The 8 Messaging App Statistics Every CMO Should Know
If you have a smartphone, there is a 3 in 4 chance that you have a messaging app on it. Messaging apps have completely changed the way that people communicate by enabling people with different devices to connect on one platform through text and multimedia.
With messaging apps, families are able to text relatives across continents without paying high overseas calling rates and friends can send videos and music from their favorite content creators to their friends instantly. Most importantly for businesses, customers can interface with chatbots to obtain information and basic customer service quickly and seamlessly.
Messaging apps are ubiquitous in today’s world. As consumers demand a more personal and efficient buying experiences, marketers will need to view theses apps as advertising opportunities. We’ve compiled the most telling statistics on messaging apps to help advertisers grasp the size of the messaging app market.
1. Messaging apps are now over 20% bigger than social networks
Users around the world are downloading and using messaging apps more than social media apps. The study shows that messaging apps have 20% more monthly active users than social networks. These apps are no longer just between friends, either — messaging apps have evolved into multimedia platforms tailored to individual users.
These messaging platforms allow users to receive personalized content, watch videos, chat with their contacts, and even shop for merchandise through the apps. The diverse functionality of messaging apps, combined with their massive user bases, make them effective platforms for marketers and media companies.
2. 36% of consumers using messaging apps use at least 2 other apps
Consumer tech and media studies have found that 36% of consumers using messaging apps are using two or more of them on their phones. More specifically, 20% of these consumers are using 2 messaging apps and 16% are using 3 or more. The majority — 64% — of consumers use at least one messaging app.
3. By 2020, average revenue from messaging apps is expected to exceed $15 per user, driven primarily by chatbots
The role of messaging in purchasing is still evolving, but most platforms are focusing resources on using chatbots to monetize the attention of users. Facebook, for example, offers advertisers access to users through Messenger, giving them additional opportunities to convert consumers.
By 2020, the average user on WeChat is expected to be valued at $15.65 and the average user on Facebook will be worth almost $5. If Facebook continues to develop new features in music, TV, and e-commerce, the average revenue per user on Messenger will likely increase.
4. 30% of those using a chatbot will communicate with a business
Almost 30% of chatbot users on major messaging platforms report using the bots to communicate with a business. Chatbots are not used solely as a conversion tool for businesses, though. Users report that chatbots improve customer experiences, generally accelerating or simplifying online or in-person experiences. For example, the majority of Millennials who have interacted with a company’s chatbot report that the chatbot positively affected their perception of the business.
5. Facebook Messenger is on the phones of at least 1.2 billion people
Facebook’s most recent reports show that its messaging platform, Messenger, has a reach of over 1.2 billion people.
Messenger is easily one of the most widely used messaging platforms in the US, and Facebook is looking to draw more businesses and customer support services to the messaging app. The company’s seen a huge boom in bot integration, adding over 18,000 bots in 2016 after it opened up the Messenger platform to third-party developers.
6. WhatsApp is the largest messaging app in the world
Messenger offers businesses a variety of options for reaching potential consumers, but WhatsApp offers them a larger audience. With over 1.3 billion users, WhatsApp is the largest messaging app in the world, and it’s expected to reach 1.75 billion users by 2020.
What’s more, WhatsApp Status (a feature similar to Instagram or Snapchat Stories) accumulated 175 million daily active users just three months after it launched. It took Instagram Stories 9 months to reach 200 million users, meaning that WhatsApp Status is outpacing the growth of Instagram Stories by 65.3 million users per month.
7. At least 3 billion Snaps are created every day on Snapchat
Snapchat built its photo messaging app on the concept of ephemeral photo messages called Snaps, and Snapchat users create over 3 billion of those Snaps per day. Currently, Snapchat sees 166 million daily active users, 85% of which are between the ages of 13-34. On average, users under 25 check Snapchat over 20 times per day while users over 25 check Snapchat about 12 times per day.
Snapchat is a notoriously difficult platform for brands and content creators to measure marketing and advertising campaigns. That said, brands that find the right strategy often see great results — Snap reports that its Snap Ads generated up to a 90% in-store sales lift for some brands.
8. Over 50% of WeChat users open the app 10 times a day
WeChat is one of China’s biggest social media messaging apps, alongside WhatsApp. The app has over 938 million monthly active users, 50% of whom open WeChat 10 times a day. Currently, advertising on WeChat makes up only 15% of its total revenue, but that number may grow as advertisers gain access to the platform’s closed network.
WeChat is also developing its pool of influencers (it calls them “key opinion leaders”), and they’re vital for brands that want to communicate with WeChat users but don’t have access to the closed network.
Though similar apps like Snapchat have thousands of social media influencers, many Snapchat influencers are unhappy with the app’s limited audience and growth opportunities. WeChat gives users verified accounts and influencer tools to help them reach and be discovered by audiences — a pivotal selling point for the platform’s biggest users.
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