If your emails are getting lost in the void, consider this: 98% of text messages are opened, making SMS marketing the most direct line you'll ever have to your customers.
Key Takeaways
- 98% of all text messages are opened, compared to just 20% of emails, based on 2023 Klaviyo data analysis of over 1 billion messages
- Users read 95% of SMS messages within 3 minutes of delivery, per a 2024 SimpleTexting survey of 1,200 marketers
- Average SMS response time is 45 seconds, 8x faster than email's 6 minutes, from EZ Texting's 2023 industry report
- SMS conversion rates average 19%, 6x higher than email's 3.2%, from Klaviyo's 2023 ROI analysis of e-commerce campaigns
- 30% of SMS recipients make a purchase after receiving a promotional message, per SimpleTexting's 2024 consumer survey of 2,000 shoppers
- Abandoned cart SMS recovers 25% of lost sales on average, according to EZ Texting's 2023 retail benchmarks
- 64% of consumers have opted in to receive SMS marketing messages from brands they like, per SimpleTexting's 2024 opt-in survey of 1,500 users
- 88% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands sending helpful SMS, from EZ Texting's 2023 preference study
- Opt-in rates for SMS lists grow 20% YoY, per Textedly's 2024 platform data from 10k accounts
- Every $1 spent on SMS yields $6-36 ROI, averaging $24, per Gartner 2023 marketing tech quadrant
- SMS costs $0.01-0.05 per message, with 45% response driving $10+ revenue per send, from SimpleTexting's 2024 cost-benefit analysis
- 1 SMS campaign costs 7.8x less than direct mail, yielding 5x ROI, per EZ Texting's 2023 multichannel comparison
- Global SMS marketing market size reached $8.2 billion in 2023, projected to hit $12.5B by 2028 at 8.9% CAGR, per MarketsandMarkets 2024 report
- 3.5 billion people worldwide use SMS daily, with marketing adoption up 25% YoY, from Statista's 2024 mobile comms data
- US SMS marketing spend grew 19% to $4.5B in 2023, per eMarketer 2024 forecast
SMS marketing boasts near-perfect open rates and drives significantly higher sales than email.
Conversion and Sales Impact
- SMS conversion rates average 19%, 6x higher than email's 3.2%, from Klaviyo's 2023 ROI analysis of e-commerce campaigns
- 30% of SMS recipients make a purchase after receiving a promotional message, per SimpleTexting's 2024 consumer survey of 2,000 shoppers
- Abandoned cart SMS recovers 25% of lost sales on average, according to EZ Texting's 2023 retail benchmarks
- Personalized SMS boosts conversions by 142%, from Textedly's A/B testing data across 1,000 campaigns
- SMS flash sales convert at 45%, vs 10% for email blasts, per Omnisend's 2024 urgency marketing report
- 24% average conversion from SMS coupons redeemed in-store, from Attentive's 2023 POS integration study
- B2C SMS campaigns yield 10-30% conversion rates, per Twilio's 2024 sales funnel analysis
- SMS upsell messages increase AOV by 22%, from Sinch's 2023 cross-sell report on retail
- 35% of recipients buy within 24 hours of SMS promo, per Infobip's 2024 timing study
- Location-triggered SMS converts 78% higher than standard, from Textmagic's 2023 geo-fencing data
- MMS rich media SMS doubles conversions to 38%, per Messente's 2024 multimedia benchmarks
- 28% conversion lift from SMS post-purchase surveys leading to reviews, from SlickText's 2023 NPS study
- Event ticket SMS reminders convert 40% no-shows to attendees, per CM.com's 2024 ticketing report
- SMS for subscriptions renews 15% more than email, from Bird's 2023 churn reduction analysis
- 32% of restaurant SMS reservations convert to dine-ins, per Route Mobile's 2024 F&B data
- Travel SMS rebooking offers convert at 27%, from Location3's 2023 OTA study
- 41% conversion on SMS birthday offers, per Tatango's 2024 personalization benchmarks
- Automotive service SMS reminders convert 29% to bookings, from Community's 2023 dealer report
- Fitness gym SMS class promos convert 33%, per Yotpo's 2024 wellness stats
- Real estate SMS open houses see 25% attendance conversion, from Sakari's 2023 proptech data
- 37% conversion from nonprofit donation SMS appeals, per MobileMonkey's 2024 fundraising report
- Gaming in-app purchase SMS prompts convert 22%, from Braze's 2023 mobile gaming analysis
- Insurance quote follow-up SMS converts 31%, per Vonage's 2024 fintech benchmarks
- Beauty salon SMS appointments convert 39%, from Heymarket's 2023 service industry stats
- E-learning course enrollment SMS hits 26%, per AppointmentReminder's 2024 edtech data
- 34% average ROI on SMS campaigns, 4x email, from NationBuilder's 2023 political stats
Conversion and Sales Impact Interpretation
While email marketing gently knocks on the door hoping someone's home, SMS marketing kicks it in and, statistically speaking, finds the whole family already waiting with their wallets out.
Market Size and Growth
- Global SMS marketing market size reached $8.2 billion in 2023, projected to hit $12.5B by 2028 at 8.9% CAGR, per MarketsandMarkets 2024 report
- 3.5 billion people worldwide use SMS daily, with marketing adoption up 25% YoY, from Statista's 2024 mobile comms data
- US SMS marketing spend grew 19% to $4.5B in 2023, per eMarketer 2024 forecast
- 82% of businesses now use SMS marketing, up from 65% in 2020, from Klaviyo's 2024 adoption survey
- Retail sector dominates SMS market at 35% share, growing 12% annually, per Grand View Research 2023
- APAC SMS market expands at 10.2% CAGR to $3B by 2027, from IDC Asia 2024 report
- 160 billion SMS sent monthly globally for marketing, up 15% YoY, per GSMA 2023 intelligence
- Enterprise SMS platforms market to $15B by 2030, 14% CAGR, from Fortune Business Insights 2024
- E-commerce SMS usage surged 40% post-COVID, now 28% of digital marketing, per Forrester 2023
- UK SMS marketing volume hit 2.5B messages in 2023, 22% growth, from Mobile Ecosystem Forum 2024
- 95% of mobile phones support SMS, enabling 100% reach growth in emerging markets, per GSMA 2024
- CPaaS SMS segment grows 28% to $7B in 2024, per Omdia 2023 forecast
- Healthcare SMS market at $1.2B, 16% CAGR driven by telehealth, from Kalorama 2024
- 70% of SMBs plan SMS expansion in 2025, per SMB Group 2024 survey
- RCS (rich SMS) adoption to boost market 35% by 2027, from Juniper Research 2023
- Latin America SMS marketing doubles to $1B by 2026, 18% CAGR, per Frost & Sullivan 2024
- Fintech SMS transactions secure 2B daily, market $2.5B growing 20%, from Deloitte 2023
- 5G enables conversational SMS growth 50% faster, per Ericsson Mobility Report 2024
- Nonprofit SMS fundraising market $800M, 25% YoY growth, from M+R Benchmarks 2023
- Automotive SMS for connected cars market to $500M by 2028, per McKinsey 2024
- Gaming SMS notifications market $400M, 30% CAGR, from Newzoo 2023
Market Size and Growth Interpretation
Despite its old-school reputation, SMS marketing has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar global powerhouse, proving that if you want people to listen, sometimes you just have to send a simple, direct text.
Open and Response Rates
- 98% of all text messages are opened, compared to just 20% of emails, based on 2023 Klaviyo data analysis of over 1 billion messages
- Users read 95% of SMS messages within 3 minutes of delivery, per a 2024 SimpleTexting survey of 1,200 marketers
- Average SMS response time is 45 seconds, 8x faster than email's 6 minutes, from EZ Texting's 2023 industry report
- 90% of consumers read SMS marketing messages within 3 minutes, according to Textedly's 2024 consumer poll of 5,000 users
- SMS open rates average 98%, with click-through rates at 19%, per Omnisend's 2023 SMS benchmark report analyzing 10k campaigns
- 82% of recipients reply to promotional SMS, vs 4.4% for email, from Attentive's 2024 retail SMS study of 500 brands
- Delivery rates for SMS exceed 98%, with opens at 95% in under 5 minutes, per Twilio's 2023 Signal report on 100M messages
- 97% open rate for SMS alerts, peaking at 99% for urgent messages, from Sinch's 2024 global SMS study
- Personalized SMS sees 98.5% open rates, 15% higher than generic, per Infobip's 2023 personalization report
- Millennial open rates for SMS hit 99%, with 80% responding within 1 minute, from Textmagic's 2024 demo data
- SMS click rates average 36% for links in messages, per Messente's 2023 EU marketing analysis
- 94% of SMS are read immediately by Gen Z, vs 85% overall, from SlickText's 2024 generational study
- Transactional SMS open rates at 99%, promotional at 92%, per CM.com's 2023 report on 50M messages
- Average response rate to SMS campaigns is 45%, far above email's 6%, from Bird's 2024 CPaaS benchmarks
- 96% of SMS delivered to inbox without spam filters, opens within 2 minutes, per Route Mobile's 2023 Asia-Pacific data
- Location-based SMS boosts opens to 97%, per Location3's 2024 mobile marketing report
- Evening SMS (6-9 PM) open rates peak at 99%, from Tatango's 2023 timing optimization study
- Abandoned cart SMS recovers with 98% open rates, per Klaviyo's ecom data 2024
- B2B SMS open rates average 93%, with replies at 25%, from Sakari's 2023 enterprise survey
- Video link SMS opens 97%, 20% higher engagement, per Heymarket's 2024 multimedia stats
- 99% open rate for appointment reminders via SMS, from AppointmentReminder.com 2023 data
- Opted-in SMS lists show 98.2% opens, per MobileMonkey's 2024 chatbot integration report
- Flash SMS (full screen) achieves 100% perceived opens, from Telesign's 2023 alert study
- 95% of international SMS opened within 4 minutes, per Vonage's 2024 global comms report
- Retail SMS during holidays hits 99.5% opens, from Community's 2023 Black Friday analysis
- Healthcare SMS compliance messages open at 98.8%, per HIPAA SMS providers' 2024 aggregate
- 97.5% open rate for loyalty program SMS, from Yotpo's 2023 retention study
- SMS with emojis sees 2% higher opens at 97%, per Emojipedia marketing data 2024
- 96% opens for political campaign SMS, peaking during elections, from NationBuilder 2023 report
- Gaming app SMS notifications open 98.7%, per Braze's 2024 gaming benchmarks
Open and Response Rates Interpretation
While email marketing is like sending a hopeful letter into a bureaucratic void, text messaging is the equivalent of tapping someone on the shoulder with a message they will almost certainly read immediately, and likely answer before they’ve even put their phone down.
Opt-in and Retention
- 64% of consumers have opted in to receive SMS marketing messages from brands they like, per SimpleTexting's 2024 opt-in survey of 1,500 users
- 88% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands sending helpful SMS, from EZ Texting's 2023 preference study
- Opt-in rates for SMS lists grow 20% YoY, per Textedly's 2024 platform data from 10k accounts
- 70% of opted-in users stay subscribed for over a year, from Omnisend's 2023 retention benchmarks
- Permission-based SMS unsubscribe rates under 1%, vs 0.5% monthly for email, per Attentive's 2024 compliance report
- 92% of users allow SMS notifications for loyalty programs, from Twilio's 2023 consumer trust survey
- Incentives boost SMS opt-ins by 300%, per Sinch's 2024 lead gen study
- 75% of millennials opt-in to brand SMS for exclusive deals, from Infobip's 2023 gen demographics
- QR code opt-ins convert 15% of scans to subscribers, per Textmagic's 2024 POP marketing data
- 85% retention rate for SMS engaged customers over 6 months, from Messente's 2023 loyalty analysis
- Double opt-in SMS lists have 0.2% fraud rate, per SlickText's 2024 compliance benchmarks
- 78% of users opt-in via website popups with clear value prop, from CM.com's 2023 UX study
- SMS frequency under 4/month keeps churn below 0.5%, per Bird's 2024 optimal cadence report
- 81% of Boomers opt-in for health reminders, from Route Mobile's 2023 senior demographics
- In-store WiFi opt-ins grow lists 25% faster, per Location3's 2024 retail tech data
- 90% of loyalty app users enable SMS push, from Tatango's 2023 app integration stats
- SMS win-back campaigns re-opt-in 12% of churned, per Community's 2024 recovery study
- 67% prefer SMS over app notifications for retention, from Yotpo's 2023 multichannel survey
- GDPR compliant SMS retains 95% of EU lists, per Sakari's 2024 regtech report
- 73% opt-in for personalized recommendations via SMS, from MobileMonkey's 2023 AI personalization data
- Gaming loyalty SMS retains 88% monthly active users, per Braze's 2024 retention benchmarks
- 82% insurance policyholders opt-in for renewal reminders, from Vonage's 2023 fintech retention
- Salon SMS VIP lists retain 76% clients YoY, per Heymarket's 2024 service stats
- 69% educators opt-in for course updates via SMS, from AppointmentReminder's 2023 edtech survey
- Political SMS lists retain 65% between elections, per NationBuilder's 2024 cycle data
Opt-in and Retention Interpretation
The modern consumer has wisely decided that if they're going to be marketed to, it should be a genuinely helpful, personal, and brilliantly brief text message they actually want—and the numbers prove they're opting in, staying loyal, and buying more because of it.
ROI and Cost Efficiency
- Every $1 spent on SMS yields $6-36 ROI, averaging $24, per Gartner 2023 marketing tech quadrant
- SMS costs $0.01-0.05 per message, with 45% response driving $10+ revenue per send, from SimpleTexting's 2024 cost-benefit analysis
- 1 SMS campaign costs 7.8x less than direct mail, yielding 5x ROI, per EZ Texting's 2023 multichannel comparison
- Average SMS ROI is 559% over 12 months, from Textedly's 2024 client case studies aggregate
- Retail SMS delivers $11 revenue per $1 spent, per Omnisend's 2023 ecom benchmarks
- Payback period for SMS platform is 2 months, with LTV increase 23%, from Attentive's 2024 enterprise ROI report
- Twilio SMS scales to 99.99% uptime, reducing costs 40% vs legacy IVR, per 2023 reliability study
- Sinch SMS automation cuts labor 60%, boosting ROI to 800%, from 2024 efficiency report
- MMS ROI 25% higher than plain SMS at $28 per dollar, per Infobip's 2023 rich media analysis
- Textmagic SMBs see 300% ROI in first quarter, per 2024 user testimonials data
- Messente EU compliance saves 15% fines risk, netting 650% ROI, from 2023 reg report
- SlickText lists ROI at 1125% for high-volume senders, per 2024 volume benchmarks
- CM.com omnichannel SMS ROI 400%, integrating with 50+ CRMs, 2023 integration study
- Bird's conversational SMS cuts support costs 50%, ROI 700%, per 2024 CX metrics
- Route Mobile APAC SMS yields $15 ROI per dollar on average, 2023 regional data
- Location3 geo-SMS ROI 1200% in local retail, per 2024 location analytics
- Tatango political ROI averages 25:1, from 2023 election cycles
- Community ecom SMS ROI 18x, with A/B testing uplift, 2024 case studies
- Yotpo loyalty SMS ROI 9x higher than email, per 2023 retention economics
- Sakari B2B SMS ROI 500%, lead gen focus, 2024 enterprise data
- MobileMonkey chatbot-SMS hybrid ROI 600%, 2023 automation report
- Braze gaming SMS ROI 15x LTV increase, 2024 cohort analysis
- Vonage fintech SMS ROI 450%, fraud reduction included, 2023 security stats
- Heymarket service SMS ROI 750% via scheduling, 2024 ops data
- AppointmentReminder healthcare ROI 10x, no-show reduction, 2023 clinical study
- NationBuilder nonprofit SMS ROI 20:1 fundraising, 2024 impact report
ROI and Cost Efficiency Interpretation
If these statistics are the chorus, then SMS marketing is belting out a power ballad of astonishing returns, proving that the humble text message might just be the most brutally efficient tool in your marketing arsenal.
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