BOSTON, Oct. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Messaging platform users are actively utilizing chatbots and would use them to close the commerce loop with local businesses, according to a new Survata study, “Messaging and Chatbots in Local,” commissioned by Pingup.  In a survey of nearly 900 U.S. consumers, almost 30 percent of chatbot users on major messaging platforms have used them to communicate with a business, and over half of millennial users are interested in using them to engage with local businesses.

While chatbot development is in its infancy relative to other digital communications, the majority of consumers who use bots to connect with a business are left with a positive impression. Nearly 50 percent of chatbot users, and 55 percent of millennial responders, say using a chatbot changed their perception of the business to be more positive.

Messaging platform users are also interested in executing a transaction with a business using chatbots. 35 percent of messaging platform users (and 52 percent of millennial responders) would be interested in using a chatbot for taking action on local services such as booking an appointment or signing up for a class. Ordering food is particularly popular, 33 percent of millennial responders interested in using a chatbot for taking action with local businesses would be interested in doing so to order food.

This activity parallels the broader evolution of telecommunications. Given a choice, 26 percent of respondents would prefer to communicate with a business via messaging or chatbot, compared to 25 percent preferring to text. And 37 percent of millennial respondents would prefer to communicate with a business via messaging or chatbot, compared to 31 percent preferring to text.

“Consumers want ease and convenience in local transactions and bots living on messaging platforms can provide a remarkably frictionless experience,” said Mark Slater, CEO at Pingup. “Pingup is committed to delivering this seamless task completion for local businesses and their customers across our major social media, messaging and publishing platforms.”

Pingup has patents for managing user chat experiences with businesses and recently launched a food ordering bot on Kik, the first local food transaction experience for Kik users in the U.S., connecting them with over 100,000 restaurants.

About Pingup

Pingup is the nation’s largest transaction platform for local services businesses, using proprietary technology to connect hundreds of thousands of local merchants with leading publishers and social platforms including Facebook, Kik, Bing and Yahoo that have over 300 million monthly users. Pingup aggregates over 180,000 US businesses, more than triple OpenTable’s quantity in the US and continues to add thousands of businesses each month. The company is headquartered in Boston’s Innovation District and backed by Avalon Ventures. For more information visit http://pingup.com. Follow us on Twitter:@pingupapp.

Media contact: Heather Sears [email protected] (617) 752-1691

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