WhatsApp to introduce in-app purchases

Facebook has announced that its WhatsApp messaging service would begin to offer in-app purchases for businesses, as it moves to boost revenue from the app.

Research from Facebook has shown if consumers can message a business to get help, they’re more likely to make a purchase. The global pandemic has also made it clear that businesses need fast and efficient ways to service their customers and make sales.

With the changes, WhatsApp will enable businesses sell products inside WhatsApp via Facebook Shops, an online store launched in May to offer a unified shopping experience across all Facebook owned apps.

The company will also enter the cloud computing sector in 2021, offering firms who use its customer service messaging tools the ability to store those messages.

Proposals for Whatsapp business e-commerce include:

• Shopping - Expanding ways for people to view available products and make purchases from a chat.
• Facebook Hosting Services - Providing an option for businesses to manage their WhatsApp messages via hosting services. Making it to easier to sell products, keep inventory up to date, and quickly respond to messages received.
• Business Sales - Charging business customers for some of the services offered, which will help WhatsApp continue building a business and expand free end-to-end encrypted text, video and voice calling for more than two billion people.

The service is due to launch before January 2021.