• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, April 27, 2023

Consumers age 55 and older still prefer email as a brand messaging channel. But that is not the case with people in the 25-54 cohort, according to The 2023 Mobile Consumer Trends Report, a study from Vibes, conducted by Industry Dive’s studioID.  

In the younger group, 32% now say SMS is their preferred communication medium, versus 26% who like email.

In fact, 54% of those so-called younger consumers are now using their phones — or planning to — for redeeming store-branded offers and coupons.

One factor is that shoppers in that age set are also more likely to be using mobile wallet for storing coupons and loyalty cards, and they feel it is more convenient than having to find coupons in their email inboxes, the study explains: 71% of all respondents are likely to use personalized  mobile wallet offers/coupons.

In general, 70% of consumers have received text messages and mobile app push notifications from a brand on their phones. 

Not all of them like it: People opt out of these forms of mobile messaging, just as they do email. Almost 60% sign off because they receive too many SMS communications or push notifications from a brand.  

Other reasons they cite are: 

• Information not relevant to me — 33% 
• I no longer care about this brand or company — 31%
• The coupons or incentives are not good enough — 27%
• The messages are not timely — 19% 

But, again, it depends on age: Consumers over 40 complain of too many message updates, while 28% of those under 40 say there are too few.  

In general, 35% of smartphone users say the frequency isn’t important as long as the messages are relevant.  

Among those who like a certain frequency, they prefer: 

Once a day — 46% 

Once a week — 16% 

Once every other day — 11% 

In general, 51% of consumers have received push notifications from a brand’s mobile app — even when the app is closed. The remaining 49% have never received a push notification, or at least have not enabled them.

But a fifth of smartphone users are willing to share the following information about themselves:

• Zip code — 54% 
• Name — 44%
• Mobile phone number — 43% 
• Response to a survey — 42%

Shoppers plan to are plan to use their  smartphone for these uses they haven’t tried before:

• Purchasing a product at a store: using Apple Pay, Google Pay or some other form of instant pay — 16%
• Receiving a text message that will result in a purchase online or in-store — 16% 
• Receiving reward points for purchases — 15% 
• Accessing digital loyalty cards in their mobile wallet — 14% 
• Downloading an app — 12% 
• Showing a boarding pass at the airport — 11% 
• Receiving codes to confirm identity when logging into an account — 10%

In-store is more popular — 42% say they would buy that way to avoid shipping costs. And 52% say convenience influences purchase. 

StudioID surveyed 1,001 consumers with smartphones in November and December 2022.