Facebook Inc-owned company, Whatsapp, announced that with a shopping button, it has stepped into the world of eCommerce. This newly introduced feature in the messaging platform will permit the users to shop and pay for the goods and services, quickly, through none other than WhatsApp chats. The business account holders of Whatsapp will now hold the caliber to offer catalogs to the customers from the chat screen, allowing them to purchase directly.
Well, India needs to wait for this a little more as Whatsapp has already asked for permission from the RBI to roll out its payment service in the country. After both, shop and payment features get a green signal in India, in the next big online front, it will tie-up with Walmart-owned Flipkart, Amazon.com, and JioMart.
Targets of WhatsApp New Business Tools
Shopping
Now, Facebook is expanding its roots to assist consumers to make purchases directly from the chat. Besides, they are targeting the integration of WhatsApp with the existing eCommerce Applications businesses.
Business Sales
Facebook declared that they will charge for some of its services while providing other services, such as video calling, chat, and messaging, all for free.
In a blog post, Whatsapp said,
We will expand ways for people to check out available products and make purchases right from a chat.
It also added,
We also want to make it easier for businesses to integrate these features into their existing commerce and customer solutions.
Facebook Hosting Services
Soon, Facebook will roll out new features that will ease SMBs to handle their chat and sales. Also, they added that it will ease the businesses to permit transactions while the employees are working from home. Through Facebook, WhatsApp will also offer hosting services.
For the same, the company wrote in a blog post, “Businesses have varying technology needs and want choice in the companies they work with to host and manage customer communications, particularly with remote work increasing. This is why over the coming months, we plan to expand our partnerships with business solution providers we’ve worked with over the last two years,”. Obviously, the customers would be required to pay WhatsApp for reaping the benefits of some of its services, as Facebook wants its famed messaging app to run constantly on a drive towards building a business.
As claimed by WhatsApp, over 175 million users connect with a business account every day, all over the globe. According to a survey by The Harris Poll, approximately 81% of Indians choose messaging options to interact with businesses. India is the largest market for Whatsapp that holds over 400 million users as recorded in July 2019.
WhatsApp is leveraging the platform of Facebook Shop, for its new features, that was launched this year for SMBs.
Currently, various local and hyperlocal businesses are depending on WhatsApp to interact and reach potential customers with the ways of text updates, videos, and images. Whenever it comes off, the announcement of WhatsApp Pay in India will soon merge the shopping experience perfect for the customers on WhatsApp.
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