SMS marketing has exploded over the last decade, with businesses across a variety of sectors embracing SMS platforms. Still, it’s hard to imagine the current state of SMS marketing without looking at a number of key statistics.

In this post, we’ll examine some of the most important SMS marketing statistics of 2019 and analyze the current state of this increasingly-important advertising technique.

• 61% of Businesses Have Yet to Embrace SMS

Despite the SMS “boom,” a majority of businesses have still not embraced the platform. With 61% of businesses still out of the loop on SMS, engaging in targeted SMS campaigns for your business could give you a distinct competitive edge.

This means that businesses should focus more on developing effective SMS strategies that could put them ahead of their rivals and increase their brand loyalty and recognition with consumers.

• 98% of SMS Alerts Are Read by Consumers

Businesses might not have fully embraced SMS, but consumers have. In fact, data reveal that 98% of SMS alerts are read by consumers. This rate is significantly higher than the rates for email and phone responses.

This means that SMS will likely play a much more significant role in future business marketing. For businesses that haven’t yet capitalized on the success of SMS, low SMS competition and high success rates dictate that the time to start employing SMS marketing strategies is now.

• 33% of Businesses Plan to Target Loyal Customers through SMS Rewards

Brands are always looking for ways to reward their loyal customers. With SMS, they have an effective way to do just that. That’s perhaps why 33% of businesses plan to target their loyal customers through SMS rewards in 2019.

This means that brands are increasingly seeing the impact that SMS can have on developing a sense of loyalty and connection between themselves and their consumers. Over the coming year, it’s likely that even more businesses take advantage of this trend to better position themselves in the eyes of their consumers.

• 47% of Marketers Believe Retail Uses SMS Most Effectively

When it comes to SMS, it seems one industry is a clear winner. According to 47% of marketers, the retail industry leads the way in terms of SMS API marketing. This means that SMS competition in the retail market may be fiercer than in other fields.

Still, it also means that businesses looking to start successful SMS campaigns of their own should look to the retail industry to find a catalogue of effective work from which to draw inspiration.

• 73% of Businesses Plan to Increase their SMS Budgets

With all this being said, it seems that even businesses that have not yet embraced SMS will do so in the near future. Specifically 73% of businesses plan to increase their SMS budgets in 2019, marking a dramatic shift in marketing strategy. With the effectiveness of SMS marketing no longer in question, it’s imperative that marketers in a variety of industries take advantage of SMS to grow their businesses and increase their brand recognition amongst consumers.