For holiday shoppers and merchants alike, business messaging is the gift that keeps on giving.

But what makes messaging between businesses and their customers such a popular and valuable experience, especially around holidays, Mega Sales Days, and other seasonal shopping moments? Let’s take a look at the data.

74% of online adults say they want to be able to communicate with businesses in the same way they communicate with friends and family¹, and 42% of holiday shoppers have used messaging to connect with a business during holidays². Holidays and Mega Sales Days are times when shoppers are actively online and open to new discoveries, and many like the convenience and personal connection they feel when they communicate with businesses using messaging.

For merchants, this creates a crucial opportunity to deepen relationships and drive the business outcomes they care about most. With WhatsApp for Business, you can capitalize on these moments to create valuable and engaging experiences across the customer lifecycle.

During holiday shopping periods, consumers are using messaging to track and manage orders, ask questions, make purchases, and more. And they report a number of reasons why they prefer communicating that way.

Many shoppers say they find that messaging is the easiest and most convenient way to communicate with a business, get a prompt response, or reach a live person. And 39% of holiday shoppers say messaging a business actually helps them feel more personally connected with the brand, which makes messaging a great tool to grow your customer base and deepen customer relationships.²

When consumers talk about business messaging, they’re overwhelmingly talking about Meta platforms like WhatsApp. The vast majority (85%) of holiday shoppers who use business messaging do so on Messenger, Instagram, and/or WhatsApp, which is one key reason why Meta is a go-to for merchants around seasonal sales peaks like Black Friday or 11.11.²

For marketing, sales, and customer service, Meta Business Messaging solutions like WhatsApp help you do more with conversations during holiday peaks, Mega Sales Days, and all year long.

Meta provides APIs and AI-enabled machine learning, which power scaled discovery, transactions, and re-engagement via messaging.

WhatsApp for Business enables you to create valuable messaging experiences, like seamlessly launching messaging conversations from Facebook and Instagram using ads that click to WhatsApp. It’s all purpose-built to ensure your messaging is personalized and relevant throughout the entire customer lifecycle.

And let’s not forget about scale. WhatsApp, the largest messaging app globally, enables you to meet customers where they already spend their time, and where they have said they want to hear from businesses.

Holiday shoppers prefer business messaging, businesses see better results, and with WhatsApp for Business, you have a full range of capabilities to create high-value customer experiences that drive great business outcomes.

When your next big sales moment comes along, consumers will be looking for ideas, searching for deals, and receptive to new brand messages and product options. That’s a prime environment to acquire new customers and deepen connections, so now’s the time to put WhatsApp to work for your business.

If you’re not yet using WhatsApp for Business to do more with conversations, get started today. And if you’re ready to level up your strategy for your next peak sales opportunity, browse our holiday and Mega Sales Day resources.