All posts by Kathy.Phan@experian.com

SMS marketing is a growing channel that businesses are just beginning to understand the power of. However, it is a balancing act as you step into the personal realm of a consumer’s cell phone to know what the correct balance for appropriate engagement is. “With global smartphone penetration at more than 70 percent and corporate website traffic accessed by mobile devices averaging nearly 50 percent, organizations must consider mobile tactics a standard part of their program design.”1 With these growing statistics, it goes to show us that this is an expanding field that we should keep a close eye on. Before we get into how to get started and best practices, let’s level set on what SMS (text message) marketing is. As one can guess, it’s messaging through your mobile device. Furthermore, “it’s a form of opt-in marketing that requires contacts to subscribe. This differentiates it from social marketing, where the marketer posts public content that people can choose to like or follow.”2 Now, we will discuss how you can start to create your campaigns, along with considerations to keep in mind while building out your marketing program. How to get started Your first step is to make sure you have the right phone numbers to reach your customers. Otherwise, you may be targeting the wrong people. Or worse, you may not see any return on investment on your marketing campaign. You can do this with phone verification software.Phone validation is the process of checking if a phone number is accurate. It lets you find out if the phone number you have for a prospect or customer is active and able to receive calls or texts—perfect for text message marketing.Basically, the validation process works by running the phone number through a database, finds the phone number, and checks if it’s active. It does this by sending an invisible message to the owner’s phone, which the owner cannot see. A phone verification software can also collect information like phone type (cell phone or landline) and network provider. Going beyond text message marketing, this can also help your customer service reps and sales reps ensure they have the right phone numbers to help reach prospects and clients. Our latest research shows us that 94 percent of business leaders say the quality of contact data has become more important over the last 12 months. More specifically, 57 percent of those same business leaders say phone data has become more important over the last year. In a digital world, you have to go beyond traditional advertising and capture consumers' attention while they are on the go. That’s why text message marketing is so important. Best practices for text message marketing Gain your prospect’s trust first As we indicated earlier, SMS should be an opt-in service. It is essential to obtain opt-in from your prospects and customers. To do this, consider using your email channel to offer discounts if your prospect signs up for SMS. If you do not follow the opt-in protocol, you risk creating the view that you are spamming them--potentially losing the customers' trust in your brand.  Ensure that you are sending out quality, personalized messages Put yourself in your customers' shoes: The best texts are the ones that capture your attention and are personalized to you based on your past buyer behavior. “The weakest messages contain no personalization, while the best personalized messages offer relevance without violating a consumer’s privacy.”3 Start exploring personalization by mentioning the customer’s first name in the message. If there are areas of voluntary information within a customer’s profile, these fields could be leveraged as well. For example, if I were a dog toy company, an eye-catching text message could state, ‘Hello Phylicia, your dog Conway might want a Halloween treat this month. Click here for 10% off!’. Simple personalization tactics such as this can make the customer rethink that they do want to treat their dog to a special toy. Be clear and concise Requiring that visitors conform to specific formats may ensure that data is structured correctly for your database but could confuse customers whose data doesn’t conform, causing friction and chancing abandonment. Do your research on message character count limits to craft the most concise message possible. Your message should clearly identify an action that you are trying to have your customer engage with. Think of it from your POV: If someone is sending you a promotional text, you probably want it to be short and sweet so that you can read it quickly and identify whether you will act on the text. A message that is too long or accidentally cut off is a fast way to lose someone’s attention—or worse, have them opt-out of your promotional texts entirely. We have explored what SMS messaging is, along with tips to get started and best practices to keep going. We hope that you have received some helpful insight into how to start to get your prospects' trust when you begin your campaigns, how to ensure the messaging is tailored to that customer and the importance of being clear and concise with message delivery. Contact us to learn more 1Foundational Mobile Considerations for Demand Marketing. (2020). Foundational Mobile Considerations for Demand Marketing. Published.2Christina Newberry, C. N. (2021). The Beginner’s Guide to SMS Marketing: Everything You Need to Know. The Beginner’s Guide to SMS Marketing: Everything You Need to Know. Published.3Mobile Messaging Best Practices Illustrated: Marketing report by By Julie Ask with Fiona Swerdlow, Cole Walsh, Peggy Dostie (Forrester)

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Our team recently attended MRC San Diego 2025, hosted by the Merchant Risk Council, the go-to event for fraud, payments and risk in digital commerce. Bobby Colombi, our Director of Strategic Accounts, came back with some powerful takeaways that are already shaping conversations with our clients and partners. Here’s what stood out: 1. AI is reshaping the fraud landscape, both as a threat and a tool Agentic AI refers to autonomous systems that can act independently, make decisions and carry out tasks without constant human input. Fraudsters are now using these AI agents to launch coordinated, human-like attacks at scale. These agents can mimic real user behavior, bypass traditional security checks and even adapt in real time, making them incredibly difficult to detect and stop. At the same time, businesses are also turning to AI to fight back. AI is being used for fraud detection, data enrichment and behavioral analysis, helping teams spot anomalies and suspicious patterns more efficiently. However, many companies still rely on manual review for final decisions, which can slow down response times and leave gaps in protection.  The takeaway? AI is no longer just a tool. It’s a player. And in this new era, staying ahead means understanding how both malicious and defensive AI are evolving. 2. “Identity is the new defensive perimeter” This quote from keynote speaker Gordon Sheppard, Consultant of Digital Identity and Authentication at Sage West Associates, captured a major theme of the event. Bobby observed that identity verification gaps, especially in guest checkout, account takeovers (ATOs) and synthetic ID creation, are fueling e-commerce fraud. The solution is a risk-based, evolving approach to identity. Merchants must find the right balance between fraud prevention and customer experience, ensuring that security doesn’t come at the cost of revenue growth. 3. Traditional fraud prevention is no longer sufficient Static rules and legacy systems are struggling to keep up with today’s dynamic threats. Bobby emphasized the need for a multilayered defense strategy that adapts in real time. Fraud is evolving, and our defenses must evolve with it. 4. The rise of agentic commerce requires new standards and strategies Agent-driven transactions are emerging as a new customer class. Think AI agents making purchases or managing subscriptions on behalf of users. This shift introduces new challenges in fraud prevention, including: Intent verification (Did the consumer authorize the agent?) Dispute evidence Robust trust frameworks  Bobby highlighted the need for industry-wide collaboration to define standards and guardrails that protect consumers while enabling innovation. 5. Fraud isn’t just a security problem. It’s a revenue problem. False declines cost merchants significantly, impacting both revenue and customer lifetime value. Subscription abuse is also on the rise, driven by poor cancellation flows and consumer expectations shaped by regulations like the FTC’s “Click-to-Cancel” rule (even though it was blocked in July 2025). Consumers are acting as if the rule is in place, working directly with banks to cancel, bypassing merchants and triggering chargebacks. Bobby’s tips: Humanize cancellation flows. Communicate before renewals. Automate to reduce disputes and protect brand reputation. Final thoughts Fraud prevention is no longer just about stopping bad actors. It’s about enabling trust, protecting revenue and delivering seamless customer experiences. As e-commerce continues to evolve, so must our strategies. The future belongs to those who adapt — with AI, identity innovation and agentic commerce readiness. Want to see how Experian helps clients stay ahead of fraud? Contact us to learn more

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