Ask any Moroccan business owner why they still send SMS campaigns and the answer is usually the same: it looks cheap. A few centimes per message feels hard to beat. But the per-message price is the least useful number in messaging — what matters is the cost per customer who actually reads, replies and buys.

The metrics that actually matter

• Delivery: SMS silently fails on ported numbers, full inboxes and some operator filters. WhatsApp tells you precisely what was delivered and read.
• Read rate: SMS arrives in a folder most people check rarely and associate with spam. WhatsApp messages land in the app Moroccans open dozens of times a day — read rates several times higher are the norm, not the exception.
• Replies: an SMS is a dead end; customers cannot usefully answer. Every WhatsApp message opens a two-way conversation that can end in a sale.
• Rich content: product images, catalogues, buttons and voice notes simply do not exist in SMS.

The arithmetic in dirhams

Price a campaign both ways and divide by messages read, not messages sent. A list of 10,000 SMS at typical Moroccan rates can cost more than the equivalent WhatsApp campaign once you discount undelivered and unread messages — and that is before counting a single reply or conversion. On cost per engaged customer, WhatsApp usually wins by a wide margin.

Where SMS still makes sense

SMS keeps two real advantages: it reaches feature phones, and it needs no opt-in history. For OTP fallback and for audiences you cannot reach on WhatsApp, keeping an SMS channel is sensible. That is why SalesRep supports both — you route each message to the channel where it performs best.

Switching without burning your list

• Collect WhatsApp opt-ins at every touchpoint: checkout, delivery confirmations, in-store QR codes.
• Start with utility messages — order and delivery updates — which customers welcome, then earn the right to send promotions.
• Respect frequency: two or three relevant campaigns a month outperform weekly blasts and protect your sender quality.

SalesRep gives you one inbox and one campaign tool across WhatsApp, SMS and email, with per-channel analytics so the numbers settle the debate for your own audience. Try it free for 21 days.