Industry execs globally have been speaking about how Snap Inc will be a threat to Facebook that owns platforms such as WhatsApp and Messenger. WhatsApp’s simple nature gives it an edge over competitors when it comes to usage frequency. On a global scale eight in 10 WhatsAppers are engaging at least daily, whereas the corresponding figures for some other messaging services can be rather lower.
But the closer one looks at Snapchat, it is clear that the global stats can mask some very strong regional stories. Global Web Index data shows that Snapchatters in North America and Europe, where the service enjoyed some of its earliest success, tend to be much more engaged than their counterparts in the Middle East and APAC.
But trends from the US do not take much time to reach other markets. In the US, more than 60 percent of Snapchatters are engaging with the platform at least once a day. This puts it on parity with other big services like Facebook Messenger and shows how important this app has become to the young audience it has attracted – and why the upcoming Snap Inc. IPO could be such a major event.
