Navigating the Future: Can Bulk SMS Service Providers Coexist with the Dominance of WhatsApp Messaging?

For most of you who are reading my post now, 90% would be a WhatsApp user. Over the past decade, the growth of WhatsApp has been phenomenal. With a monthly active user of around 2 billion, it dominates the communication sector. Starting from personal to business use, we see the growing presence of WhatsApp. Nevertheless, the crucial question remains: Does WhatsApp deliver the anticipated marketing results? How does it fare when compared to Bulk SMS in a basic comparison? This comparison holds immense significance as the future of the bulk SMS business hinges entirely upon it.

Let’s discuss in detail the marketing potential of Bulk SMS and WhatsApp and understand, which medium offers better ROI.?

Ease of Access

When you compare Bulk SMS to WhatsApp Messaging in terms of ease of access, the former has an edge over the latter. Text messages can be received and sent by any mobile phone, whereas the use of WhatsApp demands a smartphone with a data connection.

In underdeveloped countries where a major population still uses these basic phones, Bulk SMS becomes an excellent marketing tool.??

Lower Barrier of Entry?

This point also votes for bulk SMS due to its lower opt-in requirements. Typically bulk SMS senders get the contact list from a website or mobile app, where users have engaged in any kind of transaction or requested any service.

However, WhatsApp requires explicit opt-in from users to join a business list. Users often mark the messages as spam if the sender is not in the contact list. The physiological factor still works here in that the sender should be a trusted contact.?

Read Receipts

One of the most exciting elements of the present OTT messaging app like WhatsApp is the read receipt feature. This feature is very important for marketers as it helps them to decide the next course of action, which may be a follow-up campaign. Text messaging on the other hand misses this very important attribute.?

WhatsApp is Not a Compulsory App

You may not be a WhatsApp user but you will be a text messaging user as the SMS feature is pre-installed on every phone. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of WhatsApp messaging for business purposes as marketers cannot compel users to activate WhatsApp on their devices. Nowadays, banks and financial institutions motivate users to activate and use WhatsApp for a better user experience. However, this is a tedious approach to persuading users when it comes to large-scale marketing.?

One-Time Password for Authentication?

Every one of us is quite familiar with this feature as most transactions nowadays are secured by a 2nd-factor authentication. It can be easily implemented using API to trigger an SMS OTP to users interacting with a website. However, WhatsApp does not provide a public API that allows such actions.

Based on the above points, it appears that Bulk SMS is clearly a winner when compared to WhatsApp messaging. However, OTT apps like WhatsApp are evolving and constantly adding new features to establish their dominance in the communication sphere. Coming to the future of Bulk SMS providers or resellers, the future still is bright with new developments in this arena as well.?