SMS Marketing Benchmarks: What Good Performance Looks Like in 2026

SMS marketing remains one of the highest-performing revenue channels for ecommerce brands. But how do you know if your SMS program is actually performing well?

That’s where benchmarks matter.

Using aggregated data from over 17,000 Shopify stores, Postscript’s SMS Benchmarks report defines what “good” performance looks like across acquisition, retention, revenue, and engagement metrics.

In this guide, we’ll answer common questions like:

• What is a good retention rate for SMS marketing?

• What is a good acquisition rate?

• What do these metrics actually mean?

• How was this benchmark data collected?

The SMS benchmark data is based on performance from over 17,000 Shopify stores using Postscript.

Here’s how the data was compiled:

• Data window: January 1 – December 15, 2025

• Only stores installed for at least 90 days before Black Friday were included

• Merchants needed to meet minimum activity thresholds

• Metrics were aggregated at the merchant level to account for seasonality

• Benchmarks are shown by percentile (25th, 50th, 75th, 90th)

Using percentiles helps brands understand not just averages, but how top-performing programs compare to median performers.

This ensures the data reflects real, sustained SMS performance — not short-term campaign spikes.

SMS acquisition rate measures how effectively your brand turns new customers into SMS subscribers.

It is calculated as:

Net new SMS subscribers ÷ New orders (over a 30-day period)

This metric tells you how efficiently your store is growing its SMS list relative to incoming customers.

Your SMS list is an owned marketing asset. The faster and more efficiently you grow it, the more long-term revenue potential you create.

A low acquisition rate may indicate:

• Weak pop-up performance

• Poor opt-in incentives

• Checkout opt-in friction

• Underperforming on-site capture strategy

According to the Postscript SMS Benchmarks:

• Median (50th percentile): ~1.06%

• 75th percentile: ~2.32%

• 90th percentile: ~5.22%

What this means:

• Around 1% is average.

• Above 2% is strong.

• Above 5% puts you in elite territory.

If you are acquiring SMS subscribers at 2% or higher of new orders, you are outperforming most ecommerce brands.

Retention rate measures the percentage of new SMS subscribers who remain subscribed after 30 days.

It answers the question:

“How many people stay on my list after signing up?”

Acquiring subscribers is only valuable if they stay engaged.

High unsubscribe rates reduce lifetime value and increase your cost per retained subscriber.

Strong retention signals:

• Proper welcome messaging

• Clear expectations at opt-in

• Healthy send cadence

• Relevant targeting and segmentation
  

Based on Postscript benchmark data:

• Median retention rate: ~93.1%

• 75th percentile: ~96.9%

• 90th percentile: ~99.1%

What this means:

If you retain over 90% of subscribers in their first 30 days, your program is healthy.

Retention rates between 97–99% indicate elite list health and highly relevant messaging.

Revenue per message (RPM) measures how much revenue is generated for every SMS message sent.

Formula:

Attributed SMS revenue ÷ Total messages sent (last 30 days)

Benchmarks show:

• Median: ~$0.98

• 75th percentile: ~$2.13

• 90th percentile: ~$4.54

Brands generating over $2 per message are performing strongly.

Brands exceeding $4 per message are operating highly optimized SMS programs with strong segmentation and targeting.

Another important benchmark is messages per subscriber per month (cadence).

Benchmarks show:

• Median: ~1.91 messages

• 75th percentile: ~3.84 messages

• 90th percentile: ~6.65 messages

Most brands send about 2 messages per month per subscriber.

High-performing brands can send 4–6 messages monthly without harming retention — but only when messaging is relevant and segmented.

The data also shows that certain automated message types significantly outperform standard campaigns.

For example:

Back-in-Stock messages frequently drive:

• 36–58% click-through rates

• 7–13.8% conversion rates

This highlights the power of triggered, intent-based SMS over broad promotional blasts.

Here’s how to interpret your numbers:

If you’re below median:
Audit opt-ins, incentives, segmentation, and message timing.

If you’re at median:
You’re aligned with average ecommerce performance. Focus on incremental optimization.

If you’re above the 75th percentile:
You have a strong foundation. Double down on automation and personalization.

If you’re in the 90th percentile:
You’re in elite territory. Focus on scaling while protecting retention and list health.

A good SMS retention rate is above 90% after the first 30 days. Top-performing brands retain 97–99% of subscribers.

A good acquisition rate is above 2%. Elite programs exceed 5% of new orders converting into SMS subscribers.

Benchmarks provide context. Without them, you don’t know whether your performance is strong, average, or underperforming.

They help you:

• Set realistic growth goals

• Identify gaps

• Justify investment in SMS

• Optimize revenue per subscriber