Two-thirds of global consumers want to contact businesses via Messenger

LivePerson, a global conversational commerce company, on Thursday unveiled the results of its consumer study. This examines consumer attitudes and preferences regarding interaction with businesses, messaging and chatbots. More than 5,000 people in six countries were surveyed. 

The survey revealed that messaging and chatbots are being used more and more frequently. Two-thirds of respondents would like to be able to contact companies directly via messaging. 

The study shows that as consumers become more interested in messaging, companies should pay more attention to conversational design - the ability to evaluate and optimize conversations - to meet consumer expectations. 

The study was conducted in August 2019 and includes responses from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and Australia. Among Germans, interest in using conversational commerce increased significantly from 44 percent in 2017 to 64 percent this year. European countries had the highest average demand for messaging at 65 percent. As expected, young people are particularly interested in this option. Globally, more than 70 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds demand the ability to contact businesses via Messenger. 

Messaging can take place on many channels, such as standard messaging apps from Apple and Android, platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, voice assistants like Alexa, and even branded apps and websites. 

The study also looked at how consumers use chatbots and messaging to interact with businesses. They were also asked about their attitudes toward these experiences.

Key findings: 

Dealing with companies 

The convenience of messaging is changing consumer preferences. 

• 49 percent of global consumers would spend more money with a company that offered messaging as a contact option. 
• 70 percent of consumers in Australia, the United Kingdom, and France have already used a chatbot, compared to 50 percent in Germany and the United States. 
• Among these users, 80 percent have used the chatbot in customer service, up from 67 percent the previous year. 
• 91 percent of German respondents agreed that they would be more likely to buy from a company that could answer their questions immediately. There is similarly high agreement in the other countries. 
• Consumers are increasingly using chatbots for functions other than traditional customer support. While this remains the most common application, the second most common use for chatbots is purchase support. 

On personalization and data protection

Trust is growing - especially among the younger generations. 

• Eighty-three percent of Germans agree with the following statement: "I am more willing to do business with a company that interacts with me personally (i.e., knows information about me from previous transactions)."
• A small majority of 51 percent of consumers worldwide believe that personalization is convenient rather than an invasion of privacy. Over half of younger people prefer convenience over privacy compared to older generations.
• If consumers are assured that bots are safe and have useful information, most respondents would use them for various customer service and purchasing functions. 

Human vs. bot 

Human representatives are still the default preference for certain situations, but the appetite for bots is growing (especially among younger consumers).

• More than half of the respondents are neutral about their experience with a chatbot, while a quarter each have a positive or negative attitude.
• In Germany, 27 percent of respondents describe their general feelings toward chatbots as "good." 
• A large majority of consumers want to be informed whether an agent is a chatbot or a human. Less than five percent said that specifying the identity of the bot was "not at all important". 
• Only 43 percent of global respondents prefer bots with names from their countries of origin. Nearly half of all respondents have no preference. 
• In terms of gender, a large majority have no preference or prefer a non-gendered name. However, among those who do prefer a gender for the bot, more people voted for a female name. Seven percent of male respondents said they would be more likely to trust a bot with a male name, but only one percent of female respondents agreed. 

"The consumer study on conversational commerce shows that consumers - especially those of the younger generation - are increasingly interested in the convenience and simplicity of bots and messaging solutions," said Manlio Carrelli, executive vice president, Enterprise Business Group at LivePerson. "Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in terms of customer experience. Organizations should pay attention to conversational design to ensure that they are not only providing their customers with their preferred communication channels, but that they are also meeting and exceeding customer expectations in those channels."