Leading Chat Commerce and business messaging leader, Clickatell has conducted research on customer service trends and preferences for travel and retail and identified that brands that personalize 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. 

1.  Chat Commerce is the next wave of digital commerce

“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,” said Pieter de Villiers, CEO and Co-Founder at Clickatell. 

2.  Convenience adds a critical layer of satisfaction for consumers

“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% (https://bit.ly/3BEm2Bb) of consumers want access to special offers via mobile messaging and 46% (https://bit.ly/3PBf7ys) 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,” said Jennifer Shambroom, CMO at Clickatell. 

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3.  Providing customer service exclusively online is a smart move

“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 (https://bit.ly/3W26vDd) 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,” said De Villiers. 

4.  Consumers want to use mobile messaging to make payments

“Commerce within mobile messaging is becoming the preferred way for consumers to shop, accounting for 71% (https://bit.ly/3HDof3q) of retail traffic and generating 61% (https://bit.ly/3WhQJUD)of online shopping orders. 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,” said De Villiers. 

5.  Mobile messaging apps are the new super app

“Consumers live on their mobile phones, especially in mobile messaging apps. As consumer behavior continues to trend toward engaging with brands within messaging apps, the need for a business to invest in a custom mobile app will become less viable. Mobile messaging apps will become the Super App in 2023 and beyond, going beyond linear message threads to deliver the full range of commerce experiences, allowing consumers to receive special offers, make immediate purchases, coordinate item drop-off and pick-up, and contact customer service, delivering satisfying, personalized experiences across the entire customer lifecycle,” said Shambroom.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Clickatell , the Chat Commerce and business messaging leader, announced the results of its latest Chat Commerce Trends Report: Retail Edition, which reveals new findings about how today’s consumers prefer to communicate and make purchases with retail companies through mobile and chat messaging conversations.

The report, which fielded responses from over 1,000 participants, found that 95% of customers now make retail purchases on their smartphones and 78% of consumers want to use mobile messaging with retail companies for convenience.

To better understand how consumers communicate with retail brands, Clickatell’s new research found considerable interest in personalized and convenient commerce experiences through mobile messaging conversations. As global retailers head into the holiday season and shift strategies to handle changing consumer shopping habits, brands are examining how rich, mobile-first commerce experiences can help attract customer loyalty.

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The Chat Commerce Trends Report: Retail Edition found that 69% of participants want to receive order updates via mobile message, 52% would like to use mobile messaging to track loyalty benefits or inquire about loyalty programs and 47% would like to use mobile messaging to connect with a customer service agent. Younger generations have the highest interest in using mobile messaging with a retail brand, specifically 92% of Gen Z and 95% of Millennials.

The report also highlights a distinct opportunity to offer personalized deals and promotions through mobile channels, as consumers continue to grow cautious of high costs during this upcoming holiday season. In fact, 51% of consumers want access to special offers via mobile messaging and 81% of consumers are more likely to purchase an item that is promoted through an SMS link than through an email. Brands have the opportunity to allow consumers to browse, shop, access personalized deals and track orders all on their mobile devices through a value-rich, mobile-first commerce experience.

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Additional key findings include:

Younger generations are mobile-first: 

77% of Millennials and Gen Z want to be able to track a delivery through personalized mobile messaging

86% of consumers are interested in a personalized experience with a retail company, especially millennials (92%) and Gen Z (90%)

Consumers are eager to track packages and orders:

48% of consumers want to receive shipping and order updates via mobile messaging, which is higher than the desire to receive personalized promotions (13%), information about a product (10%) or connect with a live agent (10%).

Three-quarters (75%) of consumers want to track a delivery through a personalized mobile messaging link and 69% of consumers would like to receive order updates via mobile messaging channels.

High demand for loyalty programs and deals via mobile:

51% of consumers want access to special offers via personalized mobile messaging and 46% of consumers want to receive personalized promotions for things like last-minute deals or alerts when new offerings or products become available

52% of consumers would like the ability to track and redeem loyalty benefits or ask about loyalty programs through mobile channels.

Mobile payment options are on the rise:

Consumers are most likely to enter credit card details (61%) or use PayPal (57%) to make a retail purchase on their smartphone. Apple Pay is also increasingly popular (23% prefer this method)

The majority of consumers (95%) make retail purchases on their smartphone

27% would make a payment via a secure payments link.

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“The results indicate an opportunity for retail companies to engage with consumers this holiday season through their preferred messaging channels, considering a majority of consumers want to communicate with brands across the entire shopping lifecycle,” said Pieter de Villiers, CEO and Co-Founder of Clickatell. “For retail brands, the next wave of commerce is building relationships with consumers in the same way they communicate with friends or family every day: on their mobile phones. At Clickatell, we’re enabling retail brands to enhance and personalize customer engagement through mobile channels to create this rich commerce experience.” 

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Clickatell, a CPaaS innovator and Chat Commerce leader has highlighted how chat commerce is revolutionizing the way people buy and sell in the age of tech. This was demonstrated to attendees at its Connect Interact and Transact (CIT) annual Joburg event highlighting the new era of Chat Commerce and how businesses can lay the groundwork for a completely new way of serving customers. Big name local brands also gave real-world insight into how they are turning their chat channels into robust, personal customer experiences at scale and generating new revenue streams. 

Titled “Turning Conversations into Commerce”, the event was attended by an impressive list of business and technology leaders from across the continent and was moderated by Werner Lindemann, Clickatell’s Senior Vice President Enterprise Sales: Growth Markets.

Guest speaker, Bronwyn Williams, futurist, economist, and business trends analyst, shared a fascinating look into the future of technology and the many exciting opportunities that lie ahead.

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Williams pointed out that through the use of rapidly evolving AI and other technologies, chat is becoming increasingly intuitive. However, she noted that while the aim of the new technology was to make chatbots almost indistinguishable from humans, “any effective anticipatory communications with customers must happen in real-time and, most importantly, where they are and in a way that feels natural and not disruptive.” She summed up her presentation urging business leaders to carefully consider how they automate to optimise cost savings, while still maintaining a sustainable, human connection with their customers.

Building on these insights, Pieter de Villiers, Co-Founder and CEO at Clickatell, took a closer look at what happens when brands engage with their customers where they are, building on ‘the convenience revolution’, first put forward by Shep Hyken.  

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De Villiers opened by challenging the audience to question the real value of time and how their customers weighed up the value of convenience.

“As anyone in retail will tell you, location, location, location is everything. And, with chat now having almost twice the number of active users than the internet, there can be no better place than the address book of your customers– the most valuable location of all,” de Villiers said.

De Villiers pointed out that the features from mega platforms, Meta and WhatsApp, would take Chat Commerce to a whole new level, saying that soon there would be nothing that could be done on the internet that couldn’t be done on chat.

“Convenience is not difficult to achieve. If you meet your customers where they are, not only can you build a closer, more authentic engagement with them, but you’re giving them back the one thing that we all crave, time,” he shared.

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A robust panel debate followed, allowing Clickatell clients and partners to share their experiences and learnings with the audience.

Looking at the value of chat, Daniela Birnbaum, Channel Partner Manager at WhatsApp EMEA, sang the praises of local brands who she said are leading the charge when it comes to building a strong WhatsApp channel. She also noted that South Africa is ahead of many other EMEA regions when it comes to chat adoption.

Gareth Bray, BD & Partnerships Lead EMEA – Business Messaging Group for Meta, went on to share that the rapid advancement in features had catapulted WhatsApp from a simple text channel to a customer engagement platform where brands can very effectively create personal relationships with their customers.

It is this ability to personalise communication that has allowed local airline, FlySafair to take its digital offering to the next level.

“It doesn’t matter where I made my booking, when I type ‘Hi’ in the WhatsApp channel it will immediately be able to access my booking. We have been particularly excited about how fast we can roll out new features on the channel and being able to reduce the call centre engagement has massively benefited the customers and our business,” explained Eswee Vorster, Executive Manager and CIO at FlySafair.

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Turning to how local retail brands had adopted chat, Lynne Blignaut, Head of Loyalty and Customer Rewards at Dis-Chem shared that enabling customers to order chronic prescription medication over WhatsApp has been a game changer.

“Typically we only see 50% of people actually adhere to their chronic medication for a maximum of six months of the year. Being able to reach more people and ensure they adhere to their chronic medication and stay healthy, by expanding the platforms that they can use to order their medication without standing in a queue is a big leap forward. Of course, adding a payment option to this will make a big impact on the overall customer journey, and we are really looking forward to seeing this happen,” she shared.

De Villiers summed up the conversation saying: “WhatsApp is pervasive and safe. We see adding embedded payments as the logical next step and we have no doubt that this will be the one transformative thing that will keep customers engaged and a bold step into the convenience revolution.”

The night culminated with the presentation of three Chat Commerce awards. The first went to FlySafair, who are now running all their day of operation messages on WhatsApp. The second went to aYo Holdings, which uses WhatsApp to onboard its more than 12 million microinsurance clients. Finally, the Chat Commerce Innovator of the Year was awarded to Imperial Logistics, for its use of chat platforms in a B2B environment.

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Wrapping up Lindemann said: “The chat industry is currently valued at around eighty billion dollars and it’s no surprise that brands want to use this as a catalyst for their digital transformation. The continued advances made by WhatsApp provide the ideal platform for our clients to turn their imagination into reality and we expect many more ground-breaking use cases to emerge over the next 12 months.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry