We already know how wildly popular Snapchat is, with millions of users partaking in temporary messages through their mobile devices. However, it may not be the only player in the game when it comes to quick sharing.
AdWeek recently reported that, based on findings by GlobalWebIndex, Instagram Direct could have the potential to take market share from Snapchat, despite the fact that Snapchat has been around since December 2013.
“It’s only a recent upgrade that has brought the service’s in-app chat feature into the spotlight,” Said GWI.
“Instagram’s active users are already keen on instant messaging apps. More than one-half are actively using Facebook Messenger, and 47 percent are WhatsApp users. What’s more, over two-thirds are using at least one of the two Facebook-owned apps. However, poaching users from these platforms is unlikely to be the reasoning behind Instagram Direct.
“Instead, we should be looking at what is arguably Direct’s most obvious competition — Snapchat. Instagrammers are more than three times as likely as the average to be using Evan Spiegel’s chat app, and hence, Instagram Direct could give these users a reason to stay in the platform.”
The infographic above also shows the potential of messaging apps amongst Instagram users, including Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp with a majority of the percentage, followed by Snapchat in a distant fourth place with 19 percent.
It’s a little too soon to tell at this point if Instagram really does pose a serious threat, especially considering how popular Snapchat has become over the past year, with its various partners and millions of users. That said, there’s always room for new competition. Case in point — Meerkat was trying to dominate the mobile streaming scene, only to have Twitter’s Periscope come in and steal its thunder.
We’ll just have to see how much Instagram Direct builds from here.
