Messaging apps are transforming how people connect with businesses worldwide. By 2018, 78% of smartphone users message monthly, with 23% growth predicted by 2021. People prefer messaging for its convenience and speed, expecting faster responses than traditional channels.
Across four markets, 70% in Brazil, 66% in India, 54% in the UK, and 61% in the US expect quicker replies via messaging. Over half of respondents across 15 markets see business messaging as the modern way to communicate. Nearly 40% consider it offered by many businesses.
This trend creates opportunities for businesses of all sizes to meet consumers where they are—in their favorite messaging apps. Quick responses and personal connections build trust and streamline shopping experiences.
Meta launches Business Agent, an AI tool enabling 24/7 customer responses via WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. Set up in minutes, it handles FAQs, product recommendations, appointments, and sales. Over 1 million businesses already use it. A new platform allows integration with Shopify/Zendesk for enterprise customization. Future expansions include search discovery and agent-driven daily operations. Free initially, transitioning to paid subscriptions.
Facebook updates Pages with Recommendations, Actions, Stories, and customized info to help businesses connect with customers. Over 80 million businesses use Facebook. New features simplify engagement and boost visibility.
TikTok and Salesforce expand partnership with integrations across Agentforce Sales, Marketing, Commerce, and Data 360. Key benefits: real-time lead syncing from TikTok Lead Gen ads into Salesforce CRM, automated product catalog sync for commerce campaigns, first-party data activation for targeting and lookalike audiences, and AI-powered workflows. This enables advertisers to streamline operations, improve conversion tracking, and turn TikTok discovery into measurable customer relationships.
AppsFlyer MCP connects Claude directly to live attribution data, replacing manual reporting and CSV exports. Gaming teams catch budget anomalies overnight, finance teams compress multi-hour analysis into minutes, and e-commerce teams close the gap between measurement and spend decisions. Setup takes under 60 seconds, enabling real-time queries on channels, cohorts, and ROAS. The key insight is that AI-powered analysis requires live data connections, not stale exports.
At MAU 2026, the industry agreed that attention, not production, is the bottleneck. Cross-platform web-to-app attribution is now achievable with AppsFlyer's mobile-grade measurement extending to web, giving ad ops a unified view. AI is in production, with Square's team shipping six live workflows. Web-to-app is the most efficient top-of-funnel for app businesses, and retention overtakes acquisition. Ad ops must prioritize clean signal layers and incrementality testing over single-metric attribution.
Google is introducing new ad formats powered by Gemini models for AI Mode in Search. These include Conversational Discovery ads, which answer specific user queries with tailored creative, and Highlighted Answers, which surface relevant ads within AI-generated recommendations. Additionally, AI-powered Shopping ads provide custom product explainers, and Business Agent for Leads offers chatbot interactions for lead generation. The Direct Offers pilot is expanding with promotional bundling, native checkout, and travel partner integration. For ad ops decision-makers, these innovations emphasize personalization, transparency with independent AI explanations, and seamless conversion paths.
Google is testing new AI-powered ad formats in Search using Gemini models. Conversational Discovery ads answer specific queries with tailored creative, while Highlighted Answers surface relevant sponsored recommendations. AI-powered Shopping ads generate custom product explainers, and Business Agent for Leads provides real-time chatbot interactions. The Direct Offers pilot expands with promotion bundling, native checkout, and travel deals. 75% of users make faster decisions with AI Mode. These innovations shift ads from static listings to helpful, conversational experiences, building trust through independent AI explanations and clear sponsorship labels.
Analysis of 2022 World Cup mobile data reveals that the tournament's largest engagement window occurs early, with sports entertainment installs spiking 189% and sports news 204% on November 22. Engagement revolves around national team matches, with significant spikes from non-participating markets like China (+1,294% sports entertainment installs). For 2026, brands must adapt in real-time to shifting attention across matches and regions. Adjust's AI-powered attribution and analytics provide the visibility needed to capitalize on these global events.
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