The Rise of SMS in Automotive Marketing

By Sam Holmes, Head of Marketing at Force24

 

Every November, the marketing world enters its busiest stretch as it approaches the start of the golden quarter. Inboxes overflow as brands fight to be the first message their customers see.  

Until recent years, the automotive sector largely overlooked Black Friday as a sales opportunity. However, the rise of online marketplaces such as Carwow has seen the event become an increasingly prominent fixture in the industry’s marketing calendar. 

Lookers and Motorfinity have begun crafting strong Black Friday campaigns over the last few years. We now see discounts on vehicle pricing, finance APRs and aftersales bundles. Timing-wise, this period is ideal, coming just after the influx of intent data in September’s new reg release. Many of those leads go unconverted, meaning Black Friday is a second chance to reach buyers who may have decided to sit on their decision for a little longer. 

This article explores how SMS has a bigger part to play in amplifying these offers and increasing conversions, while going deeper into the customer lifecycle. During this time of year, people get used to instant communication. With clocks ticking, customers expect clarity, relevance, and quick responses. Even though automotive decisions usually take longer, customers still measure every interaction by the standards set by retail and ecommerce counterparts. We just want things to feel fast and simple. 

That’s why I think we’re seeing SMS have resurgence in the automotive world. It’s not the newest tool in the box, but one of the most effective for connecting with customers when timing matters. 

 

Why SMS Still Matters

Email will always have a place in automotive marketing, but it’s harder than ever to stand out in a crowded inbox now featuring AI-driven vanilla content. Average email open rates in the UK hover around 20%, while SMS messages reach open rates as high as 98%, with most read within three minutes. That level of cut-through is difficult for any other channel to match. 

The shift reflects broader behaviour. IPA TouchPoints data shows that this year, UK adults now spend more daily time on their mobiles than watching TV for the first time. In other words, the phone has become your buyer’s main screen. And if the goal is to connect quickly, it makes sense to meet people where their attention already is. 

It’s also worth remembering that not everyone lives in their inbox. Ofcom’s latest media report found that a growing segment of the UK population is now “smartphone-only” online. For those customers, SMS isn’t even a fallback, it’s their primary way of engaging with brands. 

 

The Automotive Fit

The car buying and ownership journey is built on timing. Respond too slowly to an enquiry, and a competitor gets there first. Miss a service reminder, and a booking slot goes unfilled. Forget to prompt a renewal, and a loyal customer quietly moves on. 

SMS gives automotive marketers a reliable way to keep those moments on track. A short confirmation such as “Your test drive is confirmed for tomorrow at 3pm” provides simple reassurance. A service reminder with a booking link drives convenience. A quick follow-up after a web visit can act like the ultimate retargeting ad. 

These messages aren’t all about selling harder, they’re about staying visible, helpful, and relevant. Customers don’t view them as marketing noise but as part of good service. 

What Black Friday Has Already Taught Us

Last year’s UK retail data told an interesting story. Even as online traffic dipped slightly, average order values increased. The people who did engage were more intentional and ready to act. 

That pattern is worth noting for automotive marketers. Big purchase cycles may not follow seasonal trends, but consumer psychology does. During high-stimulus periods like Black Friday, customers expect brands to be quick, relevant, and easy to interact with. SMS helps automotive marketers meet that expectation every day of the year. 

It doesn’t have to be about discounts or urgency for the sake of it. It can be about accessibility – giving people simple, reliable ways to take the next step in their journey, whether that’s booking a test drive, scheduling a service, or exploring a new model. 

 

Planning your Black Friday Messaging

As Black Friday approaches, the brands that win won’t necessarily be the loudest — they’ll be the clearest. A few principles stand out for this time of year: 

• Keep it short but strong. Make every word count. A clear offer, deadline, or booking link outperforms paragraphs.
  
• Be selective. Segment your audience. There’s a big difference in how a prospect and a loyal customer expect to hear from you.
  
• Time it right. SMS performs best when it aligns with behaviour. Send reminders or offers in real time, not in bulk.

 

 

SMS in Aftersales

Where SMS really shines is aftercare. After the sale, communication often slows. Yet it’s during ownership that relationships are cemented or lost. SMS helps maintain that connection in a way that’s fast, personal, and unobtrusive. 

Even the DVLA uses SMS to remind millions of drivers about MOT renewals, normalising the channel for service-related messaging. That same approach works beautifully for dealerships and dealer groups. 

Think short, practical messages:
• “Your MOT is due next week – book your slot here.”
• “Your car is ready to collect.”
• “Thanks for visiting us today – how was your experience? 

Those quick interactions keep the relationship warm. Over time, they build familiarity and trust, which pays off when the next buying cycle begins. SMS can also support longer-term retention. Six months after a purchase, a light-touch message can remind a driver about an interim service or share maintenance tips. As their finance term nears its end, an automated text can open the renewal conversation before a competitor gets the chance. 

Automating This for Greater Impact

The best SMS programs aren’t isolated; they sit neatly within a wider automation journey. Inside platforms like Force24, SMS can be triggered by customer actions and integrated with CRM or DMS data. 

If a customer opens an email about vehicle upgrades but doesn’t click through, a short text can provide a second prompt. If they miss a test drive appointment, the system can automatically send a link to reschedule. When combined with email, behavioural tracking, and segmentation, SMS becomes the thread that keeps the journey consistent and human. 

Automation also ensures messages are sent with relevance. Each one is based on a genuine behaviour or milestone, not a guess. That’s the difference between communication that irritates and communication that adds value, but this is harder to do as you need to understand more about your customer and where they stand. 

Measuring SMS impact

First and foremost, SMS ranks second only to email as the most cost-effective channel. This means that for every booking through SMS, you have saved a costlier one made by a call centre team or piece of direct mail, for example.  

SMS performance tracking is refreshingly clear (by 2025 standards). You can track delivery, click-throughs, and replies almost instantly, giving marketers a fast feedback loop on engagement. 

Because most automotive SMS activity focuses on clear, action-led messages, the outcomes are tangible too. You can see how many test drives were booked, how many MOT appointments confirmed, or how many renewals started as a result of a specific message. 

UK brands in other sectors report average click-through rates of 30-35% (up from the 20% we mentioned earlier) and conversion rates up to ten times higher than comparable email campaigns when SMS is used as part of a multi-channel strategy. Automotive brands with clear service or sales calls-to-action often achieve similar results. 

Beyond these numbers, there’s a softer but equally valuable outcome of customer experience. Customers feel looked after when messages arrive when they need them, such as service reminders which prove you’ve got their back. 

SMS to showroom 

The modern car buyer’s journey rarely starts in a showroom. It starts with a tap, a scroll, or a text, which is why SMS has become such a valuable channel again. It bridges the gap between the physical and digital experience, giving marketers a way to connect with customers in the most direct, personal way possible.  

Black Friday may come once a year, but the behaviours it creates (fast decisions, higher expectations, and the demand for instant connection) are here to stay. For automotive brands, SMS isn’t just a seasonal tool; it’s a way to build ongoing, responsive conversations that convert.