A Meta announced today that WhatsApp Business, its app designed specifically for small businesses, has surpassed 200 million monthly active users - 50 million in 2020. As the company pursues its “year of efficiency,” it has also rolled out features like easier ad creation and a personalized messaging service for WhatsApp Business users.
New features
The Meta-owned chat app said that starting today, WhatsApp Business users will be able to create “click to WhatsApp” ads without a Facebook account. The company noted that sellers can create, buy and publish ads for Facebook and Instagram directly from within the app.
The app is also adding another paid feature that allows merchants to automate the process of sending personalized messages to their customers. The company did not share pricing details, as WhatsApp said it will start testing the feature "soon". Screenshots shared by the company indicate that companies will be able to send different messages to different lists of customers. For example, a seller can send a discount code to new customers with a buy button.
Last year, during Meta's third quarter results conference call, Zuckerberg mentioned that “click to WhatsApp” ads surpassed the annual revenue rate of USD 1,5 billion, with growth of 80% year over year.
Over the past few months, Meta has taken concrete steps to increase the revenue it earns through paid messaging. In February, it announced changes to the pricing structure and messaging categories on WhatsApp. These categories included utility, authentication (for sending one-time passwords), marketing, and user-initiated service conversations.
