SMS marketing analytics: what to track beyond open rates

SMS is not email

SMS marketing operates differently than email. Open rates approach 98%—nearly everyone reads texts. This makes open rate almost meaningless as a performance indicator. Success measurement requires looking beyond opens to engagement, conversion, and relationship health metrics that reveal whether SMS actually works for your business.

Why SMS metrics differ

The channel has unique characteristics.

Near-universal opens:

People read texts. Open rate doesn’t differentiate good campaigns from bad.

Immediate attention:

Most texts are read within minutes. The window for action is short.

Limited real estate:

Character limits constrain messaging. Every word matters.

High intimacy:

Text is personal. Missteps feel more intrusive than email mistakes.

Click and engagement metrics

What recipients do after reading.

Click-through rate:

Percentage clicking links in your messages. The primary engagement indicator since opens are assumed.

Click rate by message type:

Compare promotional, transactional, and conversational messages. Different types perform differently.

Click timing:

How quickly do recipients click? Most clicks happen within an hour. Late clicks might indicate saved messages.

Unique versus total clicks:

Are recipients clicking multiple times? Multiple clicks might indicate strong interest or confusing links.

Conversion metrics

Turning engagement into revenue.

Conversion rate:

Purchases divided by messages sent or by clicks. Your core performance metric.

Revenue per message:

Total revenue divided by messages sent. Normalizes across campaign sizes.

Revenue per recipient:

Revenue divided by unique recipients. Accounts for frequency within campaigns.

Average order value:

SMS-driven order value compared to other channels. Does SMS drive different purchase behavior?

Attribution challenges

Connecting SMS to sales.

Direct click attribution:

Easiest to track. Recipient clicks link and purchases in same session.

Assisted conversions:

SMS reminded them, but they purchased through another channel. Harder to capture but real.

Attribution window:

How long after receiving a text do you credit the purchase to SMS? 24 hours? 7 days? Define consistently.

Promo code tracking:

SMS-exclusive codes provide clear attribution. If they use the code, SMS drove the sale.

List health metrics

The quality and sustainability of your SMS audience.

List growth rate:

New subscribers minus unsubscribes. Is your list growing or shrinking?

Opt-out rate:

Percentage unsubscribing per message or per month. High opt-outs signal problems.

Opt-out by campaign:

Which messages trigger unsubscribes? Learn what your audience rejects.

Complaint rate:

Spam reports or carrier complaints. Can affect deliverability.

Deliverability metrics

Are messages reaching recipients?

Delivery rate:

Messages successfully delivered divided by messages sent. Should be very high—95%+.

Failure reasons:

Invalid numbers, carrier blocks, or network issues. Diagnose delivery problems.

Carrier-specific issues:

Some carriers might block more than others. Monitor by carrier if possible.

Timing analysis

When to send for best results.

Performance by day:

Which days generate best engagement and conversion? Weekday versus weekend patterns.

Performance by time:

Morning, afternoon, evening? When is your audience most responsive?

Time zone considerations:

If audience spans time zones, are you sending at appropriate local times?

Frequency and fatigue

How much is too much?

Optimal frequency:

Track performance at different message frequencies. When do returns diminish?

Engagement decay:

Does engagement drop after multiple messages? Fatigue pattern recognition.

Opt-out correlation:

Do opt-outs increase with frequency? Find the threshold before you cross it.

Segment performance

Different audiences respond differently.

Segment-level metrics:

Compare VIP customers versus new customers versus dormant customers. Tailor messaging by segment.

Behavioral segments:

Previous purchasers versus browsers. SMS converters versus non-converters.

Engagement tiers:

Highly engaged versus passive subscribers. Consider different strategies for each.

Campaign type comparison

Different messages serve different purposes.

Promotional campaigns:

Sales, discounts, new products. Revenue-focused.

Transactional messages:

Order confirmations, shipping updates. Service-focused but build trust.

Conversational messages:

Two-way dialogue, customer feedback. Relationship-focused.

Abandoned cart recovery:

Specific recovery campaigns. Track recovery rate and revenue recaptured.

Cost efficiency metrics

SMS costs money per message.

Cost per message:

What do you pay per text? Varies by provider and volume.

Cost per click:

Message cost divided by clicks generated.

Cost per conversion:

Message cost divided by conversions. Your acquisition cost through SMS.

ROI calculation:

Revenue attributed to SMS minus SMS costs. Is the channel profitable?

Lifetime value impact

SMS role in customer relationships.

LTV of SMS subscribers:

Do SMS subscribers have higher lifetime value than non-subscribers?

Retention impact:

Do SMS subscribers retain better? Churn rate comparison.

Cross-channel behavior:

Do SMS subscribers also engage with email? Purchase through other channels?

SMS metrics to track

Focus on these analytics:

Click-through rate (not open rate). Conversion rate and revenue per message. Revenue per recipient. Attribution by method (click, promo code). List growth and opt-out rates. Delivery rate and failure reasons. Performance by day and time. Engagement by message frequency. Segment-level performance. Campaign type comparison. Cost per conversion and ROI. LTV of SMS subscribers versus non-subscribers.

SMS success isn’t measured by opens—everyone opens texts. Track the metrics that show whether your messages drive action and build valuable customer relationships.