WhatsApp will offer purchasing via chat in the future
WhatsApp, the messenger service belonging to the Facebook Group, will in future enable its users to purchase products directly from a chat. End customers will use their usual WhatsApp application and will not have to install a second app.
Smaller companies offering goods and services, on the other hand, use a special business app from WhatsApp to respond to customer inquiries.
For larger companies, WhatsApp also offers an interface (API) for customer support systems or inventory management software instead of a smartphone app, which can be used to handle a larger number of customer requests.
WhatsApp Business grows
WhatsApp Business was launched in January 2018. Since then, the service has developed dynamically. According to WhatsApp, more than 175 million people now send messages to a WhatsApp Business account every day.
Among the service's first customers were Vodafone Germany and Spanish airline Iberia, which have so far mainly used WhatsApp chat to respond to customer queries.
WhatsApp Business' interface is also used by startups such as Twillo, MessageBird, Yalochat and Infobip, which use it to offer their own cloud communications platforms for their commercial customers.
WhatsApp COO Matt Idema said the Corona pandemic has made it clear that businesses need fast and efficient ways to serve their customers and make sales: "WhatsApp has become an easy and convenient resource during this time."
The task now, he said, is to expand the service. WhatsApp will expand the possibilities for consumers to find out about available products and make purchases directly from a chat, he said. (SDA)
