Where SMS Fits (and Where It Doesn't) in Your Strategy

SMS gets treated two ways: as the channel that fixes everything, or the one brands are scared to touch. Neither is right.

SMS works best for what it's built for: fast, urgent, high-attention moments. Think shipping updates, flash sales, restock alerts, or a same-day cart reminder. It's the wrong channel for your weekly newsletter or a long product story. Save that for email, where people expect to read more.

The brands getting the most out of SMS aren't sending more. They're sending fewer messages, timed to moments that actually justify a text landing on someone's lock screen. That distinction matters more as your subscriber list grows. What worked for a list of 500 people gets old fast at 50,000, if every message feels like noise.

One test worth running: pick a single moment in your customer journey, maybe post-purchase shipping, maybe a low-stock alert, and see whether SMS outperforms email for that specific message. Not everything, one thing.

Where's SMS earning its place in your current strategy, and where do you think it's being overused? Tell us the one SMS use case that's worked best for your brand.