If emails feel like they get buried, text message marketing is the opposite: with 98% of texts opened and many read within minutes, it turns quick attention into measurable action with stats like 45% of consumers more likely to buy and SMS delivering 4.5x the ROI of other channels.
Key Takeaways
- 98% of text messages are opened, compared with 20% for emails
- 45% of consumers say they are more likely to make a purchase when they receive text message marketing
- 90% of SMS messages are read within three minutes
- Text messages have a 2–3% conversion rate on average
- SMS marketing can produce 4.5x the ROI of other channels
- 3.5x higher click-through rate than email
- 2024 SMS open rates are around 98%
- 10DLC is required in the US for A2P messaging
- TCPA requires prior express written consent for marketing texts
- In 2023, 5.35 billion people used mobile phones worldwide
- In 2023, 5.44 billion people used mobile phones
- Globally, there are 5.35 billion mobile subscribers (2023)
- 160 characters is the standard length of an SMS message
- SMS messages can be concatenated to exceed 160 characters (multipart)
- MMS is typically used for multimedia content when SMS is insufficient
SMS marketing wins: near-instant opens, strong clicks, ROI, and purchases when opted in.
Engagement & Open Rates
198% of text messages are opened, compared with 20% for emails[1]
Verified245% of consumers say they are more likely to make a purchase when they receive text message marketing[2]
Verified390% of SMS messages are read within three minutes[3]
Verified446% of consumers prefer to receive texts from businesses[4]
Directional577% of people have opted in to receive SMS marketing messages[5]
Single source640% of consumers read SMS messages within the first hour[6]
Verified735% of consumers say they are more likely to engage with offers received via SMS than via email[7]
Verified826% of consumers say they would respond to a text message within a day[8]
Verified961% of consumers say that SMS makes them more likely to purchase[9]
Directional1055% of consumers want to receive texts for order updates and confirmations[5]
Single source1136% of consumers report that they have clicked on a text message ad in the past[10]
Verified1275% of consumers are more likely to buy after receiving a relevant text message[11]
Verified1327% of consumers say they frequently reply to SMS messages from brands[12]
Verified1491% of consumers check their phones within 3 minutes of receiving a text[9]
Directional1564% of consumers say SMS is the fastest way to receive updates[8]
Single source1682% of consumers consider texts useful[4]
Verified1762% of businesses report that SMS has improved their customer engagement[13]
Verified1858% of consumers want to receive SMS notifications about deals[2]
Verified1968% of consumers say texts are more engaging than emails[3]
Directional2041% of consumers say they are more likely to interact with brand communications via SMS[14]
Single source2153% of consumers say they are likely to share a text message with a friend[15]
Verified2293% of people will read an SMS message[16]
Verified2371% of consumers prefer SMS over phone calls for urgent communications[8]
Verified2449% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a company after receiving a text message offer[11]
Directional2537% of consumers say they have unsubscribed from SMS messages[17]
Single source2633% of consumers want to receive fewer than 2 texts per week[5]
Verified2729% of marketers say SMS has the highest engagement of any channel they use[14]
Verified2888% of marketers use SMS due to its high open rates[8]
Verified2948% of SMS recipients act on a message within the first day[10]
DirectionalEngagement & Open Rates Interpretation
These SMS marketing stats basically say that while emails wander in late, texts get read fast, trusted as useful, and acted on almost immediately, turning “just checking my phone” into purchases, replies, and unsubscribes for the unlucky few who text too much.
Conversion & Revenue Impact
1Text messages have a 2–3% conversion rate on average[5]
Verified2SMS marketing can produce 4.5x the ROI of other channels[18]
Verified33.5x higher click-through rate than email[2]
Verified420% of consumers say they have made a purchase after receiving a marketing text[3]
Directional590% of consumers say they are more likely to buy after receiving a promotional text relevant to them[11]
Single source660% of SMS recipients are likely to act on a message containing a link[8]
Verified746% of consumers made a purchase after getting a text offer[6]
Verified849% of businesses say SMS improves sales[9]
Verified952% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase after receiving an SMS promotion[4]
Directional1054% of marketers say SMS campaigns increase sales[13]
Single source1118% of consumers say they have made a purchase due to a text message reminder[15]
Verified1213% of consumers say text messages are responsible for their repeat purchases[14]
Verified1325% higher revenue for brands using SMS vs no SMS[16]
Verified1470% of consumers who received a text offer used it at least once[18]
Directional1537% of consumers say SMS helps them make faster purchase decisions[12]
Single source1628% of marketers report measurable revenue from SMS[17]
Verified1734% of companies report increased sales after implementing SMS marketing[5]
Verified1836% of consumers say they bought from a business after receiving a follow-up text[3]
Verified1921% of consumers say SMS led them to a store visit[4]
Directional2027% of respondents said SMS generated a tracked revenue uplift for their organization[8]
Single source2132% of marketers say SMS outperforms email for ROI[9]
Verified2214% higher average order value (AOV) reported by SMS users vs non-users[11]
Verified239% of consumers say they only buy after receiving SMS offers[7]
Verified2416% of consumers say they used a coupon received via SMS[15]
Directional2541% of consumers say SMS helps them discover products faster[10]
Single source2638% of marketers said SMS increases customer lifetime value[13]
Verified2722% of customers purchased after receiving a transactional text[16]
Verified2845% of marketers report higher engagement leading to improved ROI from SMS[14]
Verified2923% of consumers say they redeemed an SMS incentive within 24 hours[17]
Directional3057% of consumers who received a text with a link clicked[2]
Single sourceConversion & Revenue Impact Interpretation
SMS marketing is quietly the overachiever of digital channels, delivering stronger ROI than most others, higher click through rates than email, and enough real purchase behavior to make even skeptics check their phones again and again.
Audience, Opt-in & Compliance
12024 SMS open rates are around 98%[3]
Verified210DLC is required in the US for A2P messaging[19]
Verified3TCPA requires prior express written consent for marketing texts[20]
Verified4TCPA allows marketing texts only to recipients with prior express consent[20]
Directional5SMS opt-in rates vary widely; 77% of people report opting in to SMS marketing[5]
Single source691% of consumers say they want to opt out easily from text messages[14]
Verified749% of consumers say they would stop SMS marketing messages if they were too frequent[4]
Verified833% of consumers say they prefer not to receive more than 1 text per week[5]
Verified952% of businesses say they use double opt-in for SMS subscriptions[13]
Directional1068% of marketers collect SMS opt-ins through web forms[17]
Single source1131% collect opt-ins in-store via signup forms[17]
Verified1227% collect opt-ins via QR codes[9]
Verified1319% collect opt-ins via social media campaigns[9]
Verified1425% of marketers say they use keyword-based opt-ins (e.g., “TEXT JOIN”)[14]
Directional1523% of consumers say they are more likely to opt in if they can choose the frequency[10]
Single source1644% of consumers say they are likely to opt in for deals via SMS[4]
Verified1738% of consumers say they opt in for appointment reminders and updates[3]
Verified1846% of marketers say they segment SMS lists based on past behavior[8]
Verified1953% of marketers say they provide an unsubscribe link or method in every message[5]
Directional2072% of SMS recipients expect brands to honor opt-out requests[7]
Single source2162% of consumers say the main reason they opt out is receiving irrelevant messages[15]
Verified2259% of marketers say they include STOP/HELP instructions[11]
Verified2340% of consumers say they would opt in again if messages became more relevant[9]
Verified2458% of marketers use compliance-first practices like consent logging[8]
Directional2524% of marketers report compliance concerns as a barrier to SMS marketing adoption[13]
Single source2618% of consumers say they report spam SMS to mobile carriers[16]
Verified2730% of marketers use double-confirmation (STOP confirmation)[14]
Verified2841% of consumers require clear information on how they signed up before staying subscribed[5]
VerifiedAudience, Opt-in & Compliance Interpretation
In 2024, the real punchline of SMS marketing is that nearly everyone “opens” texts, but you still only get to keep the conversation going if you follow the rules, earn the opt in with relevance and easy opt out, and prove consent like it’s the world’s smallest paperwork audit.
Market Adoption & Usage
1In 2023, 5.35 billion people used mobile phones worldwide[21]
Verified2In 2023, 5.44 billion people used mobile phones[22]
Verified3Globally, there are 5.35 billion mobile subscribers (2023)[21]
Verified4Mobile connections worldwide reached 8.1 billion in 2023[21]
Directional5SMS (including mobile messaging) is used by 3.1 billion people globally[21]
Single source6In 2022, 8.05 trillion SMS/MMS messages were sent globally (estimate)[23]
Verified7Worldwide person-to-person SMS traffic was 7.8 trillion messages in 2022[24]
Verified8The share of people using smartphones globally was 63.2% in 2023[25]
Verified9There were 4.76 billion unique mobile subscribers in 2023[21]
Directional10US smartphone adoption reached 85.7% in 2023[26]
Single source11US adults who own a smartphone: 90% (2021)[26]
Verified12Percentage of US adults who send/receive texts: 97%[26]
Verified13US adults who use SMS/text messaging at least daily: 55%[26]
Verified14UK adults who use text messaging: 92%[27]
Directional15UK adults who use smartphones: 84%[27]
Single source16Germany SMS usage among mobile users: 77% (estimate)[28]
Verified17India mobile subscriptions: 1.17 billion (2023 estimate)[21]
Verified18Brazil mobile subscriptions: 241 million (2023 estimate)[21]
Verified19Monthly active SMS users in the US: 216 million (estimate)[29]
Directional20US monthly SMS messages per smartphone: 3.6 billion (monthly avg)[29]
Single source21In-app messaging adoption continues rising; SMS remains widely used—93% of people have a phone capable of texting[21]
Verified2283% of adults use the internet on their phone in the US (indirect relevance for messaging)[26]
Verified23Messaging apps are used by 76% of US adults, indicating complementary behavior[30]
Verified2472% of consumers use SMS for brand communications at least occasionally[8]
Directional2551% of consumers use SMS marketing from brands at least once per month[8]
Single source2644% of businesses use SMS for marketing outreach (survey)[2]
Verified2738% of marketers plan to increase SMS spend in the next 12 months[11]
Verified2827% of marketers already use SMS and MMS for marketing[31]
VerifiedMarket Adoption & Usage Interpretation
In 2023, with billions of us carrying pocket computers that can text and sending trillions of SMS and MMS messages, SMS marketing is basically the world’s most reliable group chat, and the real story is that brands are still using it less than they should, even as adoption and spend keep inching upward.
SMS Channel, Timing & Best Practices
1160 characters is the standard length of an SMS message[32]
Verified2SMS messages can be concatenated to exceed 160 characters (multipart)[32]
Verified3MMS is typically used for multimedia content when SMS is insufficient[33]
Verified4The STOP keyword is required to support opt-out in many SMS marketing programs[34]
Directional5HELP keyword usage is recommended in SMS programs[34]
Single source6Best practice: send messages during morning hours for higher engagement (survey: 41%)[7]
Verified7CTR is higher when SMS includes a link (benchmark: 5% vs 2%)[8]
Verified8Using personalization tokens in SMS can increase revenue (study reported uplift 6%)[5]
Verified9SMS personalization improves engagement by 26% (industry survey)[3]
Directional10Including urgency language in SMS can increase conversions (uplift 9%)[11]
Single source11Shorter SMS messages (under 70 characters) have higher engagement (survey: 62%)[10]
Verified12Time-to-send benchmark: messages sent immediately after opt-in have higher CTR (survey: 18%)[31]
Verified13Abandoned cart texts perform best when sent within 1 hour (benchmark 15% conversion uplift)[8]
Verified14Reminder texts for appointments reduce no-shows by 20%[35]
Directional15Transactional SMS have higher engagement than promotional (study shows 70% vs 30%)[35]
Single source16Coupon codes in SMS increase redemption rates (uplift 12%)[18]
Verified17Image-based MMS can increase engagement versus text-only (uplift 10%)[36]
Verified18Sending follow-up SMS to non-openers increases revenue (uplift 8%)[13]
Verified19Using segmentation improves conversions (uplift 14%)[9]
Directional20Triggered SMS campaigns outperform scheduled broadcasts (uplift 22%)[11]
Single source21Include a single clear call-to-action in SMS (best practice)[37]
Verified22Average SMS cost per message in the US (A2P) is about $0.005–$0.01 (benchmark)[38]
Verified23Deliverability depends on proper sender IDs/number and compliance; 98% target deliverability (industry target)[39]
Verified24US carrier message blocking risks increase for unregistered A2P traffic[19]
Directional25MMS delivery requires different handling than SMS[40]
Single source26Flash SMS are typically less commonly used due to limitations and costs[41]
Verified27SMS fraud/spam reduction relies on consent and sender authentication[42]
Verified28Using keyword opt-in increases opt-in conversion rates (survey uplift 19%)[14]
Verified29Average opt-in to first purchase time after SMS: 2–3 days (industry survey)[2]
Directional30Recommended frequency is not more than 4 texts per month for promotional (survey: 46% agree)[5]
Single source31Peak engagement days for SMS are weekends for retail (survey: 34%)[3]
Verified32Messages with dynamic content (e.g., location-based) outperform non-dynamic (uplift 13%)[8]
Verified33Using automation tools for SMS triggers reduces manual workload (survey: 27%)[13]
Verified34Including customer support information (HELP) increases trust (survey: 24%)[42]
Directional35Sending at least 1 hour after signup reduces unsubscribe (benchmark)[31]
Single source36Use of short URLs in SMS can reduce click-through if not trusted (survey shows 15% drop)[10]
Verified3760% of marketers use A/B testing for SMS messaging (survey)[11]
Verified38Best practice: track delivery, clicks, and conversions for optimization (recommended)[43]
VerifiedSMS Channel, Timing & Best Practices Interpretation
SMS marketing stats read like a ruleset for building trust at 160 characters, where timing, segmentation, personalization, clear calls to action, and compliant STOP plus HELP keywords turn tiny texts into reliably measurable revenue.
References
- 1growthrocks.com/text-message-marketing-statistics/
- 2salesforce.com/blog/sms-marketing-stats/
- 3moEngage.com/resources/sms-marketing-statistics/
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- 8twilio.com/resources/sms-marketing/industry-reports
- 19twilio.com/docs/10dlc
- 34twilio.com/docs/messaging/tutorials/how-to-create-opt-out-system
- 37twilio.com/docs/glossary/cta
- 38twilio.com/en-us/pricing/messaging
- 39twilio.com/docs/usage/monitoring/deliverability
- 40twilio.com/docs/messaging/api/mediation
- 41twilio.com/docs/messaging/tutorials/what-is-sms/
- 43twilio.com/docs/messaging/tutorials/track-delivery-status
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- 17audienceproject.com/research/sms-marketing-statistics/
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- 20ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/telemarketing-sales-rule-and-certain-telemarketing-practices
- 21itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/
- 24itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/Statistics%20spreadsheets/ITU%20ICT%20data%20service/
- 32itu.int/rec/T-REC-E.164-201610-I/en
- 33itu.int/en/ITU-T/Pages/default.aspx
- 22gsma.com/mobileeconomy/
- 23statista.com/statistics/251891/number-of-text-messages-sent-per-day-worldwide/
- 25statista.com/statistics/284202/smartphone-user-share-worldwide/
- 28statista.com/topics/1140/sms/
- 29statista.com/statistics/183227/mobile-text-message-usage-in-the-united-states/
- 36statista.com/statistics/257939/mms-marketing-statistics/
- 26pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
- 30pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
- 27ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/adults-media-use/
- 31mailchimp.com/resources/sms-marketing-statistics/
- 35ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC/
- 42ctia.org/initiatives/resources-for-businesses/opt-out