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People have found a new way to communicate with businesses, so you might be able to kiss that wonderful "on hold music" goodbye.
A new report by MEF reveals that approximately 65% of smartphone users worldwide have used a messaging app to talk to a company. The study analyzed the responses of almost 6,000 people from nine different nations and found that over-the-top (OTT) apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, along with SMS, have become the preferred communication platforms for most users who talk to companies.
As these apps become more popular, companies are starting to leverage them to reach customers, particularly because businesses know their customers are spending more time within these apps. WhatsApp and Messenger, for example, have eclipsed SMS in terms of person-to-person messaging.
But application-to-person (A2P) messaging, or SMS texting from businesses to consumers, is still the most trusted channel for communication. In fact, 75% of respondents said they talked to businesses through SMS.
This method will likely stay relevant as a B2C channel in the short- and mid-term. This is mostly driven by the ubiquity of SMS technology, which is not tethered to data strength and reaches users worldwide no matter what type of mobile device they had.
Messaging apps have evolved beyond simple text communication tools to now include file sharing, commerce, and more. And they're not done growing.
Will McKitterick, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, 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:
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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.