We have all heard about how Europe is so much further ahead in mobile services than the US. But with over 90% of Americans now with a mobile phone subscription, the US has done quite a bit of catching up.

That said, a recent survey by mBlox shows that for some mobile services, consumers in the UK are up to 3 times more likely than their US counterparts to choose text messaging when communicating with businesses. Some of the key results of the survey are:

• 59 % of UK and 17 % of US consumers surveyed stated SMS as their preferred choice when being contacted about appointment reminders


• For payment reminders, such as credit card and utility bills, the consumer research showed that more than one in three consumers in the UK chose SMS as their preferred communication channel but just one in 10 chose SMS in the US


• 71 % of UK and 42 % of US mobile users said they would be interested in receiving mobile coupons/vouchers while they are shopping in a store to alert them to a special offer or promotion

What does this all mean? While it is clear that UK consumers are more accustomed to texting with businesses, US consumers are beginning to give this serious consideration. One way to look at these results is that US consumers are no longer asking the question; “what is an SMS?”  With the rapid adoption of mobile handsets in the US, consumers are finding new ways to use them. And the common denominator is the ever efficient text message. I think these results will look very different next year as I predict these numbers will change rapidly.

The survey results indicate that consumers want the choice in how they want to communicate with businesses. So if SMS is what they want, businesses should offer that option. And the benefits can go beyond that when consumers are comfortable with increasing the interaction with brands via text, opening a whole new channel of communication. So enterprises and small businesses are you listening… let’s give consumers what they want!

Read more at: mBlog