WHATSAPP is rolling out a new shopping button.
It means it will soon be easier for you to shop directly on the app and buy anything from cake to a couch.
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WhatsApp estimates that around 175million people message a WhatsApp Business everyday.
That’s still a small amount of its 2billion global users though.
According to a recent survey, 68% of international adults said: “I am more likely to do business with/purchase from a company that I can contact via messaging than one that I cannot.”
This is why WhatsApp wants to build on this with its new shopping button.
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It means when people go to message a business on WhatsApp they’ll see a “store front” icon if that business has a virtual catalogue.
They can then click the icon to browse the WhatsApp catalogue and see items in more detail so they can be discussed via the chat.
The shopping button is rolling out worldwide so you just need to update your WhatsApp.
It will be replacing the voice call button that you see in a normal non business chat.
If you want to voice call or video call you’ll just need to click the phone icon and you’ll be given both those options.
If you have your own business, WhatsApp has released a YouTube video explaining how to use the new feature to reach your customers.
WhatsApp – a quick history
Here’s what you need to know…
- WhatsApp was created in 2009 by computer programmers Brian Acton and Jan Koum – former employees of Yahoo
- It’s one of the most popular messaging services in the world
- Koum came up with the name WhatsApp because it sounded like “what’s up”
- After a number of tweaks the app was released with a messaging component in June 2009, with 250,000 active users
- It was originally free but switched to a paid service to avoid growing too fast. Then in 2016, it became free again for all users
- Facebook bought WhatsApp Inc in February 2014 for $19.3billion (£14.64bn)
- The app is particularly popular because all messages are encrypted during transit, shutting out snoopers
- As of 2020, WhatsApp has over 2billion users globally
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In other news, WhatsApp hidden texting “leaderboard” could disappear in the next update – so check yours quick.
WhatsApp users send roughly 100 billion messages everyday, according to owner Mark Zuckerberg.
And, you can now send disappearing WhatsApp messages that self-destruct after a week.
How often do you use WhatsApp? Let us know in the comments…
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
