As electronic devices continue to play a vital role in daily communication, there are some differences in how mobile communications transpire from country to country. For example, in 2013 “chat apps” were significantly more popular than SMS / text messaging in the U.K.
The tide now seems to be turning, however.
Chat apps, of course, are mobile apps which allow individuals to instant message in the same manner they would through text messages, but chat apps generally do not impact monthly text messaging limits.
There are, though, numerous drawbacks to many chat apps – from functionality and reliability issues, to burdensome in-app ads.
That being said, 2014 has already seen a pronounced shift in increased SMS usage, particularly among Millennials, eMarketer confirms, citing new industry data.
“Much of this usage is being fueled by peer considerations, above even cost savings,” the report notes. “The Deloitte study also asked why respondents used MIM services, and the most cited reason was that friends or family were using it—56%, vs. 44% who said it was because it was cheaper than sending SMS.”
Nonetheless, the report notes, “it’s entirely plausible that the overall popularity of SMS may be overtaken by chat apps in the near future.”
To learn more, check out the eMarketer report here.
