What Is A2P Messaging, and What Are Its Benefits?

Every day, people receive a barrage of information via their phone screens. According to a 2023 report by the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications), more than half the world's population now owns a smartphone.

For businesses, the smartphone is an ideal and accessible platform for communication with customers on the go, making A2P SMS messaging one of the most efficient forms of marketing.

What is A2P messaging?

A2P (Application-to-person) messaging, as its name heavily implies, is a method of sending SMS messages from an app on a PC to the recipient’s mobile phone.

‘Application’ here means any web or mobile application or an integrated SMS API on any platform. The ‘person’ can be any user with an active cellular plan and an SMS-enabled mobile device. The sending process is initiated via the internet, but the text message is sent over the mobile network and is also received via the user’s cellular connection.

A2P messaging is usually used by businesses to send out promotional or transactional SMS messages in bulk, such as marketing materials, appointment reminders, announcements, product advertisements, and order status updates.

To send a text via A2P, a business has to partner with a professional SMS service provider. Some providers offer ready-to-use portals that you can use, while others offer SMS APIs which you can integrate into your own existing marketing and communication systems.

A2P messaging vs P2P messaging

P2P stands for Person-to-Person. P2P messaging refers to the traditional method of texting between two mobile phones via the cell network. At no point is the internet involved. This type of messaging is used mostly for personal, one-on-one conversations.

A2P messages, on the other hand, are sent from a software app or website to a mobile device. They are sent from the A2P platform to the SMS gateway, which then routes them through the mobile network, all the way to the recipient. Businesses choose A2P platforms to send bulk messages purely for commercial purposes.

Apart from the basic differences in delivery mechanism and end goals, there are many other points to consider when comparing A2P and P2P messaging.

For instance, P2P messaging is subject to much fewer rules and regulations than A2P messaging due to the contents and purpose of each. In the US, for instance, if a business sends out any unsolicited automated marketing messages via the SMS communication channel, it can face dire consequences in the form of heavy fines.

Costs can also vary. The cost of P2P texting is set by each carrier, many of whom offer attractive pricing packages for their users. A2P messages, on the other hand, have to follow the pricing structure of whichever SMS provider they partner with. Many providers offer discounted bulk pricing to high-volume clients. Sometimes, businesses might also have to invest in the right tech and tools necessary to support A2P messaging, which would mean additional monetary costs on top of technical complexities.

For the higher investment, A2P messaging comes with better delivery tracking, insights, reporting, and analytics, making it ideal for running marketing campaigns. P2P messaging has no such need for in-depth performance monitoring.

Why do businesses need A2P messaging? 

With the help of A2P messages, companies can address all of their text communication needs and achieve numerous financial and operational benefits.

Global reach

An A2P messaging platform that has access to countless mobile networks and operators all over the world can help you reach a global audience. This is a major advantage for businesses that cater to customers all over the world, such as international marketplaces or SaaS companies. On top of that, you don’t have to worry about what network or device type the customer is using. A2P messages are platform-independent and not bound to only a handful of local mobile carriers.

Bulk messaging

Using an A2P platform, you can send large volumes of messages to multiple people at the same time. This feature is essential for reaching a broad audience with the least possible effort, in real-time, at affordable costs.

Your A2P bulk messaging campaign can take many forms, such as marketing campaigns, urgent updates, or informational messages. The underlying infrastructure ensures that your message is delivered to all relevant parties quickly and efficiently.

Also, the ability to segment audiences and tailor your campaigns accordingly enhances the relevance and effectiveness of customer communication, boosting engagement as well as open and response rates.

Bulk pricing

From a business's perspective, one of the most important benefits of A2P messaging is the cost efficiencies that it can help you gain. Most A2P service providers offer some amazing volume pricing models, where the cost per text message decreases as your marketing and communication efforts scale up. This can lead to a significant reduction in the total cost.

This pricing structure makes A2P messaging a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes, especially for ones that need to send high volumes of messages regularly.

Custom Sender ID

An A2P messaging platform will help you register a custom branded Sender ID (or any other unique alphanumeric sender name of your choice) instead of a forgettable traditional local phone number. This will act as your professional phone number.

This feature boosts brand recognition and will instil trust among your target audience. When they receive a message coming from a phone number or sender name they recognize, they will be more likely to notice, open, and read it. So, the chances of your message actually going through, not just physically but in your customers’ minds, will go up greatly.

A custom Sender ID will also prevent messages from being perceived as spam, thus improving the open rates and overall success of your text campaign.

High delivery speeds and rates

Partnering with an enterprise SMS service for A2P messaging can help you gain high speeds of SMS delivery as well as better chances of reaching your audience. Most A2P platforms are constantly on top of changes in the compliance landscape, ensuring your campaigns don’t end up in the recipients’ spam folder.

Automation, scheduling, and personalization

When you are communicating with hundreds or thousands of people on such a massive scale, it becomes impossible to text individual customers.

With the automation and scheduling options that A2P messaging services generally offer, you can automatically send out notices to those customers whose payments are due, reminders to those whose appointments are coming up, alerts to customers whose subscriptions are about to expire, and so much more. All you have to do is define the trigger for each type of message.

Sending automated texts runs the risk of sounding boring, monotonous, or insincere. But in the whole A2P messaging process, you don’t even have to lose out on personalization! Using the right software, you can set up your custom dashboard, manage contacts, monitor user behaviour, set up customizable templates, and schedule future text messages, all in one place.

Common use cases of A2P messaging

There are many different ways businesses utilize A2P messages for commercial texting.

• Establishing personalized connections with existing or potential clients

• User authentication, registration, and verification processes can be better secured with SMS OTP-based two-factor authentication

• Distribution of SMS marketing messages, including promotional messaging content, campaigns, special offers, exclusive discounts, important announcements, feedback surveys, and more

• Delivery of urgent notifications and transactional messages, such as funds withdrawal notifications, suspected fraud alerts, order confirmations, and payment reminders

• Internal communications, such as employee announcements, meeting reminders, or emergency alerts

Partner with Decision Telecom

There are many significant differences between P2P and A2P messaging, but there are certain business needs that P2P simply can’t fulfill. By leveraging A2P right, you can achieve economies of scale, automation and personalization, brand recognition, and a loyal customer base.

Want to make sure you get the best possible functionality and pricing for your A2P messaging needs? Choose Decision Telecom’s bulk SMS service. Drop us a message or sign up for a free trial today.