The messaging app era is among the world today with millions of users worldwide

The messaging-app era is among the world today. Social networks are considered old schools in a world wherein messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger as well as LINE are rapidly mediating all kinds of digital interactions of people's lives. The fact is, messaging applications have hit a vital milestone at the end of March this year, based on estimates. Put together, the different messaging applications have garnered 2.125 billion monthly active users worldwide, and all these are mobile users.

The pendulum of social media is in full swing these days, and the current trends do not necessarily bode well for the likes of Facebook. Web users today, particularly the young generation, are beginning to shirk huge, naturally open social media platforms for the sanctity of a more closed platform that facilitate one-on-one, more private and group messaging. This has profound implications for social media distribution. If web users continue transferring their sharing activity to the messaging apps, then publishers and brands would also have to transfer their focuses from Twitter and Facebook, and look for ways of interjecting themselves towards supposedly private conversations.

The messaging applications not just cater to a generation that opts for a decentralized social networking experience, but also provides users the capability of communicating with friends with more privacy compared to social networks such as Facebook afford them. The applications are expected to begin drawing advertising dollars from the traditional social media leaders. Why are these applications very powerful? Most tech-industry observers in the US still misunderstand why they are so. The applications are not just free alternative to SMS texting, owners and users of smart phones turn to messaging applications for more than just instant messages. They exchange digital stickers, emojis, GIFs, photos, video clips, video calls and news in these apps. Increasingly, the applications are emerging as eCommerce hubs as well as business-to-client interactions.

As users all over the world go for a more decentralized and fragmented experience with social networks, choosing for instance a separate application to message friends, monitoring news and sharing photos than turning to giants such as FB for everything, chat applications are increasingly growing in relevance just for consumers, but for brands that need to connect with the consumers as well. A lot of technology experts and industry watchers are hinting that 2015 would be the year when messaging applications become equally important for brands looking to connect with the clientele as social networks.

A messaging application is a remarkably straightforward concept. It replaces text messaging and not just for teens. They are particularly useful for anyone who does not want to pay for texting or communicating across country borders. The appeal of the applications depends on the user. For some users, it is a wonderful way to get around SMS costs. This is particularly true if one is communicating or traveling internationally. For other users, it is simply a way of keeping conversations private. Other applications allowing setting a status to inform friends if one is busy. All these make SMS more interesting through adding features, but which features would depend on one's particular needs.

Most of the applications have a strong social context and adding features that could benefit from the context could enhance the proposition value for users. Furthermore, it also provides them a competitive edge as users the apps could avoid downloading numerous applications for various features. Messaging apps are morphing into eCommerce and marketing platforms. For brands, it is not necessarily about ads, but combining context and content in a relevant manner. The applications are not just growing in numbers, but people also spend a considerable amount of time on them, particularly outside the United States.

As the trend continues, brands would bet able to acquire deeper client insights, be a part of conversations in a non-intrusive way and reach audiences where they spend a huge deal of their time.

The messaging platform is young and only staring to test the waters for ad revenue opportunities, meaning that it is time to reinforce its identity and value proposition in the crowded market. The point of the new smart phone messaging apps is to go beyond sending texts and photos. They let a user send different types of media, easily and cheaply connect with friends abroad, and even send pictures that would self-combust after they have been opened. Furthermore, they also make new, mini social networks that businesses and organizations hope would make users hang around. The applications, for the most part use data for sending messages, thus they will not add to the tally if there is a monthly limit on SMS via a wireless carrier.

Messaging has eclipsed email as the standard way that people communicate. It matches closely with how humans interact and perfect for new device form factors like voice-controlled and wearable interfaces. With simple interfaces, the messaging systems are accessible to people, wherever they may be in the world. Private messaging networks could exist across borders with no issues forced by clashing jurisdictions and cultures. It is expected to become a sophisticated platform offering rich functionality sets. Below are trends expected to emerge in the future of the messaging app.

1. Dynamic Messages. Widget, mini-apps, smart, dynamic messages enable dynamic messaging for group collaboration and easy group decision-making. Furthermore, it also enhances actions and coordination while maintaining the ease and lightweight use of mobile software.
2. Social Bots. Messaging from intelligent bots would naturally coexist with those from family, friends and coworkers.
3. Payment-based messaging. As mobiles support enhanced payment APIs, peer-to-peer transactions would be a new focus for messaging systems. The ease and speed of sending money immediately via messaging would allow new service categories.
4. Decentralized architectures. Solutions would arise to a range of scalability, speed, reliability and privacy concerns that are facing current systems.
5. Platform interoperability and independence. The history of the web is one of a pendulum that is swinging back and forth between proprietary walled gardens and open interoperable systems.

While messaging apps are popular and still very much in development, paying close attention to their phenomenal growth in relevance is key to moving towards the social networking scenario of the year and in the years to come.

Ritesh Mehta is the Sales Director at TatvaSoft Australia, a Software & mobile app development company. For Over 15 years, he has been professionally active in financial management, software development.