Messaging Platform & Event Discovery Survey Results
Some thoughts on the results of small-scale surveys
Not too long ago, Jesse Johnston published a short post about some surveys that we’re running to gather data about messaging platform usage and event discovery. We ran two paid surveys with Google Consumer Surveys (GCS) that targeted British Columbia (BC). We originally wanted to target Toronto and Vancouver specifically as they are the first two metro areas that we’ll be featuring and launching with on Cully for Events, but had to make do with the province-level targeting that GCS offers us.
These are relatively small sample surveys and are just one of the methods that we’re exploring to learn more about how people use messaging platforms along with discovering and attending events. In this post, we’ll be sharing some of the results as well as our perspective on what the data might mean.
In the future, we’ll be doing some in-person interviews as well. Also, we still have an “open” Google Form that you can still fill out, which asks approximately the same questions that we asked on GCS.
Messaging Platform Usage in BC
Messaging Platform Usage by Urban/Suburban/Rural Residents in BC
We can’t explain why only suburban and rural residents in BC use Kik.
All of the suburban users of Kik listed themselves as 65+.
There were no Kik users aged 25-34 or 35-44.
All Kik users between 18-24 were rural, as were those within the 45-54 and 55-64 demographic.
Messaging Platform Usage by Residential Area in BC
Messaging Platform Usage by Age in BC
Messaging Platform Usage by Age in Ontario
Unexpectedly, a startling majority of Ontario GCS respondents chose to not disclose their residential areas. However the surveys still gave us some interesting insights into West versus East Coast messaging platform usage.
BC vs. Ontario Messaging Platform Usage
While both BC and Ontario survey participants use text message (SMS) and Facebook Messenger at fairly similar rates, there’s a marked difference in usage rates when it comes to WhatsApp, WeChat, and Kik. We can guess that perhaps WeChat, one of the most popular Chinese messaging platforms available, is much more popular in BC in comparison to Ontario due to Vancouver and BC being Canada’s premiere nexus for Asia Pacific business and exchange. We also gleaned that Kik is popular among rural BC users aged 18-24 and those within the 45-54 and 55-64 demographic as well as suburban users aged 65+. Although we aren’t sure why WhatsApp is more popular in BC compared to Ontario, it is something we are curious to learn more about.
Amount of Notice Preferred When Attending Events (by Age Group)
It’s not surprising to find that younger demographics seem to be more spontaneous. However, it does lead us to think more about how our platform will target and interact with different age groups. While a younger user may be more receptive to learning about an event and deciding to go just a couple of days before it’s due to take place, someone in an older demographic may prefer a little more time to consider, plan, and fit an event into their schedule.
How Do People Hear About Events?
No matter how much technology we have at our disposal, sometimes the strongest and most valuable recommendations still come from people we know and trust. Word of mouth continues to be a driving force behind people’s decision making. In our surveys, we listed social media as a separate option and upon reflection, you can consider social media (depending on how it’s being used) as simply another form of word of mouth.
Conclusion
Text message (SMS) and Facebook Messenger are the clear winners when it comes to platforms people prefer to communicate with. In our case here at Cully, we have to weigh the pros and cons of using these platforms for our chatbot. SMS, for example, can be very costly in terms of infrastructure set up and marketing the bot with paid advertising. Overall, this data has helped guide us in the right direction; now we have to consider all factors when selecting our initial platforms to launch first on.
If you want to keep hearing about our journey building an event recommendation chatbot, give us a follow!
