New Feature launch - Find, Message and Buy on WhatsApp

 at the first-ever WhatsApp Business Summit in Brazil, Mark Zuckerberg has shared an update on what we’re building to help people find, message and buy something from a business on WhatsApp. These new features are introduced to offer an enhanced end-to-end commerce experience for users and connect with their favourite brands while discovering new ones.

 

1. Find a Business 

• Business Search – Find a larger brand on WhatsApp using our API (select country launch – Brazil, UK, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia)
• Directory – Discover a local merchant (SMB) on WhatsApp (Brazil only; expanding to the entire country after testing in Sao Paulo)

  

2. Buy 

• P2M - Pay a local merchant directly in WhatsApp (Currently testing in Brazil; expected to expand to other markets as well)

 

The new Business Search feature will be available Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and the UK.

 

We hear from people all the time how they want a simple way to not only find but reach out to businesses on WhatsApp so they can get assistance quickly without having to look up a phone number, send an email to a support@ address or navigate a complicated website. And while many businesses already promote their own WhatsApp number in packaging materials, store signs and websites, they often ask us for a better way to help more people know about this channel. That’s why 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. To start, we’re bringing this feature to Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the UK. In Brazil, people will be able to browse categories of small businesses in their neighborhood as well.

 

Once people find a business they want to chat with, they can ask product questions, browse their catalog of goods and services and add items to a cart so the business knows what they want to buy. From there, 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. Our goal is to expand this experience to more countries in the future.