Clickatell, a Chat Commerce and business messaging leader, conducted research on customer service trends and preferences for travel and retail, and identified that brands that personalise both their digital and in-person commerce experiences can generate more meaningful and lasting customer relationships. In 2023, mobile messaging will emerge as the ideal channel to create these holistic commerce experiences for consumers as well as to accelerate business demand and grow revenue, according to Clickatell’s leaders. This and the five additional mobile messaging trends are likely to be the most relevant priorities in 2023 to help brands build and maintain consumer loyalty.
Speaking on the prospects ahead of 2023, CEO and Co-Founder at Clickatell, Pieter de Villiers said: “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.”
Also speaking, CMO at Clickatell, Jennifer Shambroom noted that 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. “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 personalized promotions for things like last-minute deals. Retailers need to be meeting consumer expectations and that points to messaging commerce.”
Applauding as a smart move, the provision of customer service exclusively online, De Villiers said: “With increasing costs and labor shortages, brands are looking for ways to simplify and consolidate, and leveraging mobile messaging with chatbots and the convenience of asynchronous communication with customers is a good decision. Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to view messaging as a preferred communication channel. Our Chat Commerce Trends Report: CX Edition revealed 99% of customer service executives recognize 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 further noted that 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. He predicted that 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.”
