New research from global cloud communications platform Infobip reveals that chat apps such as WhatsApp are becoming crucial channels for customer communications, demonstrating the growing importance of conversational experiences. Infobip’s data shows an 80% and 62% increase in WhatsApp and rich communication services (RCS) interactions respectively in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.
Customers now have access to more channels and devices than ever before. Whether it’s marketing, support, or sales, they increasingly want the experience of chatting with a company or brand on their preferred channel. However, organizations can have a hard time keeping track of those options and delivering the experience customers expect without the right omnichannel communications.
To help companies understand changing habits, Infobip analyzed more than 153 billion media interactions on its platform since the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.
The analysis reveals several trends in customer communications. First, communicating with today’s customers is more digital than ever, with a 68% increase in interactions across all digital channels. Second, besides the increase in interactions with chat apps, around 99% of interactions with customer support and chatbots are now on WhatsApp.
However, as new channels gain momentum, the data shows the continued growth of more traditional channels, such as SMS and email. Engagement on these channels increased by 75% and 91%, respectively. Infobip sees applications emerging around special alerts and security solutions like two-factor authentication.
Infobip also finds that many sectors also reflect the same trends. For instance:
- 134% more WhatsApp interactions in banking and finance
- 104% more WhatsApp interactions and 155% more email interactions in retail and eCommerce
- 1063% more RCS interactions in telecoms
- 428% more Messenger interactions in transport and logistics
According to Infobip’s statistics, the popularity of chat apps has given rise to other use cases, such as conversational commerce, which combines messaging with eCommerce to improve user experiences and produce better business outcomes.
“Our data reveals how conversational customer experiences are quickly becoming the new normal. Customers don’t want a one-way interaction with a brand. They want a conversation – whether for support, sales, or marketing. But, as our data shows, to meet customer needs, businesses and brands must first embed global real-time omnichannel communications. When omnichannel communications are in place, businesses can create meaningful relationships with their customers on their preferred channel at any point in their journey, helping boost loyalty and ultimately sales.”
Ivan Ostojic, Chief Business Officer at Infobip.
