Is SMS Marketing worth it for companies in 2026. We ran a couple of tests in Q1 with 3 different types of businesses. Below are our experiences. We are comparing the SMS channel with Email as there continues to be a lot of debate about SMS vs Email.
Case Study 1 – Gym based in Medium Size Town
- List: 3,600 members
- Open rate: 98% (vs 28% email)
- Conversion: 12% (vs 4% email)
- Use case: Class reminders, last-minute spots
Cast Study 2 – E-Commerce Brand (Fashion – Mid to Premium Brands)
- List: 8,200 opted-in customers built up over a number of years on their website
- Revenue per SMS: $3.47 (vs $0.82 email)
- Best for: Flash sales, restock alerts
- Unsubscribe rate: Higher (7% vs 2%)
Case Study 3 – B2B Online Service
- List: 1,100 trial users
- Tested for: Reminding Trial Users that their Trial is about to expire
- Result: 34% upgrade rate (vs 18% email alone)
Some takeaways
SMS Marketing continues to work GREAT for Time-sensitive offers, High-intent moments (cart abandonment, trial ending), service reminders and notifications. The read rate is constantly at 98% so the message is always delivered to the end-user.
However, SMS Marketing does not work well for Educational content, long-form storytelling or daily communication with your customers.
In Summary use Email for nurturing your customer base with newsletters but SMS for urgency!!