October 2024 Summaries

Choose, an innovative e-commerce platform focused on trendy, environmentally conscious products, faced challenges with its previous SMS provider, Google Firebase, due to high costs, lack of transparency, and technical disruptions during crucial marketing campaigns. These issues prompted CTO Thibaut Gensollen to switch to Prelude, which offered a more transparent analytics dashboard, responsive support, and a 25% reduction in SMS verification costs through an API that connects to over 30 providers worldwide. Prelude's system automatically identifies the most cost-effective routes for OTP messages, allowing Choose to manage user verification effectively and affordably, thereby supporting its scalability goals. The switch has provided Choose with greater control over its SMS communications, essential for customer verification, especially during sign-up and referral programs.

A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging is an essential tool for businesses to engage directly with customers via SMS, providing significant benefits like high open rates, global reach, and real-time communication. It is used for various purposes, including security through two-factor authentication, notifications, alerts, and marketing campaigns, making it a cornerstone of modern communication strategies. Businesses employ A2P messaging by connecting applications to SMS gateways or APIs, which allows for automated, large-scale message delivery. A2P messaging differs from P2P (Person-to-Person) as it involves automated systems rather than individual senders, and it is subject to strict regulations ensuring user consent and the option to opt-out. The cost of A2P SMS varies based on content, carrier fees, service provider margins, and global reach, with pricing models typically including pay-per-message or volume-based agreements. To get started, businesses must choose an appropriate A2P provider, integrate their API, and set up message templates, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory standards.

OneSafe, a neo-bank catering to crypto-friendly global businesses, sought a fast and reliable solution for verifying user transactions using One-Time Passwords (OTPs) as it expanded its client base. Previously relying on providers like Twilio and AWS, OneSafe found their setup processes cumbersome and slow, prompting the shift to Prelude for its simplicity and efficiency. Prelude's API allowed OneSafe to implement OTP transactions globally in just one day, bypassing the lengthy country-specific setups and paperwork typically required for SMS communications. This swift integration enabled OneSafe to focus on scaling its operations and enhancing transaction volumes without technical delays. Additionally, Prelude's proactive customer support and smart-routing technology ensured a high delivery rate and customization of OTPs, significantly improving OneSafe's verification process and operational capacity.

Fake account creation is a significant issue affecting industries such as finance, e-commerce, gaming, and social media, with bots and fraudsters exploiting simple registration processes to create fraudulent accounts. These fake accounts are used for various malicious activities, including abusing free trials, posting fake product reviews, engaging in click fraud, and money laundering. The proliferation of fake accounts leads to financial losses, compromised business analytics, wasted marketing budgets, and reputational damage, as well as increased customer support costs. To combat this, businesses can employ strategies like implementing CAPTCHA, honeypot fields, limiting account creation, phone number verification, and multi-factor authentication. A case study of the gaming platform Cubzh illustrates how using Prelude's phone verification tools effectively prevented fake account creation, thereby maintaining a high-quality user base and improving user churn rates.