Popular contact channels per continent

Social media is everywhere. And it’s not just limited to sharing cat pictures. People now communicate with their friends, family, and acquaintances using platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, or WeChat. These messaging apps have become so popular that they are used in every corner of the world.

Your visitors and prospects already have excellent communication channels! Let's do business via them.

But which social messaging apps and channels do you need to turn visitors into leads? Each continent has its contact preferences.

This article will explore which contact channels are most popular in each continent. From North America to Australia.

Most popular channels

We have analyzed 189.647 Boei conversations. We checked which channels visitors used to contact businesses and blogs.

Here are the results 👇

Table of contents

1. Most popular channels
2. Most popular channels per continent
3. Dataset
4. FAQ

Most popular channels per continent

North America

In North America, WhatsApp is the most popular. The second place is for live chat, such as Crisp. Third place for the contact form.

1. WhatsApp - 23%
2. Crisp Chat - 18%
3. Contact form - 9%
4. Facebook Messenger - 7%
5. Phone - 5%
6. Tawk Chat - 4%
7. SMS / Text message - 3%
8. Mail - 3%
9. Jivochat - 3%
10. Telegram - 2%

Europe

In Europe, WhatsApp is the most popular contact app - by far. In this region, people use WhatsApp to contact friends and family. The second place is for Live chat, such as Jivochat, and the third is for the contact

1. WhatsApp - 41%
2. Jivochat - 11%
3. Contact form - 7%
4. Facebook Messenger - 6%
5. Telegram - 4%
6. Mail - 4%
7. Tawk Chat - 4%
8. Phone - 3%
9. Crisp Chat - 1%
10. Twitter DM - 1%

Africa

Still going super strong on WhatsApp, also number one here. The second is contact form, moving up from the third place. The third place is for live chat.

1. WhatsApp - 48%
2. Contact form - 9%
3. Jivochat - 6%
4. Mail - 4%
5. Telegram - 3%
6. Facebook Messenger - 3%
7. Tawk Chat - 2%
8. Twitter DM - 2%
9. Phone - 1%
10. SMS / Text message - 1%

South America

Live chat is in first place in South America, now from Tawk. The second place is for WhatsApp - much lower here. Third place again for the contact form.

1. Tawk Chat - 25%
2. WhatsApp - 19%
3. Contact form - 7%
4. Crisp Chat - 4%
5. Mail - 3%
6. Jivochat - 2%
7. Telegram - 1%
8. Facebook Messenger - 1%
9. Phone - 1%
10. Twitter DM - 1%

Asia / Oceania

Here we see a different picture from the other continents. The contact form is number one. We would have expected WeChat here, but Boei does not have many users from China, so that could explain this.

1. Contact form - 22%
2. WhatsApp - 18%
3. Jivochat - 8%
4. Mail - 8%
5. Tawk Chat - 7%
6. Facebook Messenger - 5%
7. Phone - 3%
8. Drift chat - 3%
9. Telegram - 2%
10. Twitter DM - 2%

Australia

First place again for WhatsApp, again by far. The second notable place is for click-to-call (phone).

1. WhatsApp - 46%
2. Phone - 12%
3. Mail - 5%
4. Contact form - 5%
5. Tawk Chat - 4%
6. Facebook Messenger - 3%
7. Telegram - 1%
8. Jivochat - 1%
9. Twitter DM - 1%
10. Feedback form - <1%

Dataset

We hope this short overview portrays the significance of providing several contact channels to your customers.

👉 Use Boei to contact customers directly via WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram, or any other 40 channels. It also includes live chat, such as Jivochat, Tawk, and Crisp. Want to track how well your channels are performing? Read our guide on omnichannel KPIs.

Below you can find the Airtable dataset of the top 10 channels per continent.

FAQ

Why is WhatsApp the most popular contact channel worldwide?

WhatsApp has over 2 billion users and is the default messaging app in most countries outside China and Japan. People already use it daily, so contacting a business through WhatsApp feels natural. It also works on both mobile and desktop.

Should I offer multiple contact channels on my website?

Yes. Our data from 189,647 conversations shows that no single channel covers more than 48% of visitors in any region. Offering 3-5 channels gives visitors a way to reach you through their preferred platform.

Which contact channel converts best for lead generation?

WhatsApp and live chat tend to have the highest response rates because conversations happen in real time. Contact forms work well in Asia and Africa. The best approach is to match your channels to the preferences of your target region.

How do I know which channels my visitors prefer?

Check your website analytics and visitor demographics. If most traffic comes from Europe, WhatsApp should be your top priority. For South America, live chat tools like Tawk are popular. Boei's built-in analytics also shows which channels your visitors click most.