A simple, direct, and still relatively unexplored resource in Brazil has shown significant results for e-commerce: SMS . Although often associated with messages from mobile operators and authentication from banking systems, the channel is gaining ground as a marketing and relationship tool—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 open rates are around 20 to 25%, often hours after being sent.
In addition to its effectiveness, SMS offers another strategic advantage: it's cheaper than WhatsApp for mass campaigns . While the cost per message on the WhatsApp Business API varies according to the volume and category of communication, SMS maintains more affordable and stable rates, which translates into a higher ROI for quick and direct actions .
Data collected by edrone between April and July 2025 from campaigns in over 100 Brazilian online stores shows that SMS is already delivering tangible results:
- Abandoned shopping cart recovery via SMS achieved a conversion rate of 2.32% and generated over R$100,000 in revenue from just over 6,000 messages sent.
- The average order value for recovered items exceeded R$ 696.04, a value above the average in other digital campaigns.
- In post-sales strategies, the channel was even more efficient: average order value of R$ 1,071.83 .
Cases like that of Tia Sônia , which recovered abandoned shopping carts with an ROI of almost 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.
Plantei Garden Center , an online store specializing in plants, invested in automated messages sent immediately after product viewing and generated over R$ 4,600 in revenue from 38 orders via SMS in just 30 days , achieving a return on investment (ROI) of over 1,000%. Meanwhile, Lojas Kaster , a construction materials retailer, recovered R$ 5,000 from abandoned shopping carts via SMS alone , totaling over R$ 11,000 recovered during that period.
For Evelyn Tavares, marketing assistant at Lojas Kaster, the key difference was the speed. “SMS generated clear changes in results: increased sales, more customers participating in promotions, and an almost immediate return on investment. It's a simple tool, but with a great impact on campaign performance.”
Experts point out that the success of SMS in e-commerce is directly related to the behavior of the contemporary consumer: connected, multitasking, and impatient. In this scenario, the time makes a difference. “A direct notification in the customer's pocket is harder to ignore than an email that might get forgotten in the inbox,” explains Marisa Walsick, CRM analyst at Agência Sanders and responsible for communication strategies at Banca do Ramon.
Furthermore, 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 time and on the right device.
Expanding trend
While SMS is already a well-established part of the communication mix in Europe, in Brazil it is still in its infancy, but promises to become a key player in digital campaigns. The adoption by large and small e-commerce businesses in recent months shows that the channel has ceased to be a secondary resource and is beginning to occupy a strategic place on the marketing agenda. Ultimately, SMS works because it reflects the logic of modern consumption: short, direct, personalized messages received in real time . Cheaper than WhatsApp, more immediate than email, the channel is establishing itself as a key piece in the arsenal of Brazilian e-commerce.
