The Rise of A2P Messaging

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses are under constant pressure to engage with their audience efficiently. One powerful tool that has gained prominence is A2P messaging. This communication differs from P2P (Person-to-Person) messaging as it leverages the power of automation, and its adoption is on the rise.

A2P messaging, which stands for Application-to-Person messaging, sends SMS messages on behalf of a business to mobile users via software applications or web browsers. From SMS marketing to appointment reminders or two-factor authentication codes, the messaging channel enables seamless communication.

Industries from healthcare to retail and financial services are all using it to enhance customer relationships, streamline operations, or boost marketing efforts.

Reasons for the rise and adoption include high open and response rates of A2P messages, as well as the fact that businesses can reach contacts where they are most active and likely to see their message.

According to Bandwidth.com’s “The 2024 State of Messaging Report,” 42% of consumer respondents report receiving more texts from businesses and organizations in 2023 than in 2022, and business respondents said they sent an average of 36% more text messages in 2023 compared to 2022.

Compared to other channels like email or social media, A2P messaging is also more cost-effective and can send messages to multiple contacts simultaneously as well as handle responses after hours.

The increasing adoption also correlates with consumers feeling better about texts from businesses. Consumers are nearly twice as likely to say they trust texts from businesses as they are to say they distrust texts from businesses. Consumers show strong preferences for SMS as a channel for some business communications, like two-factor authentication.

Edited by Greg Tavarez