In a feature similar to "Yellow Pages", Meta-owned WhatsApp is adding the ability to let users find businesses from within the messaging platform. Used by more than 2 billion users globally, WhatsApp is the world's most popular messaging platform. WhatsApp on Friday said it is launching "Directory" feature, starting with Brazil through which users can browse and discover nearby local small businesses.
Directory was initially tested by WhatsApp in Sao Paulo and after a successful run, it is being rolled out in Brazil.
"On November 17, 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," the company said in a statement.
WhatsApp has also announced Business Search through which users will be able to find a bigger brand using its API. It is available in countries like Brazil, the UK, Indonesia, Mexico, and Colombia.
"Once people find a business they want to chat with, they can ask product questions, browse their catalogue 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," the company added.