Strategy Analytics: Operator messaging trusted more than WhatsApp for rich business communications

42% Trust Text Messaging Versus 27% for WhatsApp

June 5, 2018

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Operator text messaging is trusted more for business-to-consumer communications than in-app notifications and popular over-the-top (OTT) messaging applications like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger by Android smartphone users in India, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics Wireless Media Strategies (WMS) service “India Android Smartphone Owners Prefer Operator Messaging to OTT Services For Business Communications” . Overall, email was considered the most trusted channel, followed by operator text messaging for financially sensitive, time sensitive and mobile marketing communications.

Businesses are faced with a plethora of communication channels to engage with their customers, including popular OTT messaging service, email and SMS among others. However, depending on the type of content consumers have their own preferences for how they would like to be reached.

Nitesh Patel, Director, Strategy Analytics, noted, “Over-the-top messaging applications like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are popular for person-to-person communications. However, for the communication of both financially and time sensitive communications from a bank and retailer respondents in our AppOptix India panel indicated they trusted email and operator text messaging more.”

Through an initiative from the telecommunication industry, called Rich Communication Suite (RCS), operator messaging is evolving beyond text messaging to include features commonly available through popular OTT messaging services, and is being positioned as a business communication channel.

David Kerr, Senior VP, Strategy Analytics, stated, “High levels of trust in operator text messaging bodes well as operators position RCS as a business-to-consumer communications platform. However, RCS must overcome several challenges including lack of native support for RCS on iPhones, limited RCS reach domestically but also internationally, and competition from OTT messaging platforms. While our research indicates WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and HIKE may not be trusted as much as operator messaging, these OTT messaging apps can exploit a window of opportunity due to the slow roll out of RCS by operators.”