Digital marketing trends food and beverage brands cannot ignore in 2026
The specific 2026 digital marketing trends most relevant to food and beverage brands, prioritised for visual discovery and retail media coordination.
5 min read
SMS marketing has seen renewed strategic interest, driven largely by its consistently much higher open rate compared to email — a channel that had fallen somewhat out of favour amid broader digital marketing enthusiasm is being reconsidered for exactly the messages that genuinely benefit from near-certain, fast visibility.
Why SMS open rates remain consistently high
SMS notifications typically appear directly and immediately on a phone's lock screen, without competing against an inbox full of other email, and most people check text messages promptly — this structural advantage has remained consistent even as other channels' effectiveness has fluctuated.
- SMS appears directly on the lock screen, without an inbox competing for attention.
- Most recipients check and read text messages promptly after receiving them.
- This structural advantage has remained relatively stable over time, unlike more volatile email inbox competition.
SMS's high open rate is precisely why it should be used sparingly, for genuinely important messages — the same trait that makes it powerful also makes overuse particularly costly to the customer relationship.
What SMS is genuinely best used for
- Time-sensitive, high-value alerts (shipping updates, appointment reminders, flash sale windows closing soon).
- Critical account or security notifications.
- A small number of genuinely high-value promotional messages, used sparingly.
What SMS should generally not be used for
Routine, frequent promotional content that would be reasonable on email becomes intrusive and quickly leads to opt-outs on SMS, given the more personal, direct nature of the channel and its higher attention cost to the recipient.
Frequently asked questions
How does SMS marketing compliance differ from email?
SMS marketing regulations, including explicit consent requirements, generally exist alongside and sometimes separately from email marketing regulations — checking specific SMS marketing compliance requirements for your jurisdiction is important, distinct from your email compliance work.
What is a reasonable SMS marketing frequency?
Meaningfully lower than typical email frequency — reserving SMS for genuinely time-sensitive or high-value messages rather than routine promotional cadence protects both open rate and customer goodwill.
Should SMS and email marketing be coordinated?
Yes, using each channel for what it does best — SMS for urgent, time-sensitive messages, email for more detailed, routine content — produces a more effective combined strategy than treating them as interchangeable.
If you want help building an effective, well-balanced SMS marketing strategy, talk to our team.
The takeaway
Reserve SMS specifically for genuinely time-sensitive or high-value messages — its consistently high open rate is exactly why over-using it for routine promotional content burns through customer goodwill faster than the same frequency would on email.
Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.
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