SMS analytics can tell you whether your messages are landing with your audience—whether they’re being opened, clicked on, and acted upon. It’s data you can use to refine your messaging, and when, how, and to whom you send it.
Creating an effective SMS strategy is useful for businesses of all sizes, in part because audiences are so receptive to it. A 2025 SimpleTexting survey of more than 1,000 US consumers found that over 80% have opted in to receive texts from businesses.
Read on to learn about key SMS metrics to track so you can improve your strategy and convert more customers with every send.
Short message service (SMS) analytics help you track and interpret the performance of your text message campaigns. They go beyond counting how many messages you’ve sent to look at engagement metrics that reveal how often your texts reach customers, whether customers then act on them, and how SMS fits into your broader business goals.
You can find SMS campaign performance data within the platform you use to send your text campaigns. Analytics tools like Shopify Messaging have customizable dashboards that sync with your ecommerce store. If you’re using a dedicated SMS app like Klaviyo or Postscript, you can integrate those with your Shopify store as well.
If you’re looking to hone your SMS marketing strategy, these are the key metrics to track.
Delivery rate is the percentage of SMS messages that successfully reach your recipients’ mobile devices without bouncing.
Delivery rate = (Delivered messages / Total recipients) x 100
A high delivery rate means the phone numbers you’re sending to are legitimate, and customers are receiving your messages. Tips for improving your delivery rate include:
Registering a number. You must register either a short code with the US Short Code Registry or a long code with Campaign Registry. Short codes can be beneficial for enterprise-level businesses sending thousands of text messages at a time.
Sending to opted-in numbers. Only send to recipients who have opted in to receiving text messages from your brand.
Cleaning your contact list. Regularly update your subscriber list and delete inactive numbers.
Your CTR is the percentage of recipients who clicked a link in your message, revealing how many people took an action.
CTR = (Number of clicks / Number of delivered messages) x 100
According to Klaviyo, a great click-through rate is 14.5% and above, while anything less than 5.9% needs attention.
Your CTR helps identify which messages or calls to action (CTAs) convince recipients to visit your online store. To improve your CTR, write clear CTAs and link to relevant landing pages so recipients don’t feel misled.
Your opt-in rate is the percentage of people who opt in, or subscribe, to receive your SMS messages. You can encourage opt-ins with enticing website pop-ups and checkout prompts.
Opt-in rate = (New opt-ins / Number of people prompted) x 100
Your opt-in rate reflects how effectively you’re building your SMS audience. To grow that audience, give people a good reason to hand over their phone numbers. Offer meaningful discounts or early access to sales or product drops, and ensure the opt-in prompt is visible at touchpoints like pop-ups or your checkout.
When someone replies “STOP” to your texts, they opt out. The opt-out rate is the percentage of people who choose to stop receiving SMS messages from your business.
Opt-out rate = (Opt-outs / Number of delivered messages) x 100
A rising unsubscribe rate can indicate a mismatch between what you’re messaging and what your audience expects. Or you might be dealing with technical issues, like broken links. Klaviyo found that an acceptable unsubscribe rate falls between 0.6% to 1.4%, and anything above 2% needs critical attention.
To lower unsubscribe rates, segment your audience into similar groups and send personalized messages based on their preferences, order history, or the products they’re interested in.
Open rate is the percentage of delivered SMS messages that recipients opened and viewed.
Open rate = (Number of opened messages / Total delivered messages) x 100
SMS open rates average 98% according to EZ Texting’s 2025 Consumer Texting Behavior Report, making it a useful metric to assess how engaged your audience is. To maintain a high open rate, keep your brand name visible so recipients know where the messages are coming from, and only send relevant information.
While not every SMS marketing campaign requires a response, you may launch some that do, such as when you’re requesting feedback or offering customer support. The response rate measures the percentage of subscribers who respond to your SMS messages.
Response rate = (Number of responses / Number of delivered messages) x 100
To improve your response rate, make sure the response you’re looking for is clear, like what exactly someone needs to text back to continue the conversation. For example, a nutrition business might tell customers to text back “MEAL PLAN” in order to receive a free 30-day plan and tips for meal prepping.
Return on investment (ROI) measures the revenue your SMS campaigns generate relative to what you spend on them. The cost of your SMS campaigns can include how much you’re paying a platform to send them, plus creative support like working with copywriters, designers, or a marketing strategist.
SMS ROI = [(SMS revenue — SMS cost) / SMS cost] x 100
Understanding your SMS ROI helps you assess whether texting is worth the investment. Tracking it helps you focus your budget on what’s driving revenue.
SMS stands for short message service. It’s how text messages are sent to mobile devices.
The key performance indicators for SMS campaigns include delivery rate, click-through rate, opt-in rate, opt-out rate, open rate, response rate, and return on investment (ROI).
Findings from Klaviyo determined that a great SMS click-through rate (CTR) is 14.5% and above, while anything below 5.9% signals that your messaging or call to action needs attention.
