13 Text Marketing Trends to Watch in 2025

As we enter 2025, customer expectations are changing once again. The desire for instant replies, gratification, and a better customer experience pushes marketers to find new innovative ways to connect with customers and drive results. 

One of the ways brands are finding success in this new environment is through text marketing. That’s because companies must find better ways to connect in a mobile-first world. But to succeed on this channel, you should know what trends are on the horizon to build into your text marketing strategy for 2025 and beyond.  

While the Textedly team can’t predict the future, we keep our fingers on the pulse to stay ahead of emerging trends. With that said, in this article, you’ll find 13 SMS marketing trends for 2025 and beyond that were sourced from our product team members, marketing teams, and online research. 

Let’s dive into the trends that are impacting SMS marketing in 2025.

Jump right to: 

1.   Brands Emphasize Two-Way Conversational Marketing
2.   The Rise of Text to Pay
3.   Text Automation Becomes Paramount
4.   Say Hello to SMS Chat Bots and AI Assistants 
5.   RCS Enters the Marketing Chat
6.   Retailers Turn to In-Store Contextual Marketing with SMS
7.   Texting Grows as a Customer Service Channel
8.   SMS Plays a Bigger Role in Omnichannel Marketing
9.   Going Beyond a ‘Name’ for Personalization
10.   SMS Gets on Par with Email Marketing 
11.   Even More Businesses Add Texting
12.   Interactive SMS Marketing Campaigns

1. Brands Emphasize Two-Way Conversational Marketing

Traditional one-way communication methods are no longer enough to capture attention and build customer loyalty. This is where conversational marketing comes in. This is a dynamic, modern approach that transforms typical interactions into engaging back-and-forth conversations, fostering stronger brand connections and driving higher conversion rates.

Conversational marketing is about establishing two-way communication that allows brands to listen to their customers, understand their needs, and provide tailored solutions. In the scope of SMS marketing, this means allowing your customers to text you back and engage with your messages to build better, lasting customer relationships.

2. The Rise of Text to Pay 

The rise of "Text to Pay" is revolutionizing the way transactions are conducted, offering a simple and efficient solution for both businesses and consumers. This innovative payment method allows customers to complete purchases or settle invoices directly through text messages, without the need for complex processes or physical interaction. 

For smaller businesses or service providers, Text to Pay is especially transformative. It eliminates barriers like long checkout pages or payment portals, offering a frictionless, mobile-friendly way to process payments. Whether it’s a quick one-time service fee or recurring subscriptions, businesses can send payment links directly via SMS, enabling customers to pay instantly from their phones. This convenience not only speeds up transactions but also boosts customer satisfaction by providing a seamless, on-the-go payment experience. As mobile commerce continues to grow, Text to Pay is becoming an essential tool for businesses looking to stay competitive and offer modern, customer-centric service.

3. Text Automation Becomes Paramount

As businesses face increasing pressure to engage customers efficiently and at scale, text automation is rapidly becoming a game-changer in marketing. Tools like trigger-based messages, drip campaigns, and automated responses are enabling companies to streamline their communication, ensuring timely and personalized interactions without the need for manual effort. 

Whether it's sending a welcome message when someone subscribes, nurturing leads through a series of follow-up texts, or automatically responding to common customer inquiries, automation is making it easier for marketing teams to do more with less. For small businesses and larger enterprises alike, automation not only saves valuable time but also improves the customer experience by delivering the right message at the right moment. As expectations for instant, personalized communication continue to rise, automation is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity for staying competitive in today’s fast-paced marketing environment.

4. Say Hello to SMS Chat Bots and AI Assistants 

SMS chatbots are a huge text marketing trend that will continue rising in popularity in 2025. Chatbots save time and effort by automating parts of the customer experience and providing instant answers to common customer inquiries. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) breakthroughs have made the technology more pervasive in mainstream software products. These advances will continue to spill into SMS software. 

AI assistants take automation to the next level by analyzing data, making intelligent decisions, and offering personalized responses without human intervention. This powerful combination of SMS technology and AI capabilities ensures that your operations run smoothly, your customers are always attended to, and your team can focus on high-value tasks.

By integrating SMS bots and AI assistants into your workflows, you can streamline communication, increase productivity, and reduce operational costs, all while providing a seamless experience for your customers. It's about creating efficient, automated systems that drive business success.

5. RCS Enters the Marketing Chat

With Apple’s recent adoption of RCS, more brands will start to explore RCS  business messaging. Though SMS will remain the most popular, expect to see more RCS messaging from brands. Unlike standard text messages, RCS allows businesses to send multimedia-rich content, like high-resolution images, carousels, videos, and even interactive buttons. This opens up exciting new possibilities for marketing, enabling businesses to engage customers with personalized, branded experiences.

6. Retailers Turn to In-Store Contextual Marketing with SMS

45% of U.S. retailers are planning a change to their contextual marketing strategies, which includes sending SMS and emails to customers in-store, according to October 2023 Retail Systems Research data. 

As shopping experiences become more personalized, retailers are turning to in-store contextual marketing via SMS to enhance customer engagement and drive sales. By leveraging SMS, retailers can send targeted messages based on a shopper’s location, purchase history, or in-store behavior, offering real-time promotions, discounts, and product recommendations. Get ready to see more SMS offers texted to customers in stores.

7. Texting Grows as a Customer Service Channel

Rather than forcing customers to wait on hold or send lengthy emails,  brands are implementing an  SMS or messaging tool to resolve customer issues and answer their questions quickly. With its speed and convenience, texting allows customers to engage with businesses in real time. For businesses, offering SMS as a customer service option not only meets customer expectations but also helps improve satisfaction by providing quick, personalized responses. As this trend grows, companies that embrace texting as a primary service channel will be better positioned to connect with the next wave of consumers. Plus, it offers many ways to integrate AI, making it a customer service channel worth exploring.

Multi-channel marketing helps businesses create opportunities to engage with and be recognized by their customers. 

Consistency across channels remains essential for building and maintaining customer trust in 2025. We expect to see SMS as a channel more often included in omnichannel marketing strategies.

You’ll see more email service providers are tapping into SMS marketing. In part, because it offers open rates of 98% and response rates of 45%, which is higher than email.

9. Going Beyond a ‘Name’ for Personalization

Personalization has become more than just inserting a customer’s name into a message. To truly stand out, brands need to go beyond the basics and create content and experiences that feel tailor-made for each individual. This includes crafting SMS marketing campaigns that reflect customer preferences, behaviors, and interests. This will help brands create experiences that speak directly to each customer. Many brands will implement AI to help them process data and interactions with customers to present more personalized experiences.

By going the extra mile with personalization, brands can build stronger connections and drive deeper engagement.

10. SMS Gets on Par With Email Marketing

Digital marketers across the U.S. are starting to see SMS marketing programs deliver results similar to that of their email marketing programs. 

“SMS now represents 4% of our total business revenue,” Cher Fuller, senior director of digital marketing at Alo Yoga told Glossy. “There’s a ton of growth potential for revenue, but also as an acquisition channel surpassing, or getting on par with, our email program.” 

As a result of the growth potential and success, we predict SMS marketing will start to drive an even larger share of revenue, on par with or surpassing email marketing.

11. Even More Businesses Add Texting

Nearly 4 in 5 people in the U.S. own a smartphone. U.S. adults check their phones an average of 114 times daily, and usually do so within the first 10 minutes of waking, per a Reviews.org study.

As a result of these mind-blowing stats, more businesses are adding texting as a communication channel because customers love it. As consumer preferences shift towards quicker, more direct communication, businesses are recognizing the value of adding texting to their marketing and customer service strategies.

12. Interactive SMS Marketing Campaigns

Brands are increasingly turning to interactive SMS marketing campaigns to engage customers in fun, innovative ways. By incorporating interactive elements like polls, quizzes, exclusive offers, or two-way conversations, businesses can create more personalized and dynamic experiences. These creative campaigns not only capture attention but also encourage customer participation, driving deeper engagement. As consumers crave more personalized interactions, incorporating interactive elements into SMS marketing helps brands stand out, build stronger relationships, and deliver memorable experiences that keep customers coming back for more.

13. Regulators Get Stricter on SMS Compliance

As SMS marketing grows, regulators have become increasingly focused on ensuring compliance with new rules and standards. In 2023-2024, significant changes were implemented, including mandatory registration of SMS campaigns with carriers and a stricter crackdown on opt-ins to ensure consumers are fully aware of what they’re signing up for. These changes aim to protect consumers from unwanted spam and ensure that businesses are following best practices. Tighter regulations are expected to extend to all phone numbers used in SMS marketing, including toll-free numbers. This shift will require businesses to adopt more rigorous opt-in processes and ensure they’re staying compliant to avoid penalties,

Capitalize on Text Trends With Textedly 

A successful SMS marketing campaign begins with the right software. Whether you’re new to text message marketing  or want to employ recent mobile marketing trends in your 2025 strategy, Textedly offers the flexibility to accomplish your goals. 

Textedly provides simple, easy-to-set-up SMS solutions so you can start messaging your customers right away.  

Get started with Textedly’s free trial to stay ahead in the  SMS marketing landscape.