Mobile communication channels are important for many enterprises that connect with customers, and new service providers have emerged that offer a comprehensive platform to enable the management of this ongoing interaction.
These are the Communication Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) providers. Industry analysts define a CPaaS platform as a solution that enables an organization to communicate with clients via multiple outbound online and mobile channels via a singular platform.
There are a number of services that can be considered part of CPaaS platforms, including messaging technologies such as Short Message Service (SMS), Rich Communication Service (RCS) and Over the Top (OTT) messaging applications. Also offered are push notifications, voice services, and email.
CPaaS Platform Market Development
According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the global value of the CPaaS market will exceed $10 billion for the first time in 2022 -- that's rising from $8.6 billion in 2021. This represents a growth of 17 percent year-on-year.
To capitalize on this growth, Juniper predicts that CPaaS vendors will seek to further differentiate their services by integrating new innovative solutions directly into their service platforms.
The authors of the new market study urge platform vendors and service providers to expand their range of value-added services to achieve this differentiation in the global marketplace.
The market research identified the development of customer data platforms (CDPs) as a key service that will increase the significance of a CPaaS platform by providing actionable insights into end-user preferences -- such as contact time, contact channel, and upselling opportunities.
In turn, brands and enterprises using CPaaS platforms for marketing purposes will enhance the value of mobile communications by automatically contacting people over their preferred channels at their preferred times.
"CDPs are an important step in creating differentiation in an increasingly saturated CPaaS market. As traffic over rich media channels increases, CDPs will enable brands and enterprises to tailor communications at a user level; creating a compelling and convenient experience for mobile subscribers," said Sam Barker, lead analyst at Juniper Research.
Outlook for CPaaS Platform Applications Growth
Juniper analysts predict that the contribution of rich media messaging formats will become increasingly significant in generating CPaaS vendor revenue. By 2026, over 20 percent of CPaaS revenue will be attributable to RCS and OTT business messaging channels -- that's increasing from less than 2 percent in 2021.
Moreover, as SMS business messaging traffic growth slows, the platform providers should onboard more Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) that are willing to explore rich media messaging applications.
In turn, CPaaS platforms must then highlight the benefits that CDPs will bring to the rich media functionalities of OTT messaging channels to attract new customers. And, therefore, I anticipate more marketers will discover the numerous emerging use cases for customer outreach that's enabled by these platforms.