SMS - Dominant 

As consumer preferences shift towards omnichannel engagement, enterprises must be able to hold conversations across the numerous channels that are relevant for their customers. Not one single messaging app can claim to have total global dominance. However, SMS does exactly that. Although messaging apps are increasingly popular in recent times, the good old SMS is still relevant and is one of the strongest mediums for direct customer communication. Several factors maintain the importance of this ancient channel of communication.

The reach of SMS is unbeaten by other channels. In Bangladesh, mobile phones are not only accessible to the economically privileged, but, affordable feature phones have penetrated low-income households. With SMS, the question of whether a messaging app is installed in the customer’s phone does not arise.Bulk SMS marketing is fast, and studies show that 98% of the received SMS are read within 3 seconds. Starting from small local companies to corporate giants, businesses and financial institutions of all sizes use SMS as most prefered communication tool for customers. Popular customer communications include advertisement of special offers or exclusive promotions, order updates, banking notifications and appointment reminders. SMS is used as a fallback channel to bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds. For instance: A reminder SMS for checking an email or delivery notifications for online shopping are examples of such crossing.

SMS marketing is significantly more cost-effective than traditional marketing mediums. It can be used on a low budget with the reliability of reaching the desired customers.After a company has decided to include SMS in the marketing plan, they must ensure that the SMS service provider of their choice, is well-versed with the local regulations for SMS sending.