This is according to research by Clickatell on customer service trends and preferences for travel and retail that identified that brands that personalise both their digital and in-person commerce experiences can generate more meaningful and lasting customer relationships.
The chat commerce and business messaging leader also gives the five additional mobile messaging trends are likely to be the most relevant priorities in 2023 to help brands build and maintain consumer loyalty.
Pieter de Villiers, Clickatell CEO and co-founder believes the next wave of digital commerce will strongly emerge in 2023.
“Shopping digitally, whether on the web or on a mobile device, is now widely adopted by consumers. But strong demand by consumers for even more convenient shopping will make 2023 the tipping point for Chat Commerce, with more consumers engaging with their favorite brands within the messaging apps they use every day, such as SMS, Apple Messages and WhatsApp. In 2023, the commerce experience within messaging apps will evolve to be more functional, with experiences that rival that of other mobile apps,” says de Villiers.
"Brands add a layer of convenience by offering a real-time mobile option for consumers to receive order updates, new offers, and the ability to simply shop and transact through the messaging channels they already use daily, rather than shopping at a separate digital destination such as a website or mobile app,” explains Jennifer Shambroom, CMO at Clickatell.
According to Clickatell's Chat Commerce Trends Report: Retail Edition, 51% of consumers want access to special offers via mobile messaging and 46% of consumers want to receive personalised promotions for things like last-minute deals. “Retailers need to be meeting consumer expectations and that points to messaging commerce," adds Shambroom.
"With increasing costs and labour shortages, brands are looking for ways to simplify and consolidate, leverage mobile messaging with chatbots making the convenience of asynchronous communication with customers is a good decision,” says de Villiers.
“Our Chat Commerce Trends Report: CX Edition reveals 99% of customer service executives recognise the benefits of using chat with customers to bolster customer experience and drive revenue and growth for their businesses. Further, with rising expectations of customer service departments to generate sales revenue, mobile messaging provides a seamless and secure venue for transactions that allows representatives to support customers along their entire path to purchase, while also encouraging the opportunity for increased sales,” he continues.
He adds that Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to view messaging as a preferred communication channel.
"Commerce within mobile messaging is becoming the preferred way for consumers to shop, accounting for 71% of retail traffic and generating 61% of online shopping orders.
“In 2023, brands will need to double down on mobile, and mobile messaging channels are the place to focus. Consumers want to use mobile messaging with a retail company if it is as convenient as chatting with a friend," says de Villiers.
Shambroom states that consumers live on their mobile phones, especially in mobile messaging apps. As consumer behaviour continues to trend toward engaging with brands within messaging apps, the need for a business to invest in a custom mobile app will become less viable.
“Mobile messaging apps will become the Super App in 2023 and beyond, going beyond linear message threads to deliver the full range of commerce experiences, allowing consumers to receive special offers, make immediate purchases, coordinate item drop-off and pick-up, and contact customer service, delivering satisfying, personalized experiences across the entire customer lifecycle," says Shambroom.
