• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, February 9, 2021

Those of you conducting email marketing these days may be in for a shock: Texting is more popular among consumers.

Of those polled in a new study by Zipwhip, 58% say texting is the fastest way to reach them. Only 21% cite mail.

And while the average respondent has 32 unread texts, they have 715 unread emails.

Moreover, 50% of consumers are sending more texts than usual, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of those, 87% are doing so to check in with family and friends, and 49% do so to keep in touch with colleagues.

Another 44% use texting to schedule appointments.

On the business side, 77% of firms now use texting, with 34% adopting it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As for uses, 25% of firms deploy texting for marketing and promotions and 22% for inbound and outbound sales.

And why is texting so popular among brands? Because 54% say it’s difficult to reach consumers via email and phone.

But there are issues, with one being compliance. You may think you know CAN-SPAM. But are you familiar with the law that rules texting: The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)?

A disappointing 44% that text are unfamiliar with the TCPA, and over 25% admit they sent texts to consumers who hadn’t opted in 2020.

Still, texting may have other uses beyond notifications and quick blasts. For instance, Almost 50% of consumers would like to pay by text if it could be done securely.

That idea hasn’t caught on with businesses — only 29% would consider it.

Meanwhile, 64% of consumers are spending more time on their cell phone because of COVID-19. Specifically, 26% spend more than four hours, 35% three to four hours and 39% on to two hours.

That said, 83% of consumers received a text message from a business in 2020. In terms of frequency, 34% say the texts were sporadic. But 28% receive them once a week, 14% once a day an 14% once a month. Another 10% never get them.

The most valuable texts were appointment reminders (64%), shipment or delivery updates (48%) and those offering a great discount on a product or service (29%).

However, only 34% feel they were more informed about politics and candidates because of political texts during the 2020 election.

Many may say the same thing about political emails. 

Zipwhip surveyed over 2,000 businesses and consumers in 2021.