Snapchat to surpass rivals in US this year

Social media platform Snapchat is expected to grow its user base by more than 27 percent this year, surpassing rivals including Twitter and Pinterest in the US for the first time, according to eMarketer’s latest social media forecast.

The number of people using Snapchat in the US will increase by 27.2 percent to 58.6 million users, with Snapchat’s growth rate exceeding that of mobile messaging in general, as the whole category will only grow by 16 percent in the US this year.

While Twitter is expected to end the year with 56.8 million users in the US and Pinterest will have 54.6 million users. By 2020, Snapchat will add 26.9 million users, about double that of Twitter and Pinterest, according to eMarketer’s report.

“What makes Snapchat different from other mobile messaging apps—and more-established social networks—is the short-lived nature of the messages, the highly visual interface and the features that enable users to get creative with the images they share, and tailor them to specific locations or events,” said eMarketer principal analyst Cathy Boyle. “The fun aspect of Snapchat should also be credited for its success. In a world in which there is an app for nearly everything, Snapchat has cut through the clutter by injecting fun back into social sharing.”

Snapchat estimates it has more than 100 million users globally sending videos, images and text messages, which generates 10 billion video views per day. The report notes that the social messaging platforms biggest user base is between 18 and 24, which represents 34 percent of Snapchat’s users, followed by American’s aged between 25 and 34. However, the fastest growing US age group is people under 12, which is forecasts will grow 42.9 percent this year.

However, eMarketer states that Facebook Messenger will continue to dominate the chat app category in the US as it will capture 105.3 million users this year and that nearly two-thirds of the US population will use Facebook Messenger at least once a month in 2016.

Numerous fashion brands are using Snapchat to capture younger audiences including Burberry, Asos, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Rebecca Minkoff, and Kate Spade and even New York Fashion Week has a presence.

Image: Snapchat