMS.
More related reading
04 · Category
Regulation & Compliance5 stats
01
In the US, the TCPA restricts certain automated text messages and requires prior consent for many marketing textshttps://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telemarketing-and-robot-calls
02
The EU ePrivacy rules (as implemented by member states) require opt-in consent for storing or accessing device data used for sending communications like SMS marketinghttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2002/58/oj
03
UK marketing SMS requires consent/legitimate interests and an opt-out mechanism under PECRhttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2426/contents/made
04
GDPR applies to processing personal data for marketing texts, including lawful basis and transparency obligationshttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj
05
In the US, the National Do Not Call Registry operates as a regulatory requirement for many calls but does not generally apply to SMS sent with proper consent under TCPA ruleshttps://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telephone-robot-calls
Interpretation
Regulation & Compliance Interpretation
Across Regulation & Compliance frameworks, from the US TCPA’s prior-consent focus to the EU’s opt-in rules for device data and the UK’s PECR opt-out requirement, marketing SMS is moving toward stricter consent expectations and clearer accountability under GDPR and similar laws.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
Sending 1,000 SMS messages via Twilio US costs at least $7.90(assuming $0.0079 per message)https://www.twilio.com/sms/pricing/us
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, sending just 1,000 SMS messages via Twilio US starts at about $7.90, highlighting a clear baseline cost of $0.0079 per message.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Text Marketing Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/text-marketing-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Text Marketing Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/text-marketing-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Text Marketing Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/text-marketing-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)