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Will You Be Text Messaging That Special Someone This Valentine's Day? U R Not Alone

Acision Research Shows Nearly Half of All Texters Have Sent "I Love You" Messages and a Third Have Used Texts to Flirt -- Just 8% Have Texted to Break It Off

While roses, chocolates and romantic dinners will again be the choice of many lovers this Valentine's Day, a new study by mobile messaging leader Acision spotlights another popular way to express your affection: text messages.

Acision's research shows that nearly half (48%) of mobile phone users questioned in the U.S. have sent "I love you" messages, and nearly a third (30%) have flirted via text. The study also showed that text messaging wasn't as prevalent when lovers part ways, with just 8% having sent texts to end a relationship.

More females (54%) than males (42%) have used text messages to send "I love you" notes, while more males are more likely to use texts to end a relationship. However, nearly a third (30%) of U.S. adult mobile phone users admitted they like to flirt using SMS.

As Valentine's Day approaches, many Americans are turning their thoughts to romance and SMS has become an increasingly popular way of expressing love. According to the study, the most amorous texting age group is the 18-25 year olds, which are most likely to send 'I love you' messages (66%) and are amongst the most flirtatious, with over half admitting to flirting via SMS (54%). However, this group was also the most likely to end a relationship via text, with just over a fifth (21%) admitting to having done so in the past.

The study also looked at other messaging services, finding that more than a quarter of those that use/send multimedia messaging (MMS) have sent a picture or other type of multimedia message for a special occasion like Valentine's Day -- and more would use this service if it were less expensive.

Steven Van Zanen, SVP Marketing & Strategy at Acision, stated: "The nation's passion for mobile technologies certainly seems to be paving the way for passionate communications with our loved ones. Twenty years ago a Valentine's Day card and a bunch of red roses was the most appropriate way to say 'I love you,' however today it seems messaging is just as acceptable. It is, after all, the message, not the method that counts and the reliability, ubiquity, simplicity, affordability and instantaneous nature of SMS has cemented its popular appeal amongst lovers for showing just how we feel."

The research, which was conducted on behalf of Acision by independent research company Vanson Bourne, forms part of a wider piece of research on mobile messaging and users' habits (The Psychology of Messaging) which polled 2,000 mobile device users across the UK and U.S. Further results from the wider research will be published by Acision shortly.

About Acision
Acision powers innovation and profitable growth in mobile messaging services. As the pioneer of mobile messaging, Acision enables customers worldwide to drive new revenues with innovative services while monetising traffic. For more information, visit Acision at www.acision.com