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A/B testing, also known as “split testing,” is a marketing method used to evaluate and quantify the impact of a modification made to two versions of a digital asset, such as emails, web pages, landing pages, web forms, and other online materials. The effectiveness of the alteration is assessed based on metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, form submissions, and other key performance indicators.
Binary SMS is a type of SMS message that allows the transmission of non-text content, such as ringtones, wallpapers, and VCards, by sending the message as a binary code that is decoded by the receiving device using a User Data Header (UDH) and Data Coding Scheme. Binary messages are not widely used anymore due to the prevalence of smartphones and data access and are not supported on some devices, like the iPhone.
CDMA, or Code Division Multiple Access, is a digital technology used for transmitting voice and data over the air in some countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and certain Asian countries. Unlike GSM and TDMA, CDMA uses spread spectrum techniques to assign users digital codes within a broad spectrum instead of dividing the spectrum by frequency or time slots. This allows for higher user capacity and immunity from interference. CDMA operates in either 800 MHz or 1900 MHz frequency bands.
Deep links are URLs that are used to direct users to a specific page or screen within a mobile application instead of just launching the app’s default page. These links can be used to send users to a particular section of a page, such as a chat window, instead of starting at the top of the page. Additionally, deep linking enables indexing of the app by search engines like Google and Apple, allowing them to link to specific sections of the app in their search results.
E.164 is a globally recognized standard for telephone numbering plans that guarantees a unique number for each device. It enables accurate routing of phone calls and text messages to individual phones across different countries. The E.164 number format includes the country code, subscriber number with the area code, and a plus sign at the beginning, with a maximum length of fifteen digits.
The GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation, is a set of regulations designed to give EU citizens greater control over their personal data and the organizations that collect it. It requires companies to inform customers when collecting personal data, and customers can choose to give or withhold consent for the use of their data based on the intended purpose.
A header is a piece of information added to the beginning of a packet by the protocol. It contains data that the protocol uses for routing, addressing, and other purposes. Different protocols add different headers. For example, in a TCP/IP packet, there would be a MAC header, an IP header, and a TCP header, in that order, followed by the payload.
The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is a non-profit, global organization of technical professionals focused on advancing technology and developing standards in a variety of fields, including electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics.
JSON is a text-based open standard data format for transmitting data objects in attribute-value pairs or arrays. It is used for asynchronous browser-server communication and is language-independent. An example of a JSON object is {“name”: “John”, “age”: 30, “city”: “New York”}.
A landing page is a secondary page where a user is directed after clicking on an ad or a link. It provides additional information and/or a mechanism to make a purchase, and is often an extension of the advertisement or link.
M-Commerce, or Mobile Commerce, is the use of wireless devices to conduct commercial transactions and payments in a non-PC-based environment. It involves using mobile devices to access data networks and send and receive information, including personal financial information. An example of M-Commerce is using a mobile app to make a purchase or payment.
OAuth is a way for users to give websites or applications permission to access their information on other websites, without giving away their passwords. It is used by companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter to let users share information with third-party applications or websites. It allows clients to securely access server resources on behalf of the user, without sharing the user’s credentials. OAuth works with HTTP and issues access tokens to third-party clients with the user’s approval. These tokens are then used to access protected resources hosted by the server. An example of OAuth in action would be a user logging into a third-party app using their Facebook account, without giving the app their Facebook password.
P2A SMS, or Person to Application SMS, refers to SMS messages sent from an end user to an application, as opposed to SMS messages sent from an application to an end user (A2P SMS). P2A SMS messages are typically initiated by the end user and can be used for a variety of purposes, such as to provide feedback or interact with customer support. For example, a customer might send a text message to a company’s SMS service requesting information about a product, and the application would respond with an automated message.
Quality of Service (QoS) refers to a set of measures that are used to ensure that network resources are used efficiently and effectively. QoS is typically used to manage network traffic and ensure that important traffic, such as voice and video data, is given priority over less critical traffic. QoS is often expressed in terms of the level of service that is provided, and is measured in terms of availability and reliability. For example, a carrier may offer a QoS guarantee of 99.999% (or “five nines”), which means that their service will be available and reliable 99.999% of the time. QoS is important for businesses that rely on their network infrastructure to deliver critical services, such as voice and video conferencing, online transactions, and other mission-critical applications. By ensuring that network resources are managed effectively, QoS helps to minimize downtime, reduce latency, and improve overall network performance.
Rich Business Messaging (RBM) is a messaging protocol designed to enhance the standard SMS experience by allowing for more engaging and interactive messaging. It enables brands to have a two-way communication with their customers through mobile carriers, offering features such as the ability to send multimedia content like images, videos, and GIFs, as well as action buttons that allow users to interact with the content without leaving the messaging app. Additionally, RBM allows for phonebook polling, which enables service discovery and simplifies the process of opting in to receive messages from a brand.
SaaS stands for Software as a Service, which is a cloud-based service model where applications are delivered to customers over the internet, eliminating the need for them to purchase, install, and run the software on their own computers. SaaS providers are responsible for maintaining and hosting the software, allowing customers to access it from any device with an internet connection. This model allows businesses to scale up or down easily, as they only pay for the services they use, without the need for expensive hardware or IT staff.
The terminating operator refers to the Mobile Operator whose Short Message Service Center (SMSC) delivered a message to a subscriber. It is important to note that the terminating operator should not be confused with the destination operator. The destination operator is the Mobile Operator of the recipient of the message. For instance, if a message is sent to an MTN South Africa subscriber via Vodafone UK’s SMSC, then Vodafone UK is the terminating operator and MTN South Africa is the destination operator.
User Data Header (UDH) is a part of an SMS message that is used to provide additional information about the message. It is a binary sequence that may be present at the start of the message, and it specifies how the message should be processed by the receiving device. The UDH is not visible to the user and does not contain any text, but rather provides instructions to the receiving device about how to handle the message. It is used for a variety of purposes, such as concatenating long messages, indicating the type of message being sent, and specifying the character set to be used.
Validity Period is a setting that determines how long an SMSC will try to deliver an SMS message. It’s useful when the recipient’s phone is turned off or out of coverage and the message is time-sensitive. The setting is expressed in minutes from the time the message is sent and can be specified as an absolute date and time or relative time. If the set time is reached, an SMSC will return an expired delivery report. The default Validity Period is usually 7 days or 10,080 minutes if no setting is specified. An example of using Validity Period would be setting it to 30 minutes to ensure the message is only retried for delivery by an SMSC for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Web push notifications are alerts that can be sent to users through their desktop or mobile browsers. Users need to opt-in to receive these notifications. They are often used by advertisers to communicate brief messages to customers who don’t have a mobile app.
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language and is a specification developed by W3C for web documents. It is a metalanguage that allows users to define their own markup language for storing and transporting data. XML is designed for use on the internet and provides a set of rules for encoding documents that can be read by both machines and humans. It is particularly useful for displaying and sharing structured data such as database information or other structured documents.