More than 1.4 billion people will use mobile messaging apps in 2015 – a 31.6% increase from the previous year – according to the first ever report on these services from research firm eMarketer.
According to eMarketer, 75% of smartphone users will use an over-the-top (OTT) mobile messaging app such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Snapchat at least once a month.
The growth is expected to continue, with eMarketer forecasting the number of chat app users worldwide to reach 2 billion – approximately 80% of smartphone users – by 2018.
Analyst Cathy Boyle said consumer adoption is being driven by growing interest in “intimate” forums for social sharing, the multiple modes of communication offered by messaging apps and a growing number of features including peer-to-peer payments and m-commerce.
The company identified the Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger as the two “global powerhouse” apps, boasting significant reach in more than 20 countries.
Messaging apps are most popular in Asia-Pacific, which accounts for an estimated 58% of the world’s messaging app population, while 68% of mobile internet users in Latin America use a mobile messaging app monthly – a figure eMarketer expects to grow to 77.4% by the end of 2019.
The apps have taken a different approach to monetization, with some still focused on growing audience. Among companies that have adopted monetization strategies, WeChat is seen as a leader thanks to its “diverse and advanced” strategies.
The most popular revenue models include paid digital content (games, videos and emojis), advertising (official accounts, in-feed ads), m-commerce (in-app purchases), online-to-offline commerce (ordering food, hailing a cab) and finance (peer-to-peer payments and subscriptions).
