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Having a presence on chat apps is more important than ever for businesses, according to a recent survey by Facebook.
The survey, which looked at responses from existing Messenger users, found that more than half (53%) of customers said they’re more likely to shop with a business that they can contact via a chat app.
The survey indicates that B2C communications over messaging apps is a growing trend that is showing no sign of slowing down in the near future.
Among participants that already use chat apps, 63% said they message more with businesses than they did two years ago. And 67% of survey participants expect to message more with businesses over the next two years.
Moreover, chat apps are not exclusive to younger generations. Although these users have historically spent more time on chat apps, the trend is quickly extending to older generations. The share of millennials, gen Xers, and baby boomers who prefer to message rather than call or email is relatively flat at 65%, 65%, and 63%, respectively.
Overall, the survey shows how, when used properly, chat apps can present businesses with a great opportunity to guide consumers through the entire customer journey:
- Consumers like to use chat apps for the initial contact because of the quick response time. For instance, 35% of consumers ask companies questions related to a product or service, and 33% ask about store hours, location, or inventory, notes Facebook.
- Consumers already show a clear pattern of chat app buying behavior. Around a third of consumers use messaging apps to make or confirm appointments. And 33% have made or placed an order through chat apps.
- Consumers are also likely to provide feedback, and share their experience. After interacting with a business over Messenger, 30% of users provide feedback, and 39% share photos of products.
Messaging apps have evolved beyond simple text communication tools to include commerce, file sharing, artificial intelligence, and more. And that evolution is ongoing.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on messaging apps that takes a close look at the size of the messaging app market, how these apps are changing, and the types of opportunities for monetization that have emerged from the growing audience that uses messaging services daily.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:
- Mobile messaging apps are massive. The largest services have hundreds of millions of monthly active users (MAU). Falling data prices, cheaper devices, and improved features are helping propel their growth.
- Messaging apps are about more than messaging. The first stage of the chat app revolution was focused on growth. In the next phase, companies will focus on building out services and monetizing chat apps’ massive user base.
- Popular Asian messaging apps like WeChat, KakaoTalk, and LINE have taken the lead in finding innovative ways to keep users engaged. They’ve also built successful strategies for monetizing their services.
- Media companies, and marketers are still investing more time and resources into social networks like Facebook and Twitter than they are into messaging services. That will change as messaging companies build out their services and provide more avenues for connecting brands, publishers, and advertisers with users.
In full, this report:
- Gives a high-level overview of the messaging market in the US by comparing total monthly active users for the top chat apps.
- Examines the user behavior of chat app users, specifically what makes them so attractive to brands, publishers, and advertisers.
- Identifies what distinguishes chat apps in the West from their counterparts in the East.
- Discusses the potentially lucrative avenues companies are pursuing to monetize their services.
- Offers key insights and implications for marketers as they consider interacting with users through these new platforms.
To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:
- Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
- Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT
The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the future of messaging apps.
