Texting is increasingly popular among
consumers, at least those in the lower age brackets, judging by a study from SimpleTexting.
Of 1,400 Gen Z and millennial consumers surveyed, 69% have opted in to brand texts in
the past year. But they are placing limits on it—90% want to receive messages once a week or less.
Moreover, 52% set quiet hours or Do Not Disturb notices, 23% every
day. Gen Z is more likely to use quiet time than millennials—58% vs. 47%.
Why are the other 31% not opting in? First, they simply don’t want more notifications. Millennnials are
leading the way here. And both groups cite spam/privacy concerns. Gen Z tends to not want texts if they don’t see the value.
Email is more popular for some types of messages:
Coupons & discounts—53%
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Shipping or order updates—41%
Appointments or reservation confirmation—28%
Customer service question—53%
Abandoned cart notification—22%
In contrast, text is preferred more for shipping or order updates and appointment confirmations:
Coupons & discounts—30%
Shipping or order updates—48%
Appointments or reservation confirmation—61%
Customer service question—22%
Abandoned cart notification—9 %
Those are not the only disitinctions between Gen Z and millennials. For one, 57% of Gen Z are most likely to spend their phone time browsing social media, versus 44% of millennials.
But
millennials are slightly more inclined to text or message—18% to 15%.
Both groups are tied for sending or reading emails—3% apiece.
In general, consumers are most
likely to opt in for texts from ecommerce or retail brands (48%) and healthcare (43%). These categories are followed by travel (24%), consumer services (23%), finance (20%), and technology (20%).
Construction and manufacturing are ranked at 3% each.
Overall, 73% like to receive order/shipping notifications, and 67% exclusive discounts or early access.
Millennials are more
receptive than Gen Z to s two-way customer support (27% to 22%), loyalty or VIP perks (32% to 27%), and local store offers (22% to 19%).