Unlocking the Power of SMS - WHY IT'S POSSIBLY BETTER THAN OTT APPS

Today, most of us use Over The Top (OTT) apps like WhatsApp and iMessage to communicate. Even businesses have been setting up chat groups to communicate quickly, leaving email behind.

The SMS icon on the mobile phone can be considered one of the first apps to ever exist. SMS is already built-in to every device on the market, without the need to download anything and works without a connection to the internet. It is safe to say that it will be the default messaging app for some time to come.

The reason why is quite simple. SMS authentication is one of the main safety features used by apps and businesses. This is used to link the mobile number to the user when creating their account for an app that they have downloaded. Businesses send a one-time PIN/password to the user’s device using SMS which they input into the app for authentication. This reminds us of how Internet Explorer was the default browser through which people downloaded other browsers to use. Jokes aside, Internet Explorer still is used by 1.20% of all Internet traffic. The current world-leading browser is Chrome with nearly 70% of all global traffic.

Similar to how Internet Explorer was reborn as Edge, SMS is being reborn by businesses. This has mainly occurred due to the still potentially untapped marketing potential that SMS holds. Businesses utilise it for marketing campaigns and this leads to an increase in revenue for the sector.

We live in what is undoubtedly the greatest period for mobile innovation and created a generation of consumers who are growing up in the mobile-first, always-connected environment that will drive the pace of change even faster. It is safe to say that SMS is not going anywhere soon.

Apps have more functionality but they require an internet connection to function and a phone number to authenticate the account. SMS lacks the functionality but holds the key to every single mobile phone with a SIM card, a key all businesses would like access to. With GDPR rules applying to SMS marketing as well, consumers' privacy is protected just as well, if not better, than any other app.!