Mobile marketing service web2sms send over 100 million text messages in 2014, 45% more than in the previous year. Bank customers and local retailers’ clients received the most SMS. The web2sms platform is part of Romanian group Netopia, which specializes in online and mobile payments.

More than 3,000 clients used the web2sms platform to send messages. Banks generated the largest volumes, followed by retailers, which increased their SMS campaigns.

Overall, the mobile marketing segment increased by over a third in 2014 compared to 2013. In 2015, the total volume of the market is expected to reach 350 million SMS, according to Netopia.

Most of the messages sent last year via the web2sms platform were transactional SMS and only 14% were actual marketing campaigns. The largest volumes came from companies that own large contact databases, such as financial institutions, retailers and telecom operators.

The higher volume of text messages brought 38% higher revenues for web2sms compared to 2013. The platform will diversify its portfolio with new services, aiming to increase the number of SMS by more than 10% this year, said Netopia’s representatives.

Netopia also owns mobilPay, one of the largest online card payments processors in Romania. Romanian entrepreneur Antonio Eram is Netopia’s CEO and founder.

editor@romania-insider.com