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SMS vs Email Statistics: Which Marketing Strategy is Thriving in 2025?

A graphic with icons of emails, messages, and megaphone, titled "Important SMS vs Email Statistics: Which Marketing Strategy is Thriving in 2025?" by Digital Minds.

Every business relies on effective marketing strategies to promote its goods and services and monitor customer feedback. In the advent of the internet and social media, two channels have managed to thrive. While there are organizations that quickly switched to more modern approaches, others still use SMS and email marketing. Email and SMS, even with their traditional nature, are both powerful tools that give businesses a competitive advantage. When properly utilized, they provide several benefits such as cost savings, better brand identity and recall, and higher conversion rates. 

In this article, we will tackle the latest SMS marketing and email marketing statistics. These facts and figures will help you choose which channel is best for your marketing campaigns. Ultimately, we will walk you through the advantages of SMS and email in marketing efforts to see whether using both channels will be beneficial to your business. 

Are you ready to discover which marketing channel will boost your company’s promotion and advertising campaigns? Read more. 

Table of Contents show

What is SMS marketing?

SMS marketing is a direct marketing strategy that enables businesses to connect with opted-in customers and prospects via text messages. This approach is excellent for promoting products, sharing timely updates, and delivering reminders, all while leveraging the exceptional open rates and immediate access of mobile devices.

A graphic states, "90% of recipients open SMS marketing messages within 3 minutes," with abstract curved lines on a dark background.

As a permission-based owned channel, it allows businesses to develop authentic relationships with customers through promotional messages, transactional alerts like shipping notifications, and interactive engagement efforts.

How does email marketing work?

Email marketing functions by using email to strengthen customer relationships, highlight products and services, and drive sales through precisely targeted and personalized campaigns directed at an audience that has chosen to receive them.

It entails a comprehensive approach of lead capture, meaningful segmentation, automated dispatch of tailored communications, and performance analysis to fine-tune future efforts and enhance the return on investment.  

2025 SMS vs email statistics to help you pick the best marketing campaign.

Why do marketers prefer SMS? Let’s check the numbers.

1. A remarkable 66% of businesses are leveraging SMS marketing software to communicate with their customers, and an impressive 67% are planning to boost their SMS marketing budgets.

In the era of digital marketing, a huge percentage of companies still rely on SMS campaigns to craft quick yet compelling marketing messages for their client base. 

Text graphic stating: "Approximately 84% of the world's population owns smartphones, enhancing the reach of SMS marketing," with abstract line designs on a dark background.

2. According to recent insights, 82% of businesses assert that SMS marketing effectively drives revenue growth.

SMS marketing campaigns, known for their convenient and highly accessible formats, are effective revenue drivers. 

3. 82% of people check their text notifications in five minutes, and about one-third check within a minute.

Regular checking of SMS messages has become a solid part of customer routines. This SMS statistic proves that sending marketing messages and ads via SMS is still an efficient way to connect to existing and potential customers. 

Text graphic showing major industries using SMS: healthcare (55%), banking/finance (46%), and e-commerce/retail (45.9%) on a dark background with abstract line patterns.

4. As of 2025, 84% of consumers will opt to get texts from businesses, a 6% increase compared to last year.

Worrying about sending SMS to your customers? Don’t fret, because many customers prefer them. 

5. For 83% of consumers, texting stands out as the most popular mobile activity.

Top SMS statistics suggest that customers still see SMS platforms as a popular activity when using their mobile phones. This is despite the emergence of social media as the primary communication tool. 

But email campaigns can be a winner, too.

Text reads: "Segmented emails drive 30% more opens and 50% more click-throughs than unsegmented ones." Abstract line patterns decorate the dark background.

6. Email marketing serves as the primary method for 24% of marketers seeking to boost sales.

The use of email marketing platforms allows businesses to craft personalized messages that include compelling content, which is a significant revenue-boosting factor.

7. An impressive 72% of marketers choose email as their preferred method to connect with prospects at different phases of the customer journey.

Email marketing allows a direct and in-depth connection between companies and their potential and existing customer base.

8. 76% of consumers enjoy receiving emails from brands.

This enables email marketing campaigns to have a wider reach and a more targeted approach to various markets. Numerous customers truly value the email newsletters! 

9. A solid 59% of B2B marketers claim that email is their number one channel for earning income.

According to a statistic shared by LYFE Marketing in June 2022, 59% of B2B marketers assert that email is their leading channel for revenue generation.

10. Data show that 60% of consumers are inclined to receive promotional offers via email.

Designed with essential information and nice graphics, customers don’t mind opening their email inboxes with brand marketing offers in them! 

11. Email marketing is utilized by 16% of marketers to enhance customer relationships and promote lasting loyalty.

Compared to SMS, email messages are more detailed. Thus, the message conveyed is more personal and sincere. 

A look at the impact of SMS and email marketing via performance metrics. 

Open rate (SMS: 98%, Email: 28%)

The average open rate for SMS is higher compared to email. With most text messages being simple and optimized, SMS marketing has become a leading channel for high open rates. This means that customers are more likely to open messages through SMS than on other platforms. 

Click-through rate (SMS: 10%, Email: 3.8%)

Latest marketing stats found that SMS has a higher click-through rate compared to email marketing. This means that SMS allows customers to engage with brands better. A higher CTR also represents better ad quality and content that fits marketing purposes.

Conversion rate (SMS: 29%, Email: 15.22%)

SMS marketing provides a more direct and convenient approach to advertising and promotion. When it comes to SMS, marketing experts suggest personalized and timely messages with clear calls to action. 

Read rate (SMS: 42%, Email: 32%)

Successful SMS campaigns should be time-sensitive and appropriate to the needs of a specific customer base. Companies use SMS for time-sensitive reminders, promos, and ads. SMS text marketing enables easier access to brand content, as mobile phones only require good cellular reception or a signal. 

Email marketing vs SMS marketing statistics in terms of ROI

SMS alongside email marketing both thrive in the marketing landscape. But in terms of Return on Investment (ROI), does SMS offer the same advantage?

SMS: $10 for every $1 spent vs Email:  $42 for every $1 spent

Email statistics in 2025 reveal that email marketing remains the most effective and practical channel in terms of ROI. While engagement rates are relatively higher for SMS campaigns, email remains a cornerstone of digital marketing. Its more comprehensive and personalized approach allows email subscribers to get a better grasp of each ad or promotion.

Using SMS for marketing is a lot more affordable when it comes to startup costs. But for long-term cost-saving advantages, sending marketing content via email can help you save in the long run. 

What’s best for your campaign?

Now, you might be wondering what the best channel for your marketing campaign is: SMS or email? The answer to this will depend on a variety of factors, with your business size and your budget on top. The SMS marketing industry boasts affordability, simplicity, and high response rates.

On the other hand, email services offer a more sophisticated approach to marketing and promotion. It is more detail-oriented, personalized, and highly capable of capturing every customer’s mood and feeling. Here’s a quick guide to help you pick the ideal channel for your brand:

  • For small businesses, taking advantage of the potential of SMS for reminders and time-sensitive content is ideal. 
  • For startups, automated emails can be used to save time and improve engagement.
  • For established brands, leveraging both SMS and email is highly recommended.

Combining SMS and email marketing practices allows businesses to take advantage of their benefits. It also helps target the right customer base and improve brand presence. More specifically, using SMS and email together makes customer relationship building and management easier. Your brand becomes more accessible and familiar to potential markets.

Final thoughts

Digital marketing has grown into a highly progressive and profitable industry. With email and SMS leading its top channels, more and more companies are adopting modernized approaches to promote and advertise their brands. Depending on your needs, utilizing both email and SMS marketing strategies will be beneficial for your business. Likewise, proper management of email and SMS can significantly boost customer service quality, further increasing customer satisfaction rates. 

If you are looking for a competent team to handle your emails and other inquiries, choose Digital Minds BPO. With over a decade of proven experience and expertise, our teams have propelled brands to success with prompt and reliable email support services and other customer support solutions. Digital Minds BPO also offers the most affordable rates for outsourcing services, so you can save both time and money without compromising quality. 

Get ready to build your dreams; contact us today!