By Ayomide Otitoju
Clickatell, a global leader in mobile messaging and chat commerce, is celebrating its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter-century of transforming how brands connect, interact, and transact with their customers.
Founded in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2000, Clickatell became the first company to link businesses on the internet with mobile consumers through SMS using just four lines of code. Today, the company delivers AI-driven chat commerce solutions to major enterprises across banking, retail, telecoms, healthcare, and travel. Its global client base includes leading brands such as Fiserv, Discovery, Absa, Standard Bank, Pick n Pay, Toyota, MTN, and Walmart’s Massmart, among others.
Over the years, Clickatell has introduced several industry firsts, including tokenized payments on WhatsApp, KYC-compliant chat banking, and Chat-2-Pay, developed in partnership with Visa. Its AI-powered Chat Commerce Platform allows brands to provide seamless, secure customer interactions directly within chat interfaces.
“From day one, our mission has been to give people back their time,” said Pieter de Villiers, Co-Founder and CEO of Clickatell. “As we celebrate 25 years, we’re proud to continue helping enterprises create trusted and convenient customer experiences in chat. With our AI-powered platform, brands can deliver a ‘no hold, no app, no friction’ experience for their customers.”
Beyond technology, Clickatell continues to champion social impact in South Africa through partnerships with Endeavor SA, SiMODiSA, and The Collective X, supporting entrepreneurship, digital skills training, and inclusive economic growth.
Looking ahead, the company envisions the evolution of its AI-powered platform into an agentic commerce layer, where every customer interaction can become a secure, effortless transaction that enhances business performance and customer satisfaction.
