A single SMS can increase sales by up to 23% or... cause a customer to block the sender’s number. The difference lies not in the content of the message, but in the moment it is received. SMS sending is a marketing tool whose effectiveness largely depends on the precise timing – both the time of day and the day of the week.
But what if there are golden hours when your customers are most inclined to take action? Moments when the likelihood of opening a message and responding to it is highest? In this article, we present tips to help you unlock the full potential of SMS communication.
Imagine a typical day for an average recipient. In the morning, they check notifications during breakfast, during the day they focus on work, and in the evening they spend time with family. SMS campaigns must perfectly fit into their daily rhythm. Studies show that messages sent between 10:00 and 16:00 on weekdays achieve up to three times higher effectiveness than those delivered at inappropriate times. Why? Because during these hours the recipient is already past the morning rush but not yet exhausted by work – it's the best moment for effective customer interaction.
However, there are times that should definitely be avoided. The weekend is a time for rest: sending messages then may have the opposite effect. The same applies to early morning hours (before 9:00) and late evenings (after 19:00). A good marketing strategy should take these 'quiet' hours into account.
Holiday periods and sales events follow their own rules. While a typical Monday morning may not favor SMS sending, early hours on Black Friday can be the key to success. On this special day, customers often plan purchases even before work starts, so SMS campaigns launched at 8:00 record a response rate of up to 65%.
During the pre-holiday period, the average consumer receives even five times more promotional messages than usual. Therefore, sending SMS during this time requires a well-thought-out strategy. For example, instead of bombarding shoppers with promotions at the peak of the season (December 15–23), it is worth starting communication earlier. Stores that launch their holiday SMS campaigns at the beginning of December achieve on average 40% better results than those waiting until the last minute.
An online store serving customers across Poland faces the challenge of different time preferences – some finish work at 16:00, others at 18:00. Automation of sending allows for adaptation to the daily rhythm of each customer group.
The synergy between CRM systems and SMS sending not only enables precise scheduling but also personalization of the message delivery time based on the customer's activity history. For instance, if a shopper browses your store in the evening, the system will schedule a reminder for the next day at a similar time. Studies show that automated sending translates into a higher campaign effectiveness – on average, 34% more responses compared to standard mass SMS campaigns.
Consumer behavior analysis shows that the same offer sent at the same time can yield dramatically different results depending on the target group. Therefore, personalization in marketing goes far beyond simply inserting the recipient's name into the SMS text. Effective customer interaction is based on understanding their shopping habits and time preferences.
Dog owners are most responsive to promotions during walking hours, while young parents react best when their children are at school. Such an approach to segmentation combined with content personalization increases campaign effectiveness by up to 56%. Customers primarily appreciate relevance and timing – both of the offer and the moment it is received.
An SMS campaign can significantly boost sales if it is based on the right marketing strategy. At the same time, it is crucial not to exceed the planned budget – finding ways to optimize sending costs is key:
Systematic optimization of sending not only reduces costs but also significantly improves the effectiveness of SMS marketing. It is mainly about continuously refining the marketing strategy, adopting a flexible approach to campaigns, and consciously managing the budget.