Analysis of 628 billion interactions in 2025 highlights the shift to conversational experiences, with nearly 98% of traffic now sent by customers using multiple channels
AI-first cloud communication platform Infobip has released its Messaging Trends Report 2026, offering an analysis of the state of business communication. Drawing on data from 628 billion mobile interactions in 2025 and a historical review of 3.8 trillion messages over the past 20 years, the report charts the evolution from single-channel messaging to complex, AI-powered omnichannel experiences.
The data reveals a shift in how brands engage with customers in South Africa, where Infobip has been supporting businesses for over 15 years. While SMS remains a critical pillar for reliability, accounting for 62% of traffic, other channels are rapidly growing in importance. Email traffic across Africa grew 70%, WhatsApp 17%, and other chat apps 7x, highlighting the increasing adoption of cost-effective digital communication channels. AI adoption is gaining momentum, primarily for customer acquisition and service enhancement.
Key findings for South Africa:
- Agentic AI is enabling the next major steps in business messaging. Moving beyond simple chatbots, AI agents are now capable of autonomous, goal-driven interactions, orchestrating complex customer journeys across channels.
- Single-channel communication is now obsolete for global brands. Ten years ago, 73% of platform traffic was single-channel. By 2025, that figure has dropped to just 2.3%, as 98% of interactions now span multiple channels.
- SMS remains a key channel, with cost-effective options such as USSD continuing to play an important role due to affordability and connectivity realities across the continent.
Ante Pamukovic, Chief Revenue Officer at Infobip, commented: “Our 20-year anniversary data set gives us a unique vantage point to see not just where we are, but where we are going. In South Africa, the era of the simple notification is over. Brands are orchestrating conversations across SMS, WhatsApp, Email and Voice, and increasingly leveraging AI to enhance customer journeys. The future is omnichannel, conversational, and increasingly powered by Agentic AI. In this new world, Infobip provides the infrastructure enabling businesses to meet their customers on the right channel, at the right time, with the right message.”
Filip Filkovic, Africa Sales Director at Infobip, added: “What really differentiates leading brands in Africa now is not the channel mix, but the intelligence and orchestration behind it. When CRM, AI and data sit on a single platform, messaging stops being a series of disconnected alerts and becomes an end-to-end, personalised customer journey.”
As Infobip celebrates 20 years of innovation, the Messaging Trends Report 2026 underscores the company’s next evolution toward autonomous, AI-driven customer experiences through its new AgentOS platform (https://www.infobip.com/news/infobip-is-set-to-launch-agentos).
See the report: https://www.infobip.com/messaging-trends-report.
