WhatsApp is now allowing small businesses in India to sign up for a Meta Verified badge and giving them the ability to send customized messages to customers.
Meta’s Strategy to Tap India’s Vast SME Market with WhatsApp Business
As per a joint report by Meta and Bain & Company released in May, India is home to more than 65 million small and medium-sized businesses, out of which only about 5 million sell online.
Since WhatsApp is used widespread by Indians for instant messaging, it has emerged as a favoured avenue for small businesses to connect with customers. In the light of this, the company is trying to make the most out of this market opportunity by promoting WhatsApp Business.
As per the company, Meta Verified subscriptions give WhatsApp Business users access to features like the ability to create custom WhatsApp pages that are discoverable on the web, multi-device support, and multiple employee accounts. Notably, Meta Verified for WhatsApp Business starts at around $8 (about ₹639) a month for Indian users.
Additionally, small businesses using WhatsApp Business can now schedule and send customized messages — think appointment reminders, birthday wishes, or updates on sales — to customers for less than a rupee per message. There are other things that businesses could do, which includes customer’s names and add customizable call-to-action buttons.
It was in the month of September last year, that the tech giant launched its verification program for business accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
“WhatsApp Business Yatra” to Boost Small Business Adoption in Tier-2 and Tier-3 Cities
WhatsApp is also embarking on an initiative called “WhatsApp Business Yatra” (a WhatsApp Business tour in Hindi), which the company will use to visit and promote the service in tier-2 and tier-3 cities in the country, aiming to provide in-person training to small businesses.
The company said that “As part of this initiative, we will train small businesses in setting up their WhatsApp Business accounts, creating catalogs, educating them on how to set up ads that click to WhatsApp, and much more. We will also build a resource center on our website, which will act as a quick-access tutorial centre for these businesses”.
