43 Stats For Why You Need to Include SMS In Your Direct Mail

The power of SMS.

Here’s a quick list of 43 statistics on why we believe leaders should explore new technology-driven tactics to allow consumers to contact them to get answers and information without calling them or visiting a website. With our new four-ways-to-respond technology we can send variable data customized texts to any responder to our direct mail campaigns[amsive_tooltip term=”direct-mail-marketing”] and we can immediately notify you via your mobile device or desktop about the details of the inquiring lead from the data we purchase on your behalf.

General Texting Statistics

1. Texting is the most widely-used and frequently used app on a smartphone, with 97 percent of Americans using it at least once a day. (Pew Internet)
2. Over 6 billion text messages are sent in the U.S. each day. (Forrester)
3. Over 80 percent of American adults text, making it the most common cell phone activity. (Pew Internet)
4. Text messages have a 98 percent open rate, while email has only a 20 percent open rate. (Mobile Marketing Watch)
5. Text messaging has a 45 percent response rate, while email only has a 6 percent response rate. (Velocify)
6. Texting takes up 14.1 percent of cell phone users’ time. (Nielsen)
7. 90 percent of all text messages are read in under 3 minutes. (Connect Mogul)
8. Text messages are read on average in under five seconds. (SlickText)
9. 96 percent of smartphone users text. (Acision)
10. Americans sent 69,000 texts every second in 2012 (CTIA)
11. The average adult spends a total of 23 hours a week texting (USA Today)
12. The average Millennial exchanges an average of 67 text messages per day (Business Insider)
13. On average, Americans exchange twice as many texts as they do calls (Nielsen)
14. Only 43 percent of smartphone owners use their phone to make calls, but over 70 percent of smartphone users text (Connect Mogul)
15. 55 percent of heavy text message users (50+ texts per day) say they would prefer to receive a text over a phone call (Pew Research Center)
16. In 2011, 31 percent of Americans said they preferred text messages to phone calls (Pew Research Center)
17. It takes the average person 90 minutes to respond to email, but only 90 seconds to respond to a text message. (CTIA)
18. American women text 14 percent more than men. (Nielsen)

Business Texting Statistics

1. 79 percent of companies believe customers want SMS/text support. (ICMI)
2. 38 percent of contact centers currently offer SMS, and 23 percent have plans to add it in the next 12 months. That means 61 percent of contact centers will offer SMS support in 2016. (Dimension Data)
3. 80 percent of people are currently using texting for business. (eWeek)
4. One in five consumers is just as likely to prefer a text message from a business to a phone call. (ICMI)
5. The activities people with text capabilities would most prefer to do via text are: check order status (38 percent) schedule or change appointments (32 percent) and make or confirm reservations (31 percent). (Harris poll; link below)
6. Over half of customers said they would be likely to text with a customer support agent. Similarly, 52 percent would prefer texting customer support over their current preferred form of communication. (eWeek)
7. A 2012 study found that text was the highest rated contact method for customer satisfaction out of all other customer communication channels. Text earned 90 out of 100 points, while phone earned 77 out of 100 and Facebook earned 66. (CFI Group)
8. Millenials prefer automated text messaging over IVR, including speech-based solutions (Frost & Sullivan)
9. Over one-third of business professionals say they can’t go 10 minutes without responding to a text. (eWeek)
10. SMS text chat converts a $6-$20 call to a chat that costs pennies per session. (Forrester & ContactBabel)
11. At least five types of social media channels are used in more than 50 percent of call centers, including SMS/texting (VoIP Info)
12. Sales prospects who are sent text messages convert at a rate 40 percent higher than those who are not sent any text messages. (Velocify)
13. Over 80 percent of people use text messaging for business, and 15 percent said that more than half their messages are for business purposes. (eWeek)
14. Almost 25 percent of marketers are currently using text messaging. Over 65 percent of them report SMS as being “very effective.” (ExactTarget)
15. 70 percent of U.S. consumers appreciate getting texts or emails from healthcare providers. (Loyalty 360)
16. 75 percent of people would like to have offers sent to them via SMS. (Digital Marketing Magazine)
17. Over 80 percent of people would only like to receive a maximum of two marketing messages per month. (Digital Marketing Magazine)
18. 44 percent of consumers with texting capabilities would prefer to press a button to initiate a text conversation immediately, rather than waiting on hold to speak with an agent. (Harris Poll; link below)
19. Texting in the sales process can lead to conversion gains of more than 100 percent. However, sending text messages before establishing contact with a prospect can adversely affect both contact and conversion rates. (Velocify)
20. 20 percent of financial services companies use mobile messaging to ensure business continuity and add to their multichannel capabilities. (Loyalty 360)
21. 77 percent of consumers with texting capabilities aged 18-34 are likely to have a positive perception of a company that offers text capability. (Harris Poll; link below)
22. 44 percent of consumers would rather receive product details and other marketing messages through text over any other channel. (Direct Marketing Association)
23. 72 percent of business professionals prefer texting to messaging apps. (eWeek)
24. Nearly 70 percent of employees think their organization should use text messaging to communicate with employees, and 86 percent say it should not be reserved for just customer communication. (Vitiello Communications Group)
25. 64 percent of all consumers are likely to have a positive perception of a company that offers texting as a service channel (Harris Poll).

Learn how Amsive leverages data and insights to drive meaningful, measurable connections across the entire consumer journey by contacting us today.