E-converse: 97% more US consumers messaged with brands this Black Friday weekend compared to last year's

In the world's biggest e-commerce market, China, consumers have gotten used to messages from brands trying to get them to buy more or more often. These potential buyers even reply to these messages in order to get answers to their queries or more personalized service. The US market is now catching up in terms of this behavior: 97% more consumers in the country interacted with these messages in the days between Thanksgiving 2018 and Cyber Monday compared to this time last year.

The companies in question use apps such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to send these messages. However, it is also common for them to use simple SMS, as it is simply built into every smartphone's service and therefore more straightforward. In addition, companies such as LivePerson, Inc. offer services such as LiveEngage to distribute these services, which are often handled by bots or automated messengers. LivePerson Inc. conducted research that found there was 261% more of these tools in the US compared to last year. In addition, the SMS variety of these messages increased by 416% compared to 2017.

This form of brand engagement is often known as 'conversational commerce'. It is one way to build a sense of personalization in shopping and brand relationships, an effect that led to more spending than planned in 40% of consumers surveyed. Therefore, it seems that brand bots you can set up message threads with are here to stay.

Source(s)