For the longest time, business communication meant receiving a static, one-way SMS about a delivery or a bank notification. However, the way brands talk to us has fundamentally shifted. Cloud communication platform Infobip recently released its Messaging Trends Report 2026, backing up this shift with a staggering amount of data. By analysing over 628 billion mobile interactions from just last year, alongside a massive historical review of 3.8 trillion messages spanning two decades, the report confirms that the traditional, single-channel notification is effectively obsolete.
Just a decade ago, 73% of all communication traffic on the platform was strictly single-channel. Fast forward to today, and a massive 98% of interactions involve customers using multiple channels to seamlessly connect with brands. While traditional SMS remains a highly reliable backbone—still accounting for 62% of global traffic—the real momentum lies in rich, conversational formats. The adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS) is absolutely skyrocketing, seeing a five-fold increase in the Asia Pacific region over the last year alone, while North America experienced a staggering seventy-fold surge. Meanwhile, WhatsApp remains the undisputed king of the conversational landscape, facilitating 91% of all conversational AI interactions on Infobip’s platform.
Looking specifically at Malaysia, the shift toward conversational commerce is actually outpacing many global benchmarks. Infobip recorded a massive 240% surge in mobile messaging app interactions within the country. Breaking that down further, WhatsApp usage grew by 40%, while Viber saw an impressive 107% increase. Interestingly, the demand for high-fidelity, personal communication also drove a 38% increase in Voice and Video interactions. According to Ruslana Reznikova, Infobip’s VP GM for APAC and Eurasia, this data highlights a clear trend: Malaysian consumers actively want to engage with businesses on the same platforms they use to chat with their friends and family.
To manage this complex, multi-channel reality, businesses are leaning heavily into artificial intelligence. However, we are moving well past the era of frustrating, script-based chatbots. The report highlights that Agentic AI is the next major step in business messaging. These advanced AI agents are capable of autonomous, goal-driven interactions that can seamlessly orchestrate complex customer journeys across various platforms. To facilitate this evolution, Infobip is utilising its new AgentOS platform to help companies transition away from simple notifications and toward meaningful, two-way conversations that actually drive brand loyalty.
Ultimately, the data paints a very clear picture of modern consumer expectations. As Infobip’s Chief Revenue Officer, Ante Pamuković, noted, the future of brand communication is undeniably omnichannel, deeply conversational, and increasingly powered by intelligent AI agents. If a business is still relying solely on static text blasts to engage its audience, it is fundamentally ignoring how modern customers actually want to communicate.
