CM

CM, also known as CM.com and formerly CM Telecom, is a Dutch communications-technology company that began as a specialist provider of SMS services for nightlife and event organisers. The company was established in February 1999 by Jeroen van Glabbeek and Gilbert Gooijer under the name ClubMessage B.V. Its first significant product was Group Text, a service that enabled clubs and event organisers to distribute information to attendees and promote DJ nights and other events through bulk text messages. Initially concentrated in the Benelux, the service gave CM an early position in the emerging business-to-consumer mobile-messaging market. During its initial development, CM expanded beyond nightclub communications into music festivals and other event-related activities. It focused on scaling SMS delivery and developed MailText, a software product associated with the company’s early messaging operations. This period established the basic model that would remain central to CM: providing communications infrastructure and software to businesses rather than operating primarily as a consumer-facing messaging network. Over time, the company broadened its offer from outbound SMS into a wider set of customer-contact and transaction tools. Its portfolio came to include application-to-person messaging, hybrid messaging, push-notification management, voice-related services, ecommerce payments, and digital identification. Hybrid messaging allowed businesses to use several channels in a coordinated way, such as sending a push notification first and automatically following up with SMS when a user did not read the push message. CM also developed analytics capabilities intended to help customers measure messaging traffic, user interaction, and conversion outcomes. The company’s expansion was supported by acquisitions and international office openings. In September 2013, CM acquired Dutch mobile-app developer OneSixty Mobile B.V., with offices in ’s-Hertogenbosch and London. This gave CM additional application-development capability and an initial physical presence in the United Kingdom. In 2015, the company announced plans to open offices in Paris and London. In March 2016, it acquired Global messaging, a company based in Peterborough, England, and also acquired mobile-app developer Service2Media. These transactions strengthened CM’s messaging, software, and international-development operations. Payments became another important area of diversification. CM launched CM Payments Worldwide and, in July 2017, acquired payment institution Docdata Payments from Ingram Micro. The transaction helped extend the company from communications delivery into payment processing and related commerce services. In the same month, CM introduced a new visual identity and changed its name, reflecting its broader positioning beyond its earlier telecommunications-oriented identity. CM operates in the business communications and customer-experience technology sector. Its services are used by organisations that need to reach customers through mobile and digital channels, support transactions, authenticate users, or manage engagement across multiple touchpoints. The company’s documented activities include direct messaging, voice and VoIP messaging, ecommerce payments, digital identification, push campaigns, mobile analytics, and software for managing customer interactions. It has also pursued acquisitions of messaging and media-related startups as part of its growth strategy. The brand has maintained a connection with the events and entertainment sector that shaped its origins. CM was the main sponsor of Dutch football club NAC Breda from 2015 to 2020. Although this sponsorship was distinct from its technology products, it provided a visible consumer-facing association for a company whose principal business is enterprise software and communications infrastructure. CM is best understood as an active Dutch business-to-business technology brand whose historical progression runs from event SMS messaging to a broader communications, payments, and digital-identity platform.

CM was founded in February 1999 by Jeroen van Glabbeek and Gilbert Gooijer. It initially operated as ClubMessage B.V. and developed Group Text, an SMS-based service for clubs and event organisers. The product was used especially across the Benelux to communicate with nightlife audiences and promote DJ nights and events. As the business developed, its customer base expanded into music festivals and other event sectors. The company then concentrated on the growth of mobile messaging services. It developed MailText and built expertise in sending large volumes of business-to-consumer messages. This gave CM a foundation in application-to-person communications and positioned it as a backend provider for companies and organisations seeking to reach mobile users. CM gradually expanded its scope beyond basic SMS delivery. It entered mobile payments through CM Payments Worldwide and added tools for push messaging, campaign management, and mobile analytics. Its hybrid-messaging approach connected different channels: a company could send a push notification and, if the recipient did not engage with it, follow up through SMS. The company’s analytics tools were designed to show messaging traffic and conversions, giving customers greater visibility into campaign performance. International growth and acquisitions became increasingly important. In September 2013, CM acquired OneSixty Mobile B.V., a Dutch mobile-app developer with offices in ’s-Hertogenbosch and London. The acquisition broadened CM’s software capabilities and helped establish an early UK presence. In 2015, CM announced plans for offices in Paris and London, continuing its move beyond the Benelux. In March 2016, CM acquired Global messaging, based in Peterborough, England, and acquired Service2Media, a mobile-app developer. These deals added messaging and application-development assets. The following year, CM acquired Docdata Payments from Ingram Micro. The payments transaction supported the company’s diversification into ecommerce transactions and helped connect communications services with commerce technology. In July 2017, CM introduced a new visual identity and adopted the CM.com name, reflecting a business that had grown beyond its origins as a specialised telecom and SMS provider. Its documented service areas subsequently included direct messaging, voice and VoIP messaging, ecommerce payments, and digital identification. CM also pursued acquisitions involving messaging and media startups. The company’s public profile was supplemented by its sponsorship of NAC Breda, a Dutch football club, from 2015 to 2020. Despite this consumer-facing sponsorship, CM’s core business remained enterprise-oriented: it supplied infrastructure and software for organisations communicating with customers, handling payments, and conducting digital identity processes. Its historical development therefore follows the broader evolution of business messaging from event SMS into an integrated customer-communications and commerce platform.

• 2020

  End of NAC Breda main sponsorship

  [1]CM (commerce)en.wikipedia.org

  CM’s documented period as the main sponsor of NAC Breda concluded after running from 2015 to 2020.

• 2017

  Docdata Payments acquisition and rebrand

  [1]CM (commerce)en.wikipedia.org

  CM acquired Docdata Payments and unveiled a new visual identity and name associated with its broader communications and payments strategy.

• 2016

  Messaging and mobile-software acquisitions

  [1]CM (commerce)en.wikipedia.org

  CM acquired Global messaging and Service2Media, strengthening its messaging and mobile-application capabilities.

• 2015

  Expansion into Paris and London

  [1]CM (commerce)en.wikipedia.org

  CM announced plans to open offices in Paris and London as it expanded its international operating footprint.

• 2013

  Acquisition of OneSixty Mobile

  [1]CM (commerce)en.wikipedia.org

  CM acquired Dutch mobile-app developer OneSixty Mobile B.V., which had offices in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

• 1999

  Company founded as ClubMessage B.V.

  [1]CM (commerce)en.wikipedia.org

  Jeroen van Glabbeek and Gilbert Gooijer established the company in February 1999. Its initial focus was Group Text for clubs and event organisers.

A business-to-business communications and commerce-technology platform that helps organisations engage customers, deliver notifications, support conversations, process payments, and verify identities through mobile and digital channels.

• Business SMS messaging · 1999

  Group Text

  CM’s early flagship service enabled clubs, nightlife venues, and event organisers to send information to groups of attendees by SMS. It was used for event promotion and audience communication, particularly in the Benelux, and established the company’s initial expertise in high-volume business messaging.

• Mobile messaging software

  MailText

  MailText was software developed during CM’s early expansion of SMS services. It represented the company’s move from a narrowly event-focused service toward reusable messaging infrastructure for organisations that needed to distribute information to mobile users.

• Multichannel customer engagement

  Hybrid messaging

  CM’s hybrid-messaging approach coordinates several communication formats within one customer journey. A business can send a push notification and automatically use SMS as a follow-up when the push message is not read, helping organisations combine lower-friction app messaging with the broader reach of text messaging.

• Messaging analytics · 2016

  Mobile analytics

  CM launched a real-time analytics tool for mobile communications in 2016. The web-based tool provided customers with visibility into messaging traffic and conversions, supporting measurement of campaign delivery and user response.

• Ecommerce payments

  CM Payments Worldwide

  CM Payments Worldwide marked the company’s expansion into mobile and ecommerce payment services. It complemented the communications portfolio by addressing transaction use cases alongside customer contact and notification functions.

• Digital identity

  Digital identification

  Digital-identification services form part of CM’s broader platform for customer interaction and transactions. They support identity-related processes in digital environments, extending the company’s role beyond messaging delivery into authentication and trust services.

• 2015NAC Breda main sponsorship

  The Netherlands

  CM became the main sponsor of Dutch football club NAC Breda, giving the enterprise technology brand a visible association with a nationally followed sports organisation.

  Outcome. The sponsorship continued through 2020.

  Source

• 2017

  Acquire Docdata PaymentsM&A

  Background

  CM was diversifying from mobile messaging into payments and broader commerce services.

  Action taken

  The company acquired payment institution Docdata Payments from its American owner, Ingram Micro.

  Aftermath

  The transaction strengthened CM’s payments capabilities and supported its positioning as a broader communications and commerce-technology provider.

  Source

• 2017

  Adopt the CM.com identityStrategy

  Background

  The company had expanded beyond its original SMS and telecommunications roots into applications, payments, analytics, and digital services.

  Action taken

  CM introduced a new visual identity and changed its name in July 2017.

  Aftermath

  The refreshed identity represented the company’s broader platform strategy rather than its earlier event-messaging focus.

  Source

1. 1CM (commerce)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2CM.comcm.com