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Most Brazilian consumers interact with brands through WhatsApp

Users want to make payments and transfer money through the app, which is ubiquitous in Brazil, according to a new study.
Written by Angelica Mari, Contributing Writer

The majority of consumers in Brazil have contact with brands through messaging tool WhatsApp, new research has found.

The Facebook-owned app is present in 99% of all smartphones in the country, according to the study into messaging in Brazil, carried out by Opinion Box and Mobile Time and commissioned by communication services firm Infobip.

Some 77% of WhatsApp users in Brazil communicate with brands and companies through the app to ask questions and ask for additional information about commercial offerings. About 65% of those polled want to get technical support through the app, while 61% want to receive special offers and discounts.

The study highlights, however, that mass messaging is banned via WhatsApp. A limit of five messages was introduced in January 2019 for message forwarding worldwide as an effort to curb the spread of fake news.

There is a massive appetite for financial services delivered through WhatsApp in Brazil, according to the survey. Some 61% of all survey participants want to use it to make payments and transfer money. Of these, 47% would like a virtual bank account created within WhatsApp to manage cash, while 30% would still prefer to transfer money from their traditional bank accounts and 23% would use a credit card.

When it comes to other apps, the study noted that Facebook Messenger is installed in 79% of Brazilian smartphones, but only 59% of its user base accesses the application every day, or almost every day. On the other hand, the use of Messenger for story publication grew over the last six months, from 23% to 37% in six months.

Facebook-owned platform Instagram also has a large user base in Brazil and is present in 76% of Brazilian smartphones. Of these, 58% use the app to exchange private messages, and, within this group, two out of three respondents claim to communicate with brands through this channel. Some 69% of Instagram users buy products via the app, according to the study.

Messaging app Telegram has increased its user base, according to the research. The tool is present in 27% of cell phones - up 8% since the last edition of the study in August 2019. However, user loyalty has not kept up with the increase in the user base: only 53% of Telegram users open it every day.

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