Infobip recently achieved a significant milestone by successfully implementing a Rich Communication Services (RCS) channel for ecommerce platform Bob Group, making this Infobip’s first live RCS client in South Africa.
The partnership aims to enhance customer communication and drive efficiencies for Bob Group’s Ship Logic platform.
Empowering Bob Group’s ecommerce platform
Bob Group was founded in 2022 after uAfrica bought a 100% shareholding in the well-established online marketplace bidorbuy. The merged entity aims to offer ‘everything ecommerce’ to everyone and make online buying and selling more accessible and inclusive. The company’s comprehensive suite of B2B order fulfilment, platform syncing, payment and shipping tools enables merchants to grow their businesses, significantly contributing to economic empowerment.
Bob Group offers five services: Bob Shop, Bob Go, Bob Box, Bob Pay and Ship Logic. Ship Logic stands out as the company’s shipping software solution, revolutionising parcel delivery. After making an online purchase, customers can manage orders and choose from various carriers using Bob Go. The Ship Logic platform is an API-driven delivery management system for South African couriers. It allows couriers to integrate with other services and third parties to ensure the effective collection and delivery of their customer’s parcels.
Addressing the communication challenge
To improve customer service and drive efficiency, Ship Logic sought a cost-effective and scalable communication solution. Infobip’s RCS messaging, known for its richer content capabilities like images and logos, matches Bob Group’s Digital Transformation journey and offers a more secure alternative to traditional SMS and email channels.
The Infobip solution
Given the existing partnership between the two companies, Ship Logic turned to Infobip for an affordable messaging solution with tracking features. Building on their previous collaboration in SMS services, Infobip recommended adopting RCS messaging, a relatively new concept in South Africa. RCS offers a modern industry standard for messaging, enabling richer, more dynamic and secure conversations that surpass the limitations of traditional SMS.
RCS, currently available on the Android mobile operating system with plans for future iOS expansion, allows the integration of images, logos and enhanced interactive features within messages. Infobip seamlessly integrated its RCS API with Ship Logic’s system, completing the transition to this messaging platform in October 2023.
Andrew Egan, Africa Regional Sales Director at Infobip, highlighted the strategic benefits of the RCS solution: “The power of our RCS solution made it an obvious choice for Bob Group, offering an enhanced end-user experience without compromising cost-effectiveness. With our implementation framework already in place, collaboration ensured a seamless transition.”
Smooth implementation and positive outcomes
The project implementation was smooth, requiring minimal manual effort. Transitioning to RCS significantly reduced operational costs for Ship Logic, as RCS is proving to be a more affordable channel than SMS. Moreover, the enriched content capabilities of RCS enhanced the user experience, perfectly aligning with Bob Group’s Digital Transformation strategy.
By adopting RCS, Bob Group now offers customers a more authentic and secure communication channel, improving brand authenticity for couriers and ensuring the security of parcel deliveries. Infobip’s dedicated numbers guarantee reliable and efficient transactional messaging between Ship Logic’s system and customers.
Stephan Naudé, Operations Manager at Ship Logic, emphasised the strategic significance of this partnership: “The future for Bob Group is to incorporate all of our services with RCS through Infobip and use the full spectrum of their services. That is part of our growth plan, and Infobip will be part of our technology journey.”
Looking ahead
This collaboration between Infobip and Bob Group sets a precedent for future technological advancements in the South African ecommerce sector. As Bob Group expands and innovates, integrating RCS across all its services will drive growth and enhance customer satisfaction.
