The study is part of MEF’s Future of Messaging Programme. It indexes the messaging habits of nearly 6,000 respondents across nine countries worldwide.
The research, supported by Mblox, says 76% of consumers have received communications from businesses such as banks, healthcare and retailers via SMS. 65% have engaged with companies via chat apps.
The financial services sector is the most active in enterprise messaging, with 33% of respondents having received an SMS for activities such as account activation and balance checking. 22% have done so via a chat app.
Retailers and e-commerce (websites and email service providers) are also using messaging to engage their consumers with 24% using SMS and 17% using chat apps. 23% of consumers have received a notification for delivery of goods via SMS and 16% via a chat app. The rise in demand for convenience with services like click-and-collect and last-mile notification is helping to drive this sector.
The survey reveals the healthcare sector to be a key growth area. Globally, 15% of consumers studied have received a message from a healthcare provider via SMS and 12% via a chat app. The UK and US lead this space with 19% of consumers in both markets engaging via chat apps.
Messaging as an authentication channel is also on the rise. The report benchmarks password confirmation as the most popular use of application to person messaging (A2P) – globally for SMS is 30% and chat apps 25%. In mobile-first markets it’s even higher – in Nigeria 49% and South Africa 38% have received an authentication message from an enterprise.
However, while SMS dominates A2P as the channel of choice, when it comes to person to person messaging (P2P) the ‘big two’ have edged past SMS. When asked which channel they used most, consumers chose Facebook Messenger first (56%), followed by WhatsApp (50%) and SMS (42%).
Rob Malcolm, senior vice president of corporate development, Mblox said: “The MEF Mobile messaging report shows that consumers prefer OTT apps for person-to-person communications and SMS for enterprise-to-consumer communications. Consumers have come to expect companies to communicate with them in real time about every aspect of the service life cycle and mobile messaging continues to lead the power of that engagement.”
Rimma Perelmuter, CEO at MEF said: “MEF’s Mobile Messaging report clearly indicates globally consumers and enterprises are embracing all kind of mobile messaging channels across a broad range of uses and verticals. However, there is a clear opportunity for growth with 24% of SMS users and 35% of chat app users currently unengaged.”
