Have you ever wanted to quickly reach out to more people without spending too much?

Not just a few hundred more — I’m talking about getting in touch with several thousand or even millions.

Ever heard of SMS marketing? It’s cost-effective and mighty powerful — something which these stats prove all too well.

Mind-Blowing SMS Marketing Statistics

• While not everyone has a smartphone with internet access, 5 billion people in the world
can send and receive SMS messages.
• 75% of consumers are OK with receiving SMS messages from brands (after they’ve
opted in).
• SMS messages have a whopping 98% open rate.
• Text messages have a 209% higher response rate than phone, email, or Facebook.
• 90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes.
• Consumers redeem SMS-delivered coupons 10 times more than other types of coupons.

As you can see, SMS marketing has huge potential. That said, doing it is one thing and doing it right another. If you want great results, you should keep in mind the SMS Marketing Statistics shared in this post. So, let’s dive straight into it.

Fascinating Stats

When used correctly, SMS marketing can be a game-changer.
1. 48.7 million people will choose to receive business SMS messages by 2020. (Source: Mobile Xco)

The SMS marketing channel is growing at a handsome rate. Compared to 2016, 23% more people will opt-in to receive SMS messages from companies by 2020.

In other words, you’re missing out on a great chance to grow your customer base if you don’t
invest in text message advertising.

2. The average American checks her phone 47 times a day. (Source: Journal of Accountancy)

Americans can’t seem to get enough of their smartphones! Given the high usage, it’s high time marketers started utilizing the power of mobile.
And the best part is:
Consumers are willing to engage with brands — something which the last statistic also proves.

3. While not everyone has a smartphone with internet access, 5 billion people in the world
can send and receive SMS messages. (Source: TextMagic)

One finds Androids and iPhones everywhere in big cities — but are they really ubiquitous? Heck no! Research shows as many as 50% of mobile phone users don’t own a smartphone. Text message marketing can help you connect with people who are out of the reach of more advanced mobile marketing campaigns, like MMS marketing.

4. 67% of smartphone users in the US like to receive service-based messages from their banks. (Source: TextMagic)

That’s nearly 7 in every 10 users!
Clearly, mobile banking is on the rise.

5. SMS messages have a 209% higher response rate than phone, email, or Facebook. (Source: Mobile Xco)

Now that’s some good news!
Nearly 30% of consumers will respond to your SMS messages — and nearly 50% of responders
will make a purchase.

Given these stats, it’s fair to say that text message marketing ROI is better than email or other
popular marketing channels.
Told you – good news!

6. SMS messages have a whopping 98% open rate. (Source: The Daily Egg)

Not only is SMS quick and easy to set up, but customers also like receiving and reading them.

7. 90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes. (Source: Random Facts)

People are not only just reading your SMS messages; they are reading them almost as soon as
you send them!

8. Consumers redeem SMS-delivered coupons 10 times more than other types of coupons. (Source: EZ Texting)

Text messaging marketing statistics show customers are more receptive to coupons delivered via
SMS. These coupons help you not only attract customers but also retain them through ongoing
engagement.

9. SMS marketing grew by 92% for B2Cs and 197% for B2Bs from 2015 to 2017. (Source: Rebrandly)

The fact more businesses have started using SMS marketing recently comes as no surprise. After all, 64% of the world’s population owns a smartphone, while only 48% have access to the internet. What’s more, SMS messages have a whopping 209% higher response rate than email.

General SMS Marketing Statistics

It certainly pays to advertise. Ant the potential target audience is huge!

10. There are 7 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide. (Source: Mobile Marketing Watch)

That’s a lot of people we’re talking about!
You can touch base with the whole world via SMS. Let that sink in!

11. 23 billion text messages are sent each day worldwide. (Source: SMSeagle)

That’s 270,000 each second!
To put this into context, nearly 1 million SMS messages were sent by the time you read this!

Out of the 23 billion text messages sent daily, 6 billion are sent in the US.

12. American smartphone owners aged 18-24 send around 2000 text in a month. (Source: Business Insider)

Everybody likes texting — but young adults like it most.

If you look at texting statistics by age, you’ll find smartphone users aged 18 to 24 text the most.

In fact, they text twice as much as people aged 25 to 34 — and a whopping 10 times more than over-55 year-olds!

13. 98% of US smartphone users send text messages regularly. (Source: SlickText)

232 million Americans text on a regular basis. That alone is reason enough to jump on the SMS
marketing bandwagon.

Texting vs Email – Who’s Winning the Big Marketing Battle? If you have to choose one, which would you pick?

Did you just say SMS?
Well done! As the next stat shows, it enjoys a much better open rate than email.

14. SMS open rates are nearly 5 times that of email. (Source: Adobe Blog)

98% of all SMS messages are read, compared to only 20% of emails.

In other words, when you send text messages, recipients actually read them. That’s a good start, right?

15. Only 10% of SMS marketing messages are spam, compared to nearly 50% of emails. (Source: DSIM)

That’s great news!
Email and text marketing statistics show consumers are less likely to delete SMS messages without reading them than emails.

16. The average person takes 90 seconds to reply to an SMS message — but 90 minutes to
respond to an email. (Source: GSMA)

There it is, as clear as day — SMS text messaging is the more effective marketing channel for
time-sensitive, participation-heavy events and offers.

17. SMS marketing campaigns perform 7 times better than email marketing campaigns. (Source: DSIM)

If, for some reasons, you can pick only one, perhaps it’s time you switched from email to SMS. If you can do both, it’s about time you gave SMS marketing a priority.

SMS Marketing Is the Next Big Thing in Mobile Marketing.

SMS marketing has a wider reach than email marketing. It also enjoys much better open and response rates.

Given these advantages, it’s no surprise more companies plan to go the SMS way.

18. 20% of market leaders plan to use SMS marketing more. (Source: Rebrandly)

SMS marketing statistics for 2018 show 1 in 5 market leaders want to focus more on leveraging
the power of SMS marketing to grow their businesses.

19. 75% of consumers are ОК with receiving SMS messages from brands (after opting in). (Source: LeadsBridge)

Contrary to the popular perception, most people aren’t put off by promotional offers sent via text.

Arguably, this is because of two reasons:
First, SMS marketing is less intrusive, as it is a permission-based activity.

Second, it highlights the value proposition of an offer more effectively because of the limited space.

20. Only 30% of consumers receive SMS text messages from businesses they patronize. (Source: Podium)

SMS marketing stats show 7 in every 10 consumers don’t receive promotional text messages
from their favorite brands — even after making it clear they want to hear from them.

21. 6 in every 10 consumers tend to have a positive impression of companies that contact
them via text messages. (Source: Jeeves.Plus)

22. 50% of US consumers make direct purchases after they’re sent an SMS branded text, a
discount coupon, or a QR code. (Source: mobivity)

SMS Marketing Statistics show companies that aren’t sending marketing or promotional text
messages to their potential businesses might be losing out on substantial revenue.

The real question is — can they afford to?
Can you?

23. 9 in every 10 consumers who enroll in an SMS loyalty program benefit from their
participation. (Source: mobivity)

Goodbye, loyalty cards; hello, loyalty SMS!
There’s little doubt that such programs can help you improve customer engagement and drive
more sales.

24. Nearly 8 out of 10 people seek an SMS opt-in or some other kind of mobile device
service to help them with shopping. (Source: J&C)

Mobile marketing statistics show 79% of shoppers use their smartphones to assist them with shopping.

This shows well-defined SMS marketing has a huge potential to influence consumers’ purchasing decisions.

25. Using short, branded links in your mobile marketing campaigns can help improve
conversions. (Source: Rebrandly)

It’s no secret that the click-through rate of branded links is higher than that of short, generic links. This is because people in general trust these links more, as they include the names of familiar brands.

26. 80% of people use text messaging for business. (Source: Rebrandly)

Recent text message marketing stats show people (including your customers) are texting for business purposes all the time. Contacting businesses through text to schedule appointments, make product inquiries, and other business purposes has become common practice.

Given this, it’s time you asked yourself:
“Am I taking full advantage of mobile technology?”

27. Consumers who get SMS marketing messages are 40% more likely to convert than those who don’t. (Source: Text Better)

This should settle any doubts that you may still have about the power of SMS marketing.

28. More than half of consumers prefer contacting customer support through text. (Source: Rebrandly)

SMS marketing statistics show half of people would rather text customer support than call if given an option.
This is hardly surprising, though. After all, who enjoys sitting on hold waiting for a representative? I certainly don’t.

29. 64% of consumers think businesses should contact them via text messages more often. (Source: Text Better)

Most consumers feel companies are not communicating through texting as much as they should.
Are you making this mistake, too?

Latest Developments

There’s no doubt SMS marketing is a powerful marketing tool — but will it remain just as effective in the future, too? Let’s find out.

30. Nearly 6 billion people worldwide will be able to send and receive text messages by 2025. (Source: SlickText)

Stats on text message marketing show 5.9 billion people worldwide will have access to SMS technology. This means SMS marketing will continue to be just as relevant in the future as it is today (if not more).

31. 61% of the world’s population will have access to mobile internet by 2025. (Source: SlickText)

This goes to show the future belongs to mobile marketing, of which SMS marketing is an
important part.

Fun Facts

Now this is where things get interesting. And even a bit weird, perhaps.

32. 9 in every 10 people aged 18-25 think toilet texting is cool. (Source: HuffPost India)

Stats on texting show people are using their mobiles everywhere!
75% of Americans use their smartphones in the bathroom — while 91% of 28 to 35-year-olds have admitted to texting while on the toilet.

33. The first SMS message sent was “Merry Christmas.” (Source: BBC News)

An engineer called Neil Papworth sent this two-word text message to his Vodafone colleagues on December 3, 1992.

34. 10% of people under 25 text during sex. (Source: SciTechBlog)

Talk about funny statistics on text messages!
For 1 in every 10 under 25 year-olds, there’s no such thing as a wrong time for texting!

35. 20% of Smartphone users say they can’t live without texting. (Source: Text Republic)

Texting has become a part of everyday life for most people, so much so that 1 in 5 can’t imagine life without it.

Wrapping Up

SMS marketing is cheaper, has a wider reach, and enjoys a better open and response rate than many other conventional marketing channels, like email.

Still, many companies aren’t taking full advantage.

Latest SMS marketing statistics show 64% of consumers think businesses aren’t contacting them via text messages as much as they should.

Perhaps many of your competitors might be making this mistake, too.

This means a well-defined, persistent SMS marketing campaign can help you gain an automatic
edge over the competition.

Want to know how to use text message marketing in your business? Talk to us here at Adodo.