Retailers have big potential for boosting customer satisfaction and driving better overall customer loyalty if they embrace chatbots and text messaging.

That's the finding of a new OpenMarket survey that polled 1,500 mobile users in the U.S. and U.K. regarding chatbot and messaging experiences, according to a press release.

The financial service sector is cited as a top industry where consumers want better experience and engagement opportunities. Retail lands next, followed by travel and hospitality.

"Mobile consumers find it would be 'very useful' to be able to respond conversationally via SMS with preferred businesses in all three surveyed industry verticals: financial institutions (63 percent), travel and hospitality companies (54 percent), and retailers (67 percent)," notes the release.

"Chatbots are getting a lot of attention on the promise of transforming customer interactions, yet to date, there's been little insight from consumers themselves supporting whether or not they would find value in chatbots as a way to communicate with brands," Jay Emmet, general manager for OpenMarket, said in the release. "The survey findings prove chatbots are more than a short-lived fad. They are an untapped mobile engagement solution that consumers and business could benefit from both from a convenience and financial perspective — a strategy that businesses should be incorporating into their 2017 customer experience initiatives."