What metrics to expect when launching SMS and push notifications
Will Pearson
October 5, 2025
Marketers are comfortable with email metrics like open rates and clickthrough rates. But when you add SMS and push notifications into your mix, the metrics shift, and so do expectations. In this post, I’ll cover key metrics you should track for SMS and push, benchmark numbers to use as reference, and tips to interpret them.
Key metrics for SMS and push
Below are the primary metrics you’ll want to monitor when launching SMS or push notification campaigns:
Channel | Metric | What it means | Why it matters |
SMS | Open rate | Percentage of delivered SMS messages that are viewed | Indicates reach and how visible your messaging is |
SMS | Clickthrough rate (CTR) | Percentage of delivered SMS messages that result in a click | Measures engagement directly from the message |
SMS | Conversion rate | Clicks that lead to your desired action (purchase, signup, etc.) | Captures the business impact |
SMS | Unsubscribe / opt-out rate | Percentage of recipients who opt out | Indicates message fatigue or mismatch |
Push | Opt-in rate | Percentage of users who allow push notifications | Defines your total addressable push audience |
Push | Open / reaction rate | Percentage of delivered pushes that are opened or reacted to | Shows engagement at the notification level |
Push | Clickthrough rate (CTR) | Percentage of delivered pushes that result in a click or in-app action | Indicates high interest |
Push | Delivery rate | Percentage of push messages successfully delivered | Verifies technical reach |
Push | Conversion rate | Actions taken after interacting with a push | Connects push to real goals (e.g. purchase) |
Push | Unsubscribe / disable rate | Percentage of users who disable or opt out | Monitors push fatigue or annoyance |
Benchmark numbers to expect (SMS and push)
SMS benchmarks
SMS open rates around 55% are common in recent benchmarks.
SMS often outperforms email in terms of immediacy and engagement.
Conversion and clickthrough rates vary heavily by industry, offer, and use case, and time-sensitive promos tend to do much better.
SMS benchmarks include click and order rate benchmarks, revenue per recipient, and unsubscribe rates by industry.
Push notification benchmarks
In a 2025 Pushwoosh study, the average push CTR across apps is reported, with e-commerce seeing CTRs around 3 to 4 percent.
Business of Apps reports average push notification reaction rates: ~7.8% overall, ~4.9% for iOS, ~10.7% for Android.
In the CleverTap blog on push metrics: average push CTR ~4.6% on Android, ~3.4% on iOS.
In Batch’s push notification benchmark report: contextual campaigns reach ~14.4% open vs generic ~4.19% open.
Opt-in rates matter a lot. On Android, many users are auto-opted or prompted, whereas iOS requires explicit consent. Median Android opt-in is ~81% and iOS is ~51%.
Setting expectations and how to interpret
Benchmarks are benchmarks, not guarantees. Use them as guardrails rather than hard goals.
Your performance will depend on list quality, timing, messaging relevance, device OS, and vertical.
For SMS, early opens and conversions tend to happen quickly, many actions happen within minutes.
For push, opt-in rate is a gating metric, if only a small share of users allow push, then even good CTRs will not reach many users.
Compare iOS vs Android separately; they often behave differently.
Monitor unsubscribe and disable rates, if they climb, it is a signal you are overreaching.
Use segmented or contextual campaigns to improve metrics, for example triggered rather than generic pushes.
Conclusion
When launching SMS and push notification campaigns, do not expect email metrics to translate directly. You are operating in faster, more permission-based channels. As a rule of thumb:
For SMS, aim for open rates well above email norms in the 30 to 60 percent range and CTRs that reflect your offer’s strength.
For push, aim for CTRs in the 3 to 8 percent range depending on platform, and watch opt-in and unsubscribe rates closely.
