Want to keep up with the latest trends in social conversational commerce? We’ve got you covered!
Successful marketers follow the changing trends to meet customers where they are. But with marketing channels in decline and current tactics no longer as effective, there must be a new way forward for marketers who want to engage customers and generate sales.
What do customers say they want? To message with their favorite brands through the apps they use every day.
That’s just one of the findings from our recent report on “The State of Social Conversational Commerce: 2023,” where we surveyed over 1700 consumers from the EU and the US about their interactions with messaging, what their experiences were like, and if messaging led them to make purchases.
Here are seven insights that not only show where customer preferences are today, but that should encourage marketers to look to one-to-one messaging as the future of customer engagement.
1. Messaging is the primary way customers want to communicate with a brand.
How do customers prefer to interact with brands? 60% of EU respondents and 51% of US respondents say they want to message with a brand. Messaging is preferred over phone calls, but more importantly, it’s preferred over email. They want to message because it’s faster and more convenient.
2. Over half have messaged with a company on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp.
For marketers looking to better engage customers, why not go to where they spend their time the most: on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp? 67% of EU respondents and 52% of US respondents say they’re already familiar with messaging a brand through these services.
3. 53% of EU respondents and 43% of US respondents have clicked on a Click to Messenger ad.
Brands using Click to Messenger ads are able to invite a customer directly into a private conversation on Messenger from a display ad or search. And customers are responding, as 53% of EU customers and 43% of US customers have clicked on one.
After clicking on the ad, 61% of EU respondents and 53% of US respondents made a purchase — a much higher conversion rate than the standard of only 10%.
4. Nearly three-quarters of respondents have had a positive experience messaging with a brand.
73% of EU respondents and 72% of US respondents say that messaging with a brand has been a positive experience so far. This positive engagement also leads to continued engagement and increased sales, as 67% of EU respondents and 54% of US respondents say they are more likely to buy from a brand that offers the option to engage via messaging.
5. Negative experiences are because of slow or no response.
Those who have had a negative experience messaging with a brand say it was because the brand was too slow to respond, or never responded at all. 70% of US respondents and 61% of EU respondents said their negative experience disinclined them from making a purchase with that company.
6. Consumers want their needs met while messaging — bot or not.
What provides a better experience: human or bot? 48% of EU respondents and 52% of US respondents say it doesn’t matter if they message with a bot or a human, just as long as they can get their needs met and questions answered.
7. Over three-quarters would be comfortable giving preferences to a brand.
Finally, 81% of EU respondents and 78% of US respondents said they would be comfortable giving preferences and information to a brand in order to receive a more personalized experience — as long as it’s in a private and safe way.
The Future of Customer Engagement and Social Conversational Commerce
Customers are clear: They enjoy messaging with brands, messaging gets them to the products they’re looking for, and leaves them with a positive experience. So, marketers looking for a new channel can turn to one-to-one messaging for the future of their customer engagement.