Indians prefer to connect with businesses via text over calls, emails

Indians want to connect with businesses the same way they chat with family or friends, a survey commissioned by tech giant Meta said on Friday, noting that a higher percentage of online adults in India message a business at least once a week, than other places in the world.

People in India increasingly prefer messaging over other forms of communication such as email, call or website, the survey said.

Over 70 per cent of Indians surveyed said they prefer to message businesses rather than sending an email, calling or visiting their website. About 75 per cent of Indians who participated in the poll said they are more likely to do business with or purchase from a company that they can contact via messaging.

The online survey was conducted in April 2022 among more than 5,000 adults between 18-65 years of age across the US, France, Germany, the UK, Spain, India, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Keeping the anonymity intact and to understand the customer’s purchase behaviour, no specific products or brands were mentioned, it said.

“India wants to connect with a business the same way they chat with their friends and family, according to the global Business Messaging Usage research by Kantar, commissioned by Meta that polled people in countries like India where WhatsApp is the messaging app of choice,” said a release on survey findings.

Apps under Meta include Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. The survey found that 86 per cent of adults message a business at least once a week, considerably higher than the global average of 66 per cent.

Meta’s director, business messaging, Ravi Garg said, “We are seeing a massive shift in the way people and businesses communicate”. The pandemic has changed the way people communicate with their favourite businesses.

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“Majority (83 per cent) of the people surveyed expect businesses to deploy quick and easy modes of communication, such as messaging. 72 per cent of the people surveyed in India said they message with a business more often since the start of the pandemic,” the release said.

With over 400 million users in India, WhatsApp is amongst the most frequently used platforms for communication, the release added.

(With inputs from agencies)