Understanding Rakuten Viber’s New Business Messaging Rates: What You Need to Know
In an era where effective communication can make or break a business, Rakuten Viber Business Messaging stands out as a powerful platform to connect with customers worldwide. With over a billion users, Viber enables businesses to engage with customers in a direct, secure, and meaningful way, whether it’s for transactional alerts, promotional campaigns, or personalized conversations.
As businesses continue to expand across borders, it’s crucial to ensure that messaging remains compliant, secure, and tailored to both local and international needs. To meet these demands and align with global regulatory standards, Rakuten Viber is introducing a new rate structure starting October 1st, 2024.
New Rakuten Viber Business Messaging Rates
Starting from October 1st, 2024, Rakuten Viber will be charging different rates for international and domestic business messages.
- International rate type: There will be one international rate per country, irrespective of the type of message. Starting October 1st, 2024, new international enterprises* onboarded will be charged the new international rate if messages are sent to a country different from where the business is headquartered.
- Domestic rates will remain the same: defined per country and per specific message type (transactional, promotional, conversational sessions).
- Existing businesses will not be impacted by this change; their messaging traffic will continue to be considered domestic.
*An international enterprise is considered a global entity with a presence and operations in more than one country.
Understanding International vs. Domestic Rates
- International Rates: Apply to messages sent from a business headquartered in a different country than the message recipient. For instance, a company in the U.S. sending messages to users in Greece will incur the international rate.
- Domestic Rates: Apply to messages sent from a business headquartered in the same country as the recipient. For example, a company in the Philippines sending messages to users within the Philippines will be charged the domestic rate, according to the message type.
Can I be charged both domestic and international rates?
International enterprises will encounter both domestic and international rates. Here’s an example of how it works:
- A business entity headquartered in the U.S. sends business messages to users in the U.S., Greece, and the Philippines.
- Messages to users in the U.S. are billed at domestic rates and charged according to the message type.
- Messages to users in Greece and the Philippines are billed at the international rate, regardless of the message type.
What does this mean for my business?
If you are an existing customer, this update will not impact you; your messaging will still be billed at domestic rates. The changes will apply only to new international enterprises onboarded from October 1st, 2024.
Need guidance?
As a trusted Rakuten Viber for Business provider, we’re here to help you seamlessly adapt to the new rates and fine-tune your messaging strategy. Reach out to your Account Manager or contact us here, and let’s make sure your business communication stays sharp, efficient, and effective!
