Free messaging apps attracting big eyeballs !

WhatsApp is big in Brazil. It’s not the only messaging app around, of course, though it is the most popular in the country.

According to June 2015 research from Mobile Time and Opinion Box, virtually all smartphone users in the country had sent a message via WhatsApp at some point. Most had done so via Facebook Messenger as well, and one-third had used other messaging apps too.

Smartphone Messaging App Users in Brazil Who Would Agree to Receive Ads Within Free Mobile Messaging Apps to Continue Using Them for Free, June 2015 (% of respondents)

Using such apps typically reduces usage of traditional SMS messages, largely because using the apps are easier (73.7%) and cheaper (67.9%).

And to keep saving money on messaging, respondents indicated that they were ready to receive advertising. Nearly three in 10 said they would agree to see ads from any brand or product in order to keep using apps like WhatsApp for free, while 37.5% preferred to get ads for brands or categories they were already interested in. Though 20.9% said they wanted to use these services for free without ads, just 12.0% would prefer paid apps to ads.

Source:eMarketer.com