WhatsApp Business App built keeping India’s small businesses in mind: Meta

India is home to 63 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that contribute close to 30 per cent to the overall GDP of the country. Through its WhatsApp Business App, American tech giant Meta wants to help digitise these SMBs in India.  

Meta told Business Today that the app has been built keeping the needs of India’s small businesses in mind.  

“Digitisation helps these businesses thrive. During the pandemic small and medium businesses realized that adopting digital tools is critical for their growth and business continuity and we saw businesses across domains adopt a digital-first approach. Our focus at Meta, has always been to develop solutions for businesses of all sizes,” Archana Vohra, Director, Small and Medium Business, India – Meta said. 

The WhatsApp Business App comes with a number of features such as catalog for product or services showcase, quick Replies, automated messages and more that enable small businesses to manage their day-to-day operations more efficiently.  

“Digital presence on WhatsApp helps small and micro businesses meet their customers where they want to be met, as Indians across geographies, age groups and generations, economic activity and literacy levels are already well engaged on WhatsApp’s easy and secure interface. Particularly for small businesses, Meta has been thoughtful about building other benefits that businesses can avail too,” Vohra adds. 

The pandemic, she adds, accelerated the course of digital adoption by a majority of businesses that were previously not online.  

“We believe the unorganised sector is in the process of realizing the necessity of going digital and is in the throes of embracing this change to unlock new markets and growth avenues,” she said. 

The company recently launched SMB-Saathi-Utsav as an initiative to empower small businesses in two of Jaipur’s most prominent markets, Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar. Through a feet-on-street model, a group of trained business-buddies visited shop owners in these two markets and trained them on digitising their businesses. 

“Today, over 550 businesses in these two markets run their everyday operations and stay connected with their customers through the WhatsApp Business App. Additionally, they’re also exploring the value of discoverability with tools such as ads on Facebook and Instagram that click back to WhatsApp and offer them the opportunity to engage customers in rich conversations leading to a greater brand awareness and better chances of purchase closures,” she adds. 

According to Meta, small businesses across various industries such as food and beverage, handicrafts, outdoor experiences, education and other services have been leveraging WhatsApp Business App as a reliable tool to connect with their customers and expand their customer base. 

As a platform, Meta reaches more than 434 million people in India alone and over 400 million people chat on WhatsApp with their friends, family and businesses. “We believe that as a company we play a critical role in ensuring that SMBs are tapping new geographies and unlocking growth opportunities,” she said.