WhatsApp has launched the Bharat Yatra initiative, a pioneering on-ground training program aimed at empowering small businesses across India with digital skills and tools. The mobile bus tour, starting in Delhi-NCR, will travel to major cities nationwide, offering hands-on training to help small and medium businesses (SMBs) leverage the WhatsApp Business app for growth.
The WhatsApp-branded bus will kick off its journey in Delhi-NCR, visiting bustling markets like Laxmi Nagar, Rajouri Garden, and Nehru Place before moving on to Gurgaon’s Sapphire Mall and Noida’s Atta Market. Over the coming months, the bus will cover cities including Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Indore, Ahmedabad, Surat, Nashik, and Mysore.
The initiative offers SMBs interactive demos, expert guidance, and personalised support to create business profiles, set up catalogues, and design ads that enable seamless customer engagement through WhatsApp.
Ravi Garg, Director, Business Messaging, Meta in India said, “Small businesses are the backbone of India's economy, and with the right digital tools, they have the power to supercharge the country's digital transformation. The WhatsApp Bharat Yatra is our commitment to helping these businesses unlock their full potential by providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to digitally connect with their customers, grow and succeed. By meeting businesses where they are - both physically and digitally - we aim to create a meaningful, long-lasting impact across India's entrepreneurial landscape.”
The Bharat Yatra initiative also aims to familiarise SMBs with WhatsApp’s latest updates. Recent additions include Meta Verified, a tool to enhance business credibility, and custom messaging features for appointment reminders, birthday greetings, and sale updates. WhatsApp is also testing Meta AI integration, enabling businesses to manage customer engagement more efficiently.
The hands-on training will guide businesses in using these tools effectively, ensuring they can tap into WhatsApp’s full potential to boost sales and streamline operations.
The Bharat Yatra program builds on WhatsApp’s other initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s small business ecosystem, such as WhatsApp Se Vyapaar, launched in partnership with CAIT to upskill 10 million traders, and Digishaastra, a digital literacy program by the India SME Forum.