14 DAY TRIAL // WhatsApp is slowly but surely expanding beyond the standard messaging app platform, and today, the company is announcing a new set of features that will help on this front.
More specifically, WhatsApp will let users search for businesses right from within the app – of course, the feature will only work for business accounts that are configured on WhatsApp.
“People want a convenient way to quickly get assistance from the millions of small businesses and tens of thousands of brands already on WhatsApp. Today we’re launching the ability to find a business right on WhatsApp so people can now browse businesses by category – such as travel or banking – or search by the business name. This will save people from having to find phone numbers off websites or type a number into their contacts,” the company explains in an announcement.
Initially, the new feature will be available in just a few markets, including Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
Then, WhatsApp is also trying to expand the messaging experience with support for purchasing products and making payments right from within conversations.
The new feature has already been released in India, and now the company is ready to expand it to more markets. For the time being, however, only Brazil will get it, with more regions possibly to follow in 2023.
“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,” WhatsApp notes.