From January through May 2023, a surge in WhatsApp messaging for business surged in Russia, with companies delivering at least 12 million promotional and customer-support messages. This figure more than doubled the volume reported for the same period a year earlier. TextBack, a messaging automation platform, shared this trend with socialbites.ca through its press service, underscoring a sharp shift toward messenger-based outreach in the local market.
TextBack founder and CEO Alexander Serebryakov explained to socialbites.ca that businesses use WhatsApp to share discounts, promotions, and order updates, invite customers to events, answer questions, and encourage signups for services. The examples highlighted include outreach to beauty salons and tire service centers, illustrating how diverse sectors leverage the channel to engage customers directly where they already spend time.
In the first half of 2023, online education companies accounted for the largest share of promotional WhatsApp messages, comprising 27.7 percent. Electronic commerce followed closely at 20.2 percent, with the service sector contributing 14 percent. The remaining share, 38.1 percent, came from a wide range of other industries, including information technology and additional fields. These distributions reflect a broad adoption of WhatsApp as a direct communication tool across multiple sectors and use cases.
Alongside the growth in message volume, investment in messenger marketing rose noticeably. During the first half of 2022, companies spent about 21.9 million rubles on WhatsApp-based outreach. That annual figure more than doubled in 2022, reaching roughly 55 million rubles, signaling a shift toward prioritizing direct, real-time messaging to reach customers and sustain engagement in a changing digital landscape.
Observers attribute the acceleration in business activity on WhatsApp to challenges faced on other online platforms, particularly platforms owned by Meta. In 2022, those platforms were blocked in Russia, which redirected business communications toward alternative channels such as WhatsApp. This adaptation underscores how firms adjust marketing and customer service strategies in response to platform access and regulatory developments, aiming to maintain a stable and reliable line of contact with customers.
Recent industry commentary notes the ongoing evolution of how brands use WhatsApp to enhance customer relationships. The emphasis remains on delivering timely information about products and services, simplifying the path to purchase, and strengthening loyalty through proactive updates and responsive support. As businesses continue to experiment with message formats, including multimedia content and automated flows, WhatsApp is positioned as a practical, high-reach channel for building direct, personalized connections with customers across diverse sectors.