The Ledger, Issue No. 6 · October 14, 2026
The text that waits for a reason
Automated flows had the higher benchmark click rate.
The stat
Klaviyo's 2026 SMS marketing benchmarks give automated SMS flows a 9.65 percent average click rate, compared with 5.6 percent for campaign texts. Klaviyo says the benchmarks draw on data from more than 183,000 of its customers, without saying how many of them sent texts or which countries and dates the data covers. Its industry breakdown lists ecommerce categories only, with no restaurant row. A click counts only when the link went out through Klaviyo's own shortener, and a click rate measures link clicks alone, so calls, replies, reservations and walk-ins are not in the number.
The idea
A text should arrive because something happened: a guest opted in or a reservation is tomorrow. The guest should know why it arrived now. Start with the guest's own action, then write the smallest useful reply to that moment.
Try this week
Look at your next planned text and write the guest action that should trigger it. Write the consent source and the exact STOP instruction before the copy. Leave the message in draft until those details are specific.