With the number of people using messaging apps set to hit two billion by 2018, chatting to brands with emojis and via chatbots is becoming commonplace. But they need to keep up – new research shows most people actually prefer messaging a business over face-to-face interactions.

Since WeChat added a payment platform to its app back in 2013, Chinese shoppers have been keen to adopt mobile payment methods – and they’re doing so at a much faster pace than the rest of the world. In fact, 81% of consumers nationwide use their mobile to shop.

Private messaging is an ideal medium to do the obvious – open a dialogue and conduct a conversation. In fact, 59% of all US social sharing now occurs in private channels. But while people are happy to chat to their mates on platforms like Facebook Messenger, how can brands get involved?

From messaging to social media to a marketplace to browsing the internet, WeChat is the app the does everything. While Western companies and app developers race to unbundle their services into efficient single-purpose apps, WeChat continues to add feature after feature.