Meta is introducing new business development tools on its platforms and WhatsApp is no exception. The company is gradually rolling out new features that will attract brands and provide more options for users. Among the innovations, the ability to search for businesses with confidentiality, as well as expanding the possibilities of payments within the messenger.
At a recent summit in Brazil, the head of the Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, spoke about new features in the popular WhatsApp messenger. They will appear first in Mexico, the UK, Brazil and Indonesia. Business Search will allow users to find business accounts right in the search tab. They will have access to a standard search by name, a mini-map with nearby businesses and sorting by category (cafeteria, restaurant, apparels & clothing, grocery store, and so on). This and other tools should attract more companies, especially in the US and Europe, who want to communicate with their customers on WhatsApp.
The second direction, which the CEO of Meta spoke about, is the development of the In-Stream payment function. This will allow users to make online purchases directly from a WhatsApp chat, without going to a website or paying in person. India is one of the key regions for the company, so Meta wants to make its messenger as popular in the country as WeChat is in China. By the way, the latter is used by the Chinese very actively: they communicate, make purchases and even pay bills. Meta can expect more interest from customers in the US and Europe, as WhatsApp is becoming more and more important not only for messaging, but also for businesses in these regions.
Zuckerberg believes that users have become more interested in the ability to contact businesses in private messages. That is why the company is constantly developing in this direction, providing more useful business functions on its platforms. Do you think WhatsApp will become as popular among brands to promote their business as Instagram and Facebook?