Timing your SMS marketing
When you send an SMS matters as much as what you write. A well-timed message gets opened and acted on. A badly timed one gets ignored or deleted. Here is how to pick the right moments for your Kenyan customers.
Best Times to Send in Kenya
Payday week (last week of the month). Most salaried Kenyans get paid between the 25th and 30th. Send flash sales or new stock alerts during this window. People have money and are ready to spend.
Weekend mornings (Saturday and Sunday, 8 AM – 11 AM). Your customers are awake, checking their phones, and not yet busy with the work week. Promotions sent Saturday morning get higher read rates than any weekday slot.
Public holidays. Kenyans plan shopping around holidays , Easter, Mashujaa Day, Jamhuri Day, Christmas, and New Year. Send holiday-specific offers 2–3 days before the holiday so people have time to act.
Avoid: Monday mornings and late evenings. Monday 7 AM – 9 AM is commute and morning rush. After 8 PM people are winding down. Your message will be buried.
Why Timing Drives Open Rates
SMS open rates in Kenya average above 90 % within 15 minutes , but only if the phone is in hand. Send during off-hours and that message sits unread for hours or days. The difference between a 9 AM Saturday send and a 3 PM Monday send can be 40 % fewer actions. Your delivery reports on the SokoWise dashboard will show you this pattern clearly after a few campaigns.
How SokoWise Scheduling Works
You do not need to be awake to send at the right time. The SokoWise dashboard lets you schedule messages days or weeks in advance:
- Write your campaign as usual.
- Pick the date and time under Schedule Send.
- SokoWise delivers the SMS at that exact moment , no manual work.
Schedule your payday promotions a month ahead. Set holiday reminders to go out automatically. Your customers get the message at the right moment, and you focus on running your shop.
Start scheduling your SMS campaigns on the SokoWise dashboard today.