E-commerce messaging using SMS

A system to generate a short message service (SMS) business message for delivery to a mobile recipient, the system comprising:

• a server in communication with a computer, the server including a data collection interface to retrieve a data entered at a graphical user interface (GUI) of the computer in a new SMS business message;
• and
• program code executing on the server that causes the server to:
• receive the new SMS business message from the computer to be sent to a mobile recipient, wherein the business message is prepared via a graphic user interface (GUI) of the computer, wherein the GUI invokes a SMS message composing wizard (SMS MCW) for retrieving a SMS universal encoding template (SMS UET) including pre-defined data parameters for existing categorizations (types) of SMS business messages to automatically facilitate the preparation of the new SMS business message using the SMS MCW and a selected existing type of SMS business message format defined by the SMS UET, and wherein the new business message is automatically prepared from the data entered at the GUI based on pre-defined data parameters for the selected existing type of SMS business message format;
• generate a SMS message instance (SMS MI) which is categorized based on the selected existing type of SMS business message format;
• and
• transmit the SMS MI to a wireless gateway for delivery of the SMS MI to a mobile phone of a mobile recipient, wherein the SMS MI includes an inbound template identification (ID) extracted from the incoming SMS message by a runtime processor of the server.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer storage medium having stored therein software code that when executed by a server computer, performs a series of method processes including:

• the server computer receiving a new short message service (SMS) business message to be sent to a mobile recipient, wherein the business message is prepared via a graphic user interface (GUI) of a computer that is in communication with the server, wherein the GUI invokes a SMS message composing wizard (SMS MCW) for retrieving a SMS universal encoding template (SMS UET) including pre-defined data parameters for existing categorizations (types) of SMS business messages to automatically facilitate the preparation of the new SMS business message using the SMS MCW and a selected existing type of SMS business message format defined by the SMS UET, and wherein the new business message is automatically prepared from the data entered at the GUI based on pre-defined data parameters for the selected existing type of SMS business message format;
• retrieving, by a data collection interface (DCI) of the server computer, the data entered at the GUI of the computer to prepare the new SMS business message;
• generating, by the server computer, a SMS message instance (SMS MI) which is categorized based on the selected existing type of SMS business message format;
• transmitting, by the server computer, the SMS MI to a wireless gateway for delivery of the SMS MI to a mobile recipient;
• sending a list of a plurality of available inbound templates for a SMS business message to a mobile recipient;
• and
• receiving from the mobile recipient an incoming SMS message in response to the SMS MI that includes an inbound template identification (ID) extracted from the incoming SMS message by a runtime processor of the server computer.