SMS marketing statistics: Key figures for 2025

SMS as a marketing channel is still widely used by brands – and with good reason. With sky-high open rates, lightning-fast delivery, and high engagement, SMS continues to be a powerhouse for brands looking to connect directly with customers. In this blog, we break down the latest SMS marketing statistics that prove why this channel deserves a prime spot in your marketing strategy.

SMS marketing adoption and reach

1. Nearly universal mobile access: Around 85% of Americans own a smartphone, and an even higher 97% have a mobile phone capable of receiving text messages (Source: Pew Research).
2. Personal use: In fact, people are still using SMS to connect with friends and family. One in three people still exchange at least one SMS daily, and 54% use SMS to reach people who don’t use digital channels. (Source: UKTIN).
3. Customers prefer SMS: When it comes to marketing messages, 19% of surveyed consumers say that SMS is their preferred channel (Source: Validity).
4. Business messaging: On the business side, adoption has surged with 60% of businesses reported using SMS in 2024 (Source: Conversational Maturity report).
5. Holiday Shopping: For particularly busy holidays, SMS has become a reliable channel for brands to connect with customers and usage grows YoY. During Cyber Week 2024, SMS usage for business messages grew by 47% in Europe and 11% in North America (Source: Holiday Shopping Trends).
6. Industry forecast: Consequently, industry forecasts predict a rise – the SMS marketing market is projected to grow to $9.6 billion by 2030  
   (Source: Grand View Research).
7. SMS by industry usage: Notably, certain sectors see especially high usage for example, healthcare (57%) and banking/finance (62%) boast the highest usage of SMS (Source: Conversational Maturity report).
8. Businesses recognize this opportunity: 72% of U.S. digital retailers say that expanding omnichannel strategies with SMS will have the biggest impact on their business in 2024 (Source: EMarketer). 

Engagement rates and user responsiveness

1. Exceptionally high open rates: Text message marketing delivers an open rate around 98%, vastly outperforming email’s typical 20% open rate (Source: Forbes). 
2. The immediacy is unrivaled: 90% of SMS messages are read within three minutes of delivery (Source: Validity).
3. Response rate: Overall response rates for SMS are dramatically higher than email – studies show an average 45% response rate for SMS offers vs. around 6% for email (Source: Business.com). 
4. Click-through rates: marketing texts typically see CTR around 45%, whereas email CTRs often hover in the single digits (Source: Growth Generators). 

In short, consumers not only notice and read text messages at extremely high rates, but they also act on them far more frequently than other channels. 

Conversion rates and ROI 

1. High conversion impact: The strong engagement with SMS translates into superior conversion performance. 72% of consumers reported making a purchase as a direct result of receiving a text message from a brand (Source: Shopbytes).
2. Multiple purchases: 86% of those surveyed had made two or more purchases via SMS in the last year, up from 55% in 2022 (Source: Shopbytes).
3. Speed up the buying process: 72% of consumers said that they made a purchase after receiving a text, while 14% said they made impulse purchase thanks to a text message. Plus, 65% said they were planning on purchasing an item, but an SMS made them do it sooner (Source: Shopbytes). 
4. Return on investment: businesses earn around $71 for every $1 spent on SMS marketing – a 7100% ROI – highlighting the channel’s cost-effectiveness.

In summary, SMS marketing not only engages customers but converts them at higher rates, delivering substantial revenue and ROI gains across industries. 

Consumer preferences and behavior

1. Channel of choice: 19% of consumers say SMS is their preferred brand communication channel (Source: Validity). 
2. SMS for fast update: 52% of consumers ranked SMS as their favorite channel for shipping notifications, 45% for sales and promotions, and 30% for special occasion messages (Source: Validity). 
3. Usability: texts don’t require internet access, and they reach users wherever they are in real time. Texting is the most frequent smartphone activity for 75% of consumers, outranking checking social media or email (Source: Statista). 
4. Optimal frequency: When it comes to how often people want to hear from brands via text, moderation is key. 19% of correspondents would ideally like to receive an SMS from brands weekly and 17% only when its important, and 16% 2-3 times a week (Source: Validity). 
5. Preferred capped frequency: about 15% say once a day is okay, and another 16% are comfortable with 2–3 texts per week (Source: Validity).
6. Customer frustration: 58% reported unsubscribing from SMS messages and 38% reported them as spam or junk. Additionally, 45% of surveyed respondents say that messaging too frequently is the most likely reason for getting annoyed with a brand. (Source: Validity). 

Overall effectiveness of SMS marketing

Across industries and use cases, the data consistently show SMS as a high-impact marketing channel. With near-universal reach and read rates approaching 100%, text messages virtually guarantee your content will be seen (open rates around 98%). 

1. Response rates: Customers not only see texts – they act on them quickly, whether that means clicking a link, replying to a two-way conversation, or redeeming a promotion. Response and conversion metrics for SMS dwarf those of email and other channels – for example, response rates are about 7.5 times higher than email’s (Source: Business.com).
2. Fast purchases: The channel’s immediacy can accelerate purchase decisions – 65% of SMS-driven buyers purchased sooner than planned and even generate incremental sales that wouldn’t have happened otherwise – 14% made a buy they weren’t planning, due to an SMS. (Source: Shopbytes).
3. Loyalty and repeat business: 87% of U.S. shoppers who subscribe to a brand’s texts say they’re likely to make a purchase after signing up (Source: Businesswire). 
4. SMS omnichannel: Across all industries and regions, SMS is the first choice for any channel combination when it comes to customer communication.

Many now rank SMS among their top revenue-driving channels. Overall, SMS marketing delivers exceptional engagement, high conversion rates, and strong ROI. It has become a cornerstone of modern mobile marketing strategies, valued by consumers for its convenience and by businesses for its proven effectiveness in driving sales and customer interaction.