Email newsletters still have a place, but for time sensitive updates, text is winning by a wide margin. An order shipping notice, a same day appointment reminder, or a flash sale that expires in a few hours all get read faster over SMS than they ever would sitting in an inbox next to dozens of other unopened messages.
Where Email Still Wins
Email is still the better channel for anything with length or detail, a monthly newsletter, a product roundup, a detailed policy update. Text messages have a practical length limit before they start feeling intrusive, so cramming a long update into a text usually backfires.
Where Texting Pulls Ahead
Anything with a short shelf life belongs on SMS: appointment confirmations, delivery updates, limited time offers, and two-way questions that need a quick answer. Open rates on text tend to be dramatically higher than email specifically because people check their phone constantly throughout the day, while an inbox gets checked in batches.
The businesses getting the most out of both channels usually split by intent rather than trying to force everything into one. A business texting setup handles the urgent, short messages, while email stays the channel for anything that benefits from more space to explain.