In a world where 80% of the adult population has at least connected to a smartphone, and in which three quarters of it regularly accesses via the mobile Internet, seems more than normal witness a dramatic increase of online messaging services. Global users of this type of chat were regularly increased from quarter to quarter and 40% from the beginning of 2013, from less than 450 to a total of 616 millions. According to the analysis of the research company Global Web Index, The reason for this success lies as expected in the gratuitousness of most of these services, indicated as a reason for the preference 45% of respondents. Follow the speed and ease of use (41%), the private nature of the conversations (29%) and their entertainment capabilities (21%).
Despite the popularity of WhatsApp, recently acquired by the same Facebook, the most prevalent messaging system worldwide is the one offered by the Chinese Tencent, vale a dire WeChat, with an overall penetration of 23% and a peak of 39% in the Asia and Pacific region. In second place ranking Zuckerberg's social network with Messenger (20%), at the third WhatsApp (18%) and only the fourth appears as a more traditional service Skype (17%).
The spread of WeChat it means 50 millions of users in more than its nearest competitor, Facebook, with a gap that grows further by taking into consideration only the area of the Far East, where penetration of this app is 2,5 times greater than that of Messenger. since the beginning 2013, the users of that part of the world have increased 200 millions, ie equal to the entire population of a country like Brazil, with percentages of 500% a Singapore, del 1200% in Malaysia and 2350% in a crucial area for the growth prospects which India. From the demographic point of view, not surprising as the users of WeChat is younger than that of the Facebook service, with the 40% concentrated in the age group 25-34 and over the 3/4 of the total below the threshold of 35 years.
Source: GWI