With an increase in business-consumer interaction on mobile messaging platforms, 53 per cent of consumers today prefer shopping with a business they can message, a survey by social media giant Facebook has revealed.According to the "Facebook Messaging Survey", more than 50 per cent of people in India, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mexico and Indonesia are most likely to message more than five people every day."Sixty-three per cent of the consumers said that they message with brands more today than they did two years ago," said the survey conducted by Facebook along with Nielsen. With the rise of mobile messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber and Line, brands are rushing to establish a presence within the programmes themselves, campaignlive.com reported.Following this trend, companies like Disney, Taco Bell and Paypal have introduced chatbots designed to engage customers inside messaging apps.
"Having this understanding can help marketers and businesses better inform how to reach consumers where they are spending their time, and to better meet their expectations for personalised experiences," Asher Rapkin, lead for product marketing communications at Facebook, was quoted as saying.According to the survey, 39 per cent consumers said they ask questions or seek information by talking to the brands via messaging, 33 per cent enquire about store hours, location or inventory, 34 per cent make or confirm an appointment, 33 per cent make a purchase or place an order, 30 per cent give feedback and 30 per cent share photos of products.Overall, 76 per cent said messaging has improved their lives and 69 per cent say messaging apps have made their lives easier."Consumer desire to interact with businesses through messaging is a growing trend around the world though some parts of the world are a bit ahead in terms of consumer behaviour and intent," Rapkin said.