WhatsApp Expands In-Stream Payments and Introduces New Business Search Functionality

With the vision to bring the entire shopping experience directly to a WhatsApp Chat, Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, made an announcement during the first-ever WhatsApp Business Summit in Brazil.

So, basically, the company is launching a new update wherein WhatsApp users will be able to directly search for businesses in the WhatsApp UI by category or name.

Using the app’s search feature, users can now access a specific part where they may look for businesses.

According to the company,

“We’ve built business search in a way that preserves people’s privacy. What you search for is processed in a way that cannot be linked back to your account. To start, we’re bringing the ability to search for a business to Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, and the UK where people can find companies using our WhatsApp Business Platform. In Brazil, search will help people find small businesses as well.”

A mini-map, category filters, and verified business accounts will all be included in the search function to make it simpler for you to access the many in-app shopping alternatives.

That might provide businesses wishing to utilize WhatsApp as a communication tool a major boost, and that may now be a much more crucial factor to take into account.

Since direct messaging tops, and is the most preferred means of social media communication, this can prove to be a giant leap that provides convenience to customers. Some of the recent businesses that have joined WhatsApp are helping people open a bank account, purchase their metro ticket, and order groceries.

Indeed, Zuckerberg claims that social feeds are evolving into discovery platforms, and given this, it’s possible that consumers are becoming more receptive to DM interactions from marketers.

It’s probably worthwhile to offer WhatsApp as a connection option at the very least, and if these new discovery features are completely implemented, they might provide you even more motivation to have a WhatsApp presence for your company.

Additionally, Meta claims to be expanding WhatsApp payments.

“Ultimately, we want people to be able to make a secure payment right from a chat with their credit or debit card. We recently launched this experience in India, and we’re excited to now be testing this in Brazil with multiple payment partners. This seamless checkout experience will be a game-changer for people and businesses looking to buy and sell on WhatsApp without having to go to a website, open another app or pay in person.”

In addition to seeing increased usage in other areas, WhatsApp has also received increased prominence in the US and Europe due to the messaging industry’s wider growth.

As Meta continues to develop its WhatsApp Business features, the WhatsApp possibility is expanding, and it’s important to think about how it can fit into your brand strategy.