Mobile Marketing Glossary

On this page, you will find definitions of words and expressions used in the mobile and SMS industry. Key definitions in the field of SMS and mobile marketing:

A. B . C .D. E . F . G . H . I . J . K . L . M . N . O . P . Q . R . S . T . U . V . W . X . Z

A

A.P.I: API stands for Application Programming Interface. It is a standardized set of functions that serves as an interface through which a software application/website/mobile app offers its services to another software application/website/mobile app. For example, an API can connect an appointment management system or a business software (order management, etc.) to an SMS sending platform, enabling direct SMS sending from the first application based on defined parameters. (List of SMS Partner APIs)

Android: an operating system for smartphones, tablets, and mobile devices. This operating system is Open Source and was launched by Google. (official website)

Mobile application: software developed to be used on a mobile device.

ACSEL: ACSEL, the French digital economy association, is France’s hub for digital transformation. Its mission is to create the conditions for the successful digital transformation of the French economy. www.acsel.asso.fr

ARCEP: The French regulatory authority for electronic communications and postal services. www.arcep.fr

AFRC: The French Customer Relations Association (AFRC) is a leading association that brings together customer relations professionals to share expertise. www.afrc.org

AFMM: The French Mobile Multimedia Association. This professional association brings together mobile multimedia players, including operators and associations (ACSEL, GESTE, MMA France). www.afmm.fr

SMS Alert: an SMS alert is a notification triggered by significant events requiring an SMS campaign to be sent (flooding, terrorist attack, etc.)

C

Voice message campaigns: voice messages are messages written or recorded through an interface and sent directly to the voicemail of landline or mobile numbers.

Characters: the number of letters, digits, spaces, and symbols in an SMS message. A single SMS can contain a maximum of 160 characters. It is possible to send a message exceeding 160 characters, which will be counted as two SMS messages (up to 320 characters), while still being received by the recipient as a single message.

Concatenated SMS: a concatenated SMS is an SMS containing more than 160 characters.

SMS character counter: a character counter is a tool that lets you know the exact number of characters in a given text, taking into account specific encodings (UTF-8, Unicode) as well as legal requirements (SMS opt-out). > Check our character counter.

D

Documentation: documentation includes the code snippets needed to integrate our API into your solution.

E

Sender: the sender is the name displayed when an SMS campaign is sent. If no sender name is specified, a short number will appear instead.

Bulk SMS sending: a marketing term commonly used for SMS campaigns targeting a large number of recipients.

F

French Telecommunications Federation: Founded in late 2007, the French Telecommunications Federation brings together electronic communications operators in France. Its mission is to promote a responsible and innovative industry, defend the sector’s economic interests, and enhance the profession’s image at both national and international levels.

G

GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

H

HLR: This technical telecom term stands for Home Location Register, which refers to the database used to store and manage subscriptions and track the geographic location of mobile users.

I

iPhone: Apple’s smartphone

K

KPI: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are measurable values that help organizations evaluate their performance against key business objectives and support decision-making.

L

Language: each programming language requires a specific API (scripts)

White paper: a white paper is a professional guide dedicated to a product or service. Its purpose is to address a specific issue and is aimed at prospects. In most cases, white papers are used in B2B markets for specific situations. View SMS Partner’s white papers.

Low cost: low cost SMS is a type of SMS with specific characteristics (See the low cost SMS offer)

M

MMA France: The Mobile Marketing Association France is the only association dedicated to Marketing, Advertising, CRM, and Commerce on smartphones, tablets, and connected devices.

Mail to SMS: a feature that allows a user to trigger an SMS message by sending an email to a predefined email address. (View the Mail to SMS feature)

M.M.S: Multimedia Messaging Service. A system for sending and receiving messages on mobile phones that extends the capabilities of SMS: it enables the transmission of photos, audio messages, and videos.

Mobile user: a user of a mobile phone (smartphone) that enables internet connectivity from the device.

PrestaShop Module: PrestaShop is an Open Source CMS (Content Management System) that enables the creation of an online e-commerce store. The CMS can be extended by adding modules to implement new features.

N

NFC: Near Field Communication

SMS Notification: a notification is an SMS message that informs you of important information. It differs from a marketing message — SMS notifications are generally sent via a transactional route.

Short number: a 5-digit number that can be used either as a sender name for an SMS campaign (referred to as “low cost SMS”) or to allow a user to send an SMS directly to a server for automated processing (for example, to unsubscribe from a contact list via SMS STOP), with a potential reply. It can also be called a “short code.”

Long number: a long number consists of 10 digits and can be formatted as either a landline or mobile number.

 

O

Opt-In: a system whereby the recipient of a commercial message (via SMS, for example) must have given their prior consent before being contacted for commercial purposes.

Opt-out: a system whereby the recipient of a commercial message has not given prior consent. In this system, recipients must be given the option to unsubscribe from the mailing list. In France, the LEN Act makes opt-out sending illegal.

SMS OTP: One Time Password

P

SMS pack: an SMS credit that allows you to send a predefined number of SMS messages until the credit runs out. (View SMS Partner’s packs)

Premium: Premium SMS is a type of SMS with specific characteristics (See the SMS Premium offer)

Q

QR Code: A QR code is a unique code that enables shape recognition via a smartphone, with the purpose of redirecting users to a website.

R

R.C.S: Rich Communication Service. This communication standard is an enhancement of traditional SMS. (Discover our RCS solution)

SMS reply: a feature that allows recipients to reply to an SMS campaign

Rich SMS: an SMS that includes a hyperlink directing the user to a web page. (View the enriched SMS solutions offered by SMS Partner)

Mobile website: a website optimized for browsing by mobile users

S

Short code: a short code is a 5-digit number (easier to remember) that may or may not be premium-rate for the person sending the SMS from their phone. (Also called a short number)

SMS signature: SMS is a communication solution that enables the electronic signature of a document through a dedicated signing platform (Live Consent).

SMPP: SMPP (Short Message Peer to Peer) is a type of connection used for sending SMS messages

S.M.S: Short Message Service. Also sometimes called a text message, this system allows short alphanumeric messages to be sent and received via a mobile phone.

International S.M.S: SMS messages sent to countries other than France are considered international SMS. A different rate applies, which varies by country. To view rates: see our international SMS page

S.M.S Plus: A mobile SMS payment solution. SMS Plus allows a transaction to be paid directly on the operator’s bill.

Voice SMS: a voice SMS is a voice message delivered directly to a recipient’s voicemail. The phone receives the message in its voicemail inbox without ringing first.

SMS survey: an SMS survey is a feature that allows multiple questions to be sent and responses to be collected (see the SMS Partner survey offer)

SMS Stop: in accordance with legal requirements, “SMS STOP” is an opt-out option offered to recipients of SMS campaigns.

Smishing: smishing is one of the emerging new forms of fraud associated with new technologies. It works on the same principle as email phishing.

SMS PAY: a SMS payment solution available online or via API (with no spending cap)

T

Toodiz: a free solution for creating a mobile website or landing page for an SMS campaign (Visit toodiz.fr)

Transactional SMS: the transactional route enables sending 24/7, 365 days a year. This route is designed for sending informational messages.

U

URL: the acronym URL stands for “Uniform Resource Locator” and defines the hypertext address of a web page

W

Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is a local area network that provides wireless internet access. It is necessary for phones without a mobile internet connection to receive MMS messages or view mobile web pages.

X

XML: XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a computer programming language.

Z

Zapier: this solution allows you to automate multiple actions across different processes. For example, Zapier lets you integrate workflows from PayPal, Gmail, Twitter (over 300 applications are available) and connect them together to perform shared actions. (View SMS Partner’s Zapier module)

---

This glossary may not include every term you are looking for — for instance, if it relates to email marketing. In that case, we invite you to consult our email marketing glossary for a wider range of definitions.