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Why Messaging Businesses is the New Normal
Discover how people are increasingly turning to messaging apps to connect with businesses around the world.
CONTENTS
In business, relationships are everything. And every relationship starts with a conversation. This has been true since the dawn of commerce. But today, people and businesses are increasingly connecting through a powerful, personal new medium: messaging.
People’s use of mobile messaging apps has been on a meteoric rise. By the end of 2018, 78% of the world’s smartphone users will message every month.1 And the growth is only expected to continue: By 2021, it’s predicted that the global user base for mobile messaging apps will have risen by a further 23%.2
To shine a light on the new opportunities messaging is unlocking, we analyzed Facebook’s own research, commissioned studies, focus groups and interviews, and also reviewed third-party research in search of the most actionable insights.
We found that people’s expectations for communicating with each other are fundamentally transforming the way they expect to communicate with businesses. And while the apps people use and the frequency with which they message businesses may vary by region, messaging's global momentum is undeniable. Crucially, messaging is creating momentous opportunities for businesses of all types and sizes.
Welcome to the future of consumer communication.
People are messaging more—and more visually.
People crave human connections. And with messaging making connections easier than ever, it is perhaps no surprise that messaging has become an integral part of billions of people's daily lives around the world. If you’ve ever messaged someone to ask if it's a good time to give them a call, you’ve already experienced this shift.
Within this landscape, Messenger and WhatsApp are the most widely used messaging apps worldwide in terms of monthly active users.3
What we are seeing on (and beyond) these platforms is that people, globally, are messaging more and more—and their language of choice is an increasingly universal, visually immersive one. Case in point: Across 8 markets surveyed globally, 56% of people have sent a message consisting only of emojis.4 Whether people are sending “good morning” GIFs to loved ones, spontaneously sharing Instagram Stories or using AR to visualize a potential purchase, many people who message may tell you that the camera is the new keyboard.
People who use visuals more frequently in their messaging are 1.59x more likely than those who don’t to say they have “great conversations”—the kind that are genuine, free-flowing and entertaining.5 Here’s a snapshot of some of the creative connections taking place across our platforms around the world:
On Messenger
People share more than 17 billion photos, and 400 million people use voice and video chat every month.6
On WhatsApp
There are 4.5 billion photos, 1 billion videos and 80 million GIFs shared per day.7
On Instagram
Visual inspiration leads to messages through Direct, with 150 million Instagrammers connecting with businesses each month. And 1 in 3 of these conversations begins with an Instagram Story.8
Business messaging has gone global.
As the world grows more mobile first, people’s expectations of businesses are evolving. For those who consider time their most precious resource, the asynchronous nature of messaging may be appealing: People can often expect immediate responses, but respond themselves whenever it’s convenient. And messaging also has a unique ability to address people’s growing demand for more personal interactions and more streamlined experiences:
Across 8 markets surveyed globally, 91% of consumers say they’re more likely to shop with brands who recognize, remember and provide them with relevant offers and recommendations.9
On Facebook in the US, conversation around information overload has been on the rise, growing 2.4x in just 21 months.10
Across 4 markets surveyed globally, 45% of people say they’d prefer to have fewer apps on their phones.11
ACROSS 4 MARKETS SURVEYED GLOBALLY, MOST PEOPLE ARE MESSAGING BUSINESSES.
When we surveyed daily messaging app users across 4 markets, the majority told us they had messaged a business in the past three months:12
Brazil85%
India74%
UK61%
US61%
Looking across 15 markets, we see that mobile-first emerging markets are leading the charge here. Leapfrogging past the rest of the world in their adoption of new technology, people surveyed in emerging markets are 2.4x more likely than those in mature mobile markets to say they message businesses.13
PEOPLE IN EMERGING MARKETS ARE MORE LIKELY THAN THE GLOBAL AVERAGE TO MESSAGE BUSINESSES MONTHLY.14
Business messaging has definitely gone global—and people’s interest is only growing. Across Colombia, Germany, Mexico and the US, 71% of people surveyed say they're open to messaging businesses.15
We just have to look at how people use Messenger to understand how messaging’s global momentum is actually unfolding.
MESSAGING AROUND THE WORLD
Markets where people and businesses messaged the most on Messenger in 2017 16
MESSAGING ACROSS VERTICALS
Which industries used Messenger the most to connect with people in 2017?17
Professional services
Retail
Local entertainment
Public good
Media
Business messaging is now gaining a measurable edge over more traditional communication methods. In fact, people surveyed across 15 markets are already more likely to rate the effectiveness of messaging a business as “excellent” or “very good” compared to calling on the phone. When there are jobs to be done, messaging is making its mark.19
Quick responses unlock meaningful connections.
Messaging gives people a direct line to the businesses they are interested in spending their money with. People are turning to messaging when they want a brand's guidance or expertise, when they seek a more streamlined shopping experience and when they want to signal that they are open to important updates (whether that's a shipping notification from a favorite retailer or a gate change from an airline).
When people message businesses, they come with a certain set of expectations. Following are people’s associations with business messaging, which can help shine a light on what people expect when they choose to chat:20
- Easy to use
- Anywhere, any time
- Time-saving
- Effective
- Reliable
- Documented
- Fun
- Real time/fast
While convenience and reliability are both important elements of a positive experience, response time may be the key that unlocks meaningful connections. Among people surveyed across 4 markets who message businesses,21 the majority expect a faster response than if they had used a more traditional mode of communication.22 This is the case for 70% of the people we spoke to in Brazil, 66% in India, 54% in the UK and 61% in the US.23
“
If a seller keeps me waiting longer than 10 minutes, I’ll move on to another seller.
—Ligia, 25, Brazil 24
The expectation of an immediate response may even help explain people’s rising in interest in bots: US conversation on Facebook around chatbots grew 5.6x in a year.25
MESSAGING A BUSINESS INSPIRES CONFIDENCE AND TRUST.
Business messaging offers clear practical benefits like convenience. But it can also play a much deeper, more meaningful role for both people and businesses. The sense of human connection that conversation unlocks can give consumers the confidence to convert.
Among people surveyed who message businesses26 the majority say being able to message a business helps them feel more confident about the brand:27
Brazil76%
India79%
UK66%
US69%
By helping to establish confidence and trust, messaging can uniquely draw people and businesses together into an ongoing conversation, ultimately enabling more meaningful connections than ever.
“
I feel more confident buying through Facebook Messenger because I get to talk to the sellers, and it makes you feel like you can trust the seller.
—Ruechanon, 29, Thailand28
This may be why so many believe in business messaging and its future: More than 1 in 2 people surveyed across 15 markets consider business messaging the “modern way to communicate.”29
But perhaps most powerfully, nearly 40% of people surveyed globally consider messaging to be a communication method that is “offered by many businesses.”30 As this number will only continue to rise, make sure to meet your consumers where they are—in their favorite messaging apps.
What it means for marketers
Message creatively.
Play to people’s visual expectations in messaging. Express your brand's personality with emojis, enticing imagery and even immersive augmented reality experiences. After all, the path to purchase is increasingly paved with visuals.
Message to manage expectations.
In some cases, consumers have built-in expectations around messaging based on how they message friends and family. People expect responses—and prompt ones, too. Use auto-responses to let people know if you won’t be available. In other cases, consumers will not know what to expect: When engaging with a bot the first time, they may not know what it's capable of, so offer people menus (vs open fields), guiding them to choose their own adventure.
Message your own way.
Messenger, Instagram Direct and WhatsApp all offer powerful means of creating more meaningful connections and driving growth. Businesses of all sizes message in many ways—some powered by people, others by bots and many by a combination of the two. Determine the right way to scale based on your strategic needs and the expectations of those you wish you connect with.
Related Articles:
Resources:
Facebook Business: Messenger for Business
Instagram Business: “Making It Easier to Do Business on Instagram”
Facebook Business: “How to Use Messenger for Your Business”
