WhatsApp Business has crossed 200 million users, company CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said. WhatsApp for Business is also rolling out an update that would let users create Facebook and Instagram ads right from the app. The world's most popular messaging platform is also getting a new paid messaging feature that is aimed to help small businesses easily target new customers. The details were mentioned by Zuckerberg in a Facebook post.
WhatsApp for Business is a free app that can be downloaded from the official Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, and helps merchants have a business presence on the platform and manage conversations with their customers.
"Soon the 200M+ users of the WhatsApp Business app will be able to create Facebook and Instagram ads to find and connect with new customers, without needing a Facebook account. We're also announcing new paid messaging features so small businesses can reach customers more efficiently," Zuckerberg announced in a Facebook post.
It is crucial for small businesses to find new customers and equally important for them to have tools to connect with them quickly and easily at scale.
"Starting soon we’ll begin testing a new feature within the WhatsApp Business app where small businesses will have the option to send personalized messages to their customers – like appointment reminders, birthday greetings or even updates on a holiday sale – in a faster and more efficient way. Rather than having to manually send the same message to multiple customers, this new feature will give businesses the ability to send personal messages with the customer’s name and customizable call-to-action buttons to specific customer lists such as those with a select label (like “VIP customers” or “new customers”), schedule the day and time the messages are sent and then see what’s working," Meta-owned said in a statement.
"We’ll offer this advanced, optional type of message for a fee in the WhatsApp Business app. We’ll have more details to share in the future."