Meta launches 'Find, Message and Buy on WhatsApp'

The new feature on WhatsApp would allow users to discover new brands, connect with them and make purchases directly on the app.

On November 17, at the WhatsApp Business Summit in Brazil, Mark Zuckerberg shared an update on what the platform is building to help people find, message, and buy something from a business on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is launching the ability to find a business right on the app so people can now browse businesses by categories – 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.

These new features are introduced to offer users a convenient way to quickly get assistance from the millions of small businesses and tens of thousands of brands already on WhatsApp.

It will be available first to Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia, and the UK. In Brazil, people will be able to browse categories of small businesses in their neighbourhoods as well.

Also Read: Case Study: How Uber’s WhatsApp 2 Ride campaign for Delhi NCR garnered 31M Impressions

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)

Commenting on this new development, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO - Meta said, "We want to make it easier for people to get more done on WhatsApp. Part of that is building better ways to engage with businesses. And while millions of businesses in Brazil use it for chat, we haven't made it easy to discover businesses or buy from them, so people end up having to use workarounds. The ultimate goal here is to make it so you can find, message and buy from a business all in the same WhatsApp chat.

If you run a business in Brazil, that means people will be able to find you, contact you and purchase from you all in one WhatsApp chat, and we're working to bring this experience to more countries in the coming months too. This is the next step for business messaging and I'm looking forward to hearing about the opportunities this unlocks for all of you."