Nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers agree that an SMS message from a business is more likely to get their attention than email or an app notification, research from mobile business messaging provider, MessageMedia has revealed.
In 2017, there were 8.3 trillion texts sent worldwide – or 16 million per minute.
Of those, approximately 1.67 trillion were business messages sent through a provider such as MessageMedia.
By 2023, this figure is set to increase dramatically to 3.5 trillion – a rise of 52%.
MessageMedia’s research found that 97% of Australians open SMS messages, 87% have opened an SMS from a business, and 83% have clicked through a link within SMS.
MessageMedia chief marketing officer, Tara Salmon, said SMS marketing remains one of the most effective tools that marketers have at their disposal.
“The battle to win consumers’ attention has never been so hotly contested. It’s paramount to the success of marketing campaigns that the right channel is used to cut through the noise and deliver the message to retailers.”
The findings suggest retail is a key sector that can leverage SMS marketing to gain cut-through and deliver strong, branded messages.
According to the research, 72% of respondents prefer to be contacted via SMS marketing by retailers, rather than other channels.
Further, 60% of survey respondents visited a store in person or online after receiving an SMS from a business and nearly half (47%) find SMS useful to receive advertising for a sale or new product from a retailer.
This article was first published on RetailBiz.