Conversational Customer Communications Grow on Black Friday

Infobip data shows that customers prefer conversational experiences on Black Friday, driven by rich channels such as RCS. Infobip recorded new levels of total customer communications interactions on its platform this year, with 3.4 billion interactions on the day of Black Friday, which represents a 26% increase compared to last year.

From the total number of interactions, the company identified 1.8 billion coming from messaging interactions on its platform, up from 1.7 billion last year. Infobip’s analysis reveals SMS, E-mail and WhatsApp are the three most preferred channels on Black Friday, recording more than 1.6 billion interactions during the day. This Infobip’s messaging analysis reinforces the company's largest messaging platform worldwide, and its reliability for brands during shopping season. Data reveals that Black Friday sales extended across the entire month of November. Interactions across the whole month were higher than last year as brands sought to attract consumers looking for discounts pre-Christmas.

Rich communication channels such as RCS, have recorded significant growth this year, as brands seek convenient and conversational channels that enable end-to-end customer journeys. This year, RCS interactions on Black Friday increased by 17% compared to a typical day in November and increased by 388% compared to last year. Infobip also reveals that in this year’s Black Friday, Retail & eCommerce and Finance industries are between the top 5 sectors that generated interactions in the company’s platform, presenting increases of 42% and 36%, respectively, when compared to last year.

“Rich Communication Services (RCS) have emerged as a significant channel for shoppers this Black Friday. The increase is driven by consumers seeking conversational experiences with brands and businesses seeking to provide end-to-end journeys for their customers in one channel. Moreover, brands’ focus on hyper-personalization has helped drive conversational customer experiences and, we expect, will have boosted sales. Our research also shows the traditional Black Friday discount days now typically stretch across November, with a big spike in interactions across the whole month as retailers and eCommerce firms seek more cost-conscious consumers this year,” said Ivan Ostojić, Chief Business Officer at Infobip.