Meta says its WhatsApp Business app now has more than 200 million monthly active users.
And soon, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on his Facebook page Tuesday (June 27), those users will be able to create Facebook and Instagram ads to attract new customers, “without needing a Facebook account.”
In addition, said Zuckerberg, the company is also debuting new paid messaging features, “so small businesses can reach customers more efficiently.”
Meta debuted WhatsApp Business in 2020 and said the platform had 50 million monthly active users by the midpoint of that year.
The news comes as the company is seeking revenue streams to offset the losses it has suffered as it pursues its metaverse project.
“We continue to be excited about the monetization opportunity with business messaging too,” Zuckerberg said during an earnings call in February, noting that messaging would become a significant business pillar in the years to come.
As PYMNTS wrote at the time, the CEO said more companies are being onboarded onto the WhatsApp business platform, where they can respond to questions from customers and sell directly through the chat function. For example, Zuckerberg noted that Air France had begun using WhatsApp to share boarding passes.
Meanwhile, Meta CFO Susan Li told investors during the call that “other revenue” came to $184 million in the fourth quarter, rising 19% with “strong business messaging revenue growth from our WhatsApp business platform.”
Last month, Meta teamed with Vonage in Singapore to let WhatsApp users in that country make payments using Meta’s WhatsApp service via Vonage Conversational Commerce.
Conversational Commerce, the companies said in a news release, lets brands create “omnichannel, messaging-first” buying experiences for customers using a range of platforms, such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Apple Business Chat, Instagram, Twitter and SMS.
More recently, WhatsApp debuted Channels, a new way for users to get updates from the people and businesses they follow.
“Channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls,” the company said on its blog.
“To help you select channels to follow, we’re building a searchable directory where you can find your hobbies, sports teams, updates from local officials, and more. You can also get to a channel from invite links sent in chats, e-mail, or posted online.”
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