Clickatell Achieves Record Growth of its Chat Commerce Platform

Chat Commerce Platform Enhancements Include New Generative AI, Analytics and Broadcast Messaging Capabilities

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – November 6, 2024 – Clickatell, a pioneer in mobile messaging and Chat Commerce innovation, today announced significant momentum in 2024, driven by surging demand for its Chat Commerce platform. Clickatell's AI-enabled Chat Commerce Platform meets a growing need among businesses to provide seamless, real-time support and transaction capabilities to their customers through popular chat apps such as WhatsApp and Apple Business Messenger. By allowing consumers to complete tasks such as boarding a flight, paying a friend, filing a claim, and accessing customer support without having to update their provider’s app or switching between websites and call centers, Clickatell addresses the challenges of fragmented customer journeys and high service costs.

Performance Highlights:

• 224% Growth Rate in Chat Commerce: Clickatell's AI-enabled Chat Commerce Platform saw an impressive 224% year-over-year growth rate, solidifying its position as a leader in the conversational commerce revolution.

• 21% South African Market Penetration: Clickatell empowers a remarkable 21% of economically active South Africans to interact with businesses on its AI-enabled Chat Commerce platform. This makes Clickatell the #1 provider of Chat Commerce in the South African and Sub-Saharan African markets.

• Leading Customer Base: Clickatell has deployed solutions with leading brands across the Banking sector, such as ABSA Chat Wallet, the Airline sector, such as FlySafair boarding passes and pay for luggage in chat, the Retail sector, such as Pick n Pay, the Healthcare sector, such as Dis-Chem Loyalty and ordering medication, the Travel sector, such as Europcar car rental, the Telecoms sector, such as Telkom bill pay, the Automotive sector, such as Tiger Wheel & Tyre instant pricing, promotions and agent chats, the Financial Services sector, such as Woolworths Financial Services FICA and agent chat, and the Financial Services and Insurance sector, such as Discovery ‘Ask Discovery’, enabling them to deliver seamless Chat Commerce experiences at scale that meet customers where they are.

• Top Meta Business Partner in South Africa: Clickatell’s impressive growth places Clickatell as a top Business Service Provider (BSP) for Meta in the region.

• Unwavering Commitment to Security: Clickatell prioritizes the highest levels of data protection and privacy. Its platform adheres to the most rigorous security standards, including PCI-DSS, ISO27001, and SOC2 Type 2 compliance.

• B-BBEE Level 3 Compliance: Clickatell demonstrates its commitment to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) by achieving a Level Three score.

"We are thrilled with the exceptional growth of our AI-enabled Chat Commerce platform," said Pieter de Villiers, co-founder and CEO of Clickatell. "This momentum signifies the increasing importance for brands to meet their customers where they are and to invest in the largest digital engagement platform that exists today, chat. With the upgrades to our platform and our strong commitment to compliance and security, we are well-positioned to further empower businesses and consumers across South Africa and beyond."

Clickatell continues to advance its Chat Commerce Platform with increased AI-powered capabilities to drive its global scale across a variety of use cases including Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Airlines, Retail, Automotive, Telecommunications, Hospitality, Education and Healthcare. These enhancements include the following:

Clickatell AI

Clickatell AI offers generative AI capabilities that improve customer service and support. This includes Gen-AI-enabled smart responses and suggested responses to live agents and recognizing customer intent in natural language, leading to more efficient and effective customer interactions. By utilizing a private and secure large language model (LLM) trained on customer data, Clickatell ensures personalized and contextually relevant responses while maintaining data privacy and security. This feature will help businesses scale their customer service operations, increase conversions and revenue, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce costs.

Data and Analytics

Clickatell’s Data and Analytics services offer dashboards and reporting tools, accessible from a user portal, that provide a comprehensive view of Chat Commerce campaigns and performance. In addition, to ensure complete control of data, the raw information can also be fed into the enterprise’s own data lakes, ensuring all analysis and history are maintained in their proprietary environments. This data is delivered at different levels of granularity, allowing businesses to make informed decisions and derive insights about customer behavior. The service includes a data dictionary, manifest files for data reconciliation, and self-healing capabilities to ensure data integrity and reliability.

Broadcast Messenger

Clickatell also launched an updated version of its marketing messaging tool, Campaign Manager, called Broadcast Messenger, helping businesses connect with their audiences through chat. This enterprise-grade messaging web app is designed to streamline creating, managing, and sending WhatsApp and SMS messages at scale. With a user-friendly web interface, customers can personalize messages, add rich media such as videos, images, and locations, and schedule campaigns. Broadcast Messenger supports sending promotional messages, exclusive content, discount codes, event invitations, and newsletters, enhancing customer engagement and improving communication efficiency. This tool provides an easy way for businesses to start their Chat Commerce journey.

Clickatell's success aligns with South Africa's growing mobile-first landscape. According to Kepios, as of January 2024, nearly 99% of South African internet users connect via mobile devices, highlighting the vast potential of Chat Commerce solutions in the region.

Clickatell is at the forefront of this exciting transition, driving innovation and seamless mobile communication experiences for businesses and consumers alike.