45 per cent of UK consumers are willing to accept branded communications via mobile if delivered according to their opt-in terms, according to research from mobile messaging firm Velti. That figure rises to 55 per cent if the company in question is seen as a ‘trusted’ brand.

These trusted brands are most likely to be retailers (25.6 per cent), financial services firms (16.9 per cent) and travel companies (16.5 per cent), and 42.4 per cent of respondents said they would opt in to receive information from operators.

“The research we’ve carried out challenges perceived mobile marketing thinking and puts consumer demand for marketing ahead of supply,” says Velti GM Barry Houlihan. “In fact, UK consumers are far more open to branded communications than many companies believe – provided their delivery preferences and opt-in choices are respected and the brand earns the all-important trust of the consumer.”

According to the research, carried out by mobileSQUARED, the average UK consumer will sign up to receive communications from just three companies. SMS is the preferred way to receive these messages, at 24.3 per cent, with MMS (5.1 per cent) and mobile-optimised email (7.5 per cent) still lagging behind.