WhatsApp: The future of business

As we all thankfully leave 2020 behind, one of WhatsApp’s top priorities in 2021 is to leverage our platform to enable businesses of all sizes to scale their reach and distribution. — Abhijit Bose, Head of India, WhatsApp.

We have seen a significant shift to using messaging. To get information and engage with businesses across the world in the last few years. Also with the pandemic-era hit, the urgency for digitalization is only highlighted further. Business messaging platforms became a lifeline for people-of-businesses when there was no other alternative.

Organizations around the world are reopening and expanding online. This clearly implies a search for simpler ways to communicate will continue. Whether it is to ask questions or get information or find something they’ll like to buy. All can be conveyed easily in short text formats. The fondness of this trend is more evident by the survey numbers of The Harris Poll. 77 percent of adults in India agreed that they prefer messaging a business more now, as compared to before the pandemic. To please this circumstance WhatsApp provides two ways for merchants and service providers. Both of these ways to support the customer base while ensuring business growth were adopted significantly.

“WhatsApp for Business” is a version of WhatsApp, designed specifically for small businesses and Kirana stores. Through this version, shop owners can create catalogs and simplify ordering with their customers. Today, more than 175 million people message a WhatsApp Business account every day, globally. And the current trends only show the expected growth in this number. As businesses continue to rely on versatile digital platforms to communicate and sell products.

India has already seen more than 15 million small business owners, using this version to connect and reach-out. On the customer end. 81 percent of surveyed adults believe direct messaging is a quick, easy, and comfortable way to communicate. Moreover, 76 percent of them are more likely to do business with companies having contact facilities via messaging. India is naturally, WhatsApp’s largest market. The vibrant micro and small business ecosystem here is one of the primary sources for feedback for their product. Looking at this large and loyal market size. WhatsApp keeps trying to improve its user experience and launching new features. Recently they launched features like ‘Shopping button’ and ‘Carts’. To enhance the shopping experience for both customers and businesses. The shopping button allows users to discover the business’ catalog, browse products and start a conversation about an item they see, with just one simple tap. Further, the carts button enables the selection of multiple items to buy and send a DM of these items to the business.

For this new launch, Abhijit Bose said: I am certain that this will be a game-changer for business messaging and a significant step ahead in our vision towards the growth of conversational commerce.

Larger businesses, use WhatsApp’s API to automate support and sales processes. Customers can now “Say Hi” and get in contact, ask questions, get info, or find value from their favorite businesses. Thanks to the automated conversational workflows and bots. This has simplified commerce to a friendly extend. This API has been adopted by many leading private sector companies. Ranging from financial institutions to ed-tech companies, to retail merchants.

Based on its vast usability and functionality WhatsApp Business API can assist in accelerating financial inclusion, education, skilling, and health services to the under-served. Let’s look at examples to analyze its scope better.

Pilots are underway to allow masses anywhere in the country, to discover and decide to buy micro-pensions, health insurance. Connect with government services and access the bank. All using WhatsApp. Further social-tech startup CabDost, leverages WhatsApp to generate awareness and connect with over 50,000 individuals in the gig workforce, to provide financial advisory and literacy services. WhatsApp acts as their one-point customer support platform.

WhatsApp will continue to invest in seeding and scaling Social Impact programs over the Business API. WhatsApp Pay will convert access to information about services, into actual access to services, along with their distribution.

The digitalization of the Indian economy is irreversibly accelerated by COVID-19. Making a phone call, sending emails seems even more mundane to people now. They are more interested in the benefits and ease of direct messages for business interactions. WhatsApp promises to keep customer service at top priority while building out the roadmap for enabling and digitizing businesses.

Abhijit adds in this direction: At the heart of all this are our core principles of simplicity, reliability, privacy, and security — and we feel these are the reasons people trust and will be comfortable engaging with businesses on WhatsApp.

Conclusion

WhatsApp in the corporate world is in many ways the most democratic platform for commerce in India. With WhatsApp, a small Kirana shop can have the same reach and digital presence as any large business in India. And the fact that customers get to directly contact their favorite businesses, not the other way round. Is one of the star reasons businesses from every segment and size can see resilient ROI and engagement from their customers in a fast-moving digital world.

Note — the article contains information and details based on an interview arranged with Abhijit Bose, Head of India, WhatsApp.