In a social media post on Tuesday, June 22, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced that new commerce features are on the horizon that aims to make shopping much easier on platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. Users will now have the opportunity to view a store on WhatsApp and then communicate with the business before proceeding to buy the item.
According to BusinessTech, Zuckerberg further mentioned that businesses can enjoy a hassle-free, one-time set up before their new venture becomes fully operational across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
This announcement forms part of Facebook-owned companies who are continuously nudging in the commerce direction, with Instagram also bringing a new feature that will allow users to purchase items by searching for the image.
In June, WhatsApp said that it will introduce updates to make customer-to-business interaction easier and quicker while allowing a smoother process of businesses who wish to get started.
“Whether a business wants to work with a business solution provider or get support directly from Facebook in the future, these improvements will make it easier for more medium and larger businesses to have customer conversations on WhatsApp,” the messaging service said.
In the past, businesses were limited to sending notifications in a specific time period which made the process of following up with customers outside of the 24-hour window much more difficult. However, as BusinessTech explains, WhatsApp will now offer more support for these types of messages by allowing people to know when certain items are in stock for example.
They furthermore aim to make services available, as is seen by how helpful the updates from health authorities has been in responding to the pandemic.
WhatsApp will also be bringing new messaging features such as reply buttons, which will allow users to make quick selections from up to three options with the tap of a button – businesses can set this up ahead of time through their WhatsApp Business API account.
“As always, people remain in control of their chats. People still need to reach out to start a conversation or request a business contact them via WhatsApp.
“With these updates, we’re also providing new ways for people to give greater feedback about the experience they are having if they have a reason to block a business,” WhatsApp said
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