Did you know that the majority of active SMS short codes are random numbers? According to the CTIA, 60% of all active SMS short codes are a random set of numbers, where only 40% are vanity short codes, which are specifically selected by a brand. You can see the nice little pie chart I created below to highlight this interesting statistic.
What I find interesting is that vanity short codes, even though they’re twice the price of a random short code, aren’t more popular with brands. Vanity short codes make the whole opt-in process easier for a consumer, as they’re able to look once at an ad that has a text messaging call-to-action, then to their mobile device to submit the opt-in text message.
With random short codes, it’s much more common for a consumer to have to look repeated times at a call-to-action while submitting the opt-in text message, as they may not be able to recall the 5-6 random short code.
What do you think, did these numbers surprise you? Let me know in the comments section below what you think, and if you think these percentages will change over time, or remain consistent?
Don’t know what the different between a random and vanity short code is? Check out this video to learn more.
