• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, January 14, 2025

Consumers not only like text messages, they want more of them, judging by the 2025 Mobile Consumer Insights Report from Vibes, the eighth in an annual series.  

For instance, 13% now want to receive text messages once a day, versus 6% last year. And 15% say they would welcome them every other day, compared with 7% in 2024.  

Twenty-one percent say they want to receive text messages a few times a week -- an increase from 17% last year. Perhaps more importantly, 31% want to get them only once a week, down from 42% in 2024.  

Why do they want from text messages? They seek:

• Incentives and loyalty programs — 64% 
• Exclusive content — 39% 
• Account/transaction-related updates — 38%
• Brand news — 32% 

Moreover, 44% sign up for text messages from firms they want to buy from. And 28% are more likely to purchase from companies that send them text messages. 

Despite that, consumers are protective of their privacy. They are willing to share these personal details with brands: 

• Email — 65%
• Birthday — 45% 
• Name — 44% 
• Shopping preferences — 40%
• Zip code — 35%
• Address — 13%
• Income — 9% 

How do they want this information used? They cite: 

• Offers based on birthday and purchase history — 56% 
• Reminders about unused relevant offers — 49%
• Offers based on location — 40% 
• Reminders of upcoming events — 40%

Meanwhile, consumers are warming up to digital wallets, and 55% say they could replace their physical wallets with them.  

Among shoppers, 60% now use their digital wallets for storing items other than their credit card -- up from 55% last year. 

But be careful: 25% of consumers “view messages that arrive too early or too late as irritating or spammy,” the study notes. 

Industry Dive surveyed 1,005 consumers for Vibes during a two-week period in October/November 2024.