A simple, straightforward, and still underutilized resource in Brazil has shown significant results for e-commerce: SMS. Although often associated with carrier messages and banking system authentications, the channel is gaining ground as a marketing tool and relationship builder — and the numbers help explain why.
According to a report by Infobip, based on data from Validity, 90% of SMS messages are read within 3 minutes of being sent. In comparison, email has open rates around 20 to 25%, often hours after being sent.
Beyond effectiveness, SMS carries another strategic advantage: it is cheaper than WhatsApp for mass campaigns. While the cost per message on WhatsApp Business API varies based on volume and communication category, SMS maintains more affordable and stable rates, which translates to higher ROI in quick and direct actions.
Data collected by edrone between April and July 2025 in campaigns for over 100 Brazilian online stores show that SMS is already delivering tangible results:
- Abandoned cart recoveryvia SMS achieved a conversion rate of 2.32% and generated over R$100,000 in revenue, from just over 6,000 messages sent.
- O The average order value of recovered cartsexceeded R$696.04, a value higher than the average in other digital campaigns.
- In post-sale strategies, the channel was even more efficient: average order value of R$1,071.83 per order.
Cases like Tia Sônia, which recovered abandoned carts with an ROI of nearly 4,000%, and Banca do Ramon, which recorded a 31.43% click-through rate in SMS Newsletter campaigns, reinforce that the channel can be decisive in the consumer’s purchase journey.
The Plantei Garden Center, an online store specializing in plants, bet on automations sent right after product views and earned over R$4.6K in revenue from 38 SMS orders in just 30 days, achieving an ROI exceeding 1,000%. Meanwhile, Lojas Kaster, in the construction materials sector, managed to recover R$5K just from abandoned carts via SMS, totaling over R$11K recovered in the period.
For Evelyn Tavares, marketing assistant at Lojas Kaster, the key was speed. ‘SMS brought clear changes in results: increased sales, more customers engaging with promotions, and nearly immediate returns. It’s a simple tool but with a major impact on campaign performance.’
Experts point out that SMS success in e-commerce is directly tied to contemporary consumer behavior: connected, multitasking, and impatient. In this scenario, the time factor makes a difference. ‘A direct notification in the customer’s pocket is harder to ignore than an email that might get lost in the inbox,’ explains Marisa Walsick, CRM analyst at Agência Sanders and responsible for Banca do Ramon’s communication strategies.
Additionally, McKinsey research indicates that multichannel strategies can increase sales conversion rates by up to 287%, precisely because they combine different touchpoints, reaching the consumer at the right moment and on the right device.
Expanding trend
While SMS is already a consolidated part of the communication mix in Europe, in Brazil it’s still in its early stages but promises to become a protagonist in digital campaigns. The adoption by large and small e-commerce businesses in recent months shows that the channel is no longer a secondary resource and is starting to take a strategic place in marketing agendas. Ultimately, SMS works because it translates the logic of modern consumption: short, direct, personalized messages received in real time. Cheaper than WhatsApp, more immediate than email, the channel is solidifying as a key piece in the arsenal of Brazilian e-commerce.
