It’s not just how often you text — it’s when you do it that counts. Timing shapes engagement, conversions, and even unsubscribe rates. From weekday drops to weekend promos, brands follow distinct rhythms when they press send.
To uncover these patterns, we analyzed over 30,000 SMS campaigns from leading DTC brands across 12 weeks. Our AI shopper subscribed to thousands of SMS lists, tracked every message, and logged every send time to reveal exactly when the most successful brands choose to text.
Here’s when most of them do it.
The Most Popular Days to Send SMS Campaigns
SMS campaigns follow a clear rhythm — and Friday leads the charge.
- Friday accounts for the highest share of sends at 17.3%, showing it’s the prime day for campaign launches and weekend promos.
- Saturday (14.5%), Tuesday (14.4%), and Thursday (14.3%) follow closely, suggesting brands favor end-of-week and early-week windows to capture attention before or during key shopping periods.
- Monday (14.2%) and Wednesday (13.4%) see moderate activity, while Sunday (11.9%) is the quietest day, likely reflecting lower consumer engagement or fewer scheduled campaigns.
Overall, the data shows brands concentrate their SMS sends around Fridays and weekends, optimizing for peak buying intent and end-of-week promotions.
What Time of Day Brands Send the Most Messages
Midday dominates SMS timing. Noon (12 PM ET) is the single most popular hour for sends, accounting for 16.1% of all messages, followed by 1 PM (12.9%), 3 PM (11.8%), and 2 PM (10.8%). Together, those four hours represent more than half of all SMS activity, showing a strong preference for mid-day engagement.
Evening hours — especially 7–8 PM (6–8.5%) — form a secondary peak as brands target after-work shoppers. Late mornings (10–11 AM) hold steady at around 3–8%, while early mornings and late nights are almost silent, with minimal sends before 8 AM or after 9 PM.
In short, the majority of SMS campaigns land between late morning and early evening, with clear concentration around the 12–3 PM window, when customers are most active and responsive.
The Top Day & Time Combos for Maximum Engagements
When you combine both day and hour, the pattern becomes even clearer — Friday at noon (12 PM ET) is the undisputed peak for SMS sends, representing 3.1% of all messages. It’s followed closely by Friday at 1 PM (2.7%), Tuesday at 12 PM (2.4%), and Thursday at 12 PM (2.3%).
The top-ranked hours cluster tightly around midday, particularly between 12–3 PM, showing that brands favor lunchtime windows when engagement tends to spike. Fridays dominate the leaderboard overall, appearing five times in the top 20, while Tuesday, Thursday, and Monday also show strong representation.
Weekend activity, led by Saturday and Sunday noon slots, remains present but lower in share — suggesting that most brands still prefer to send messages during the workweek, when shoppers are more active and responsive.
Want to See the Full Picture?
This is just one chapter from our complete State of SMS Report, where we analyzed 30,000+ text messages from the biggest DTC brands.
Inside the full report, you’ll discover:
- The exact popup strategies top brands use to capture subscribers
- What offers actually convert (hint: it’s not always discounts)
- Peak send times that drive the highest engagement
- Welcome series breakdowns from brands crushing it with SMS
- Campaign types that keep subscribers engaged month after month
Download the full State of SMS Report and see how your brand stacks up against the competition.
