WhatsApp Introduces Flows Feature: Revolutionizing In-App Shopping
WhatsApp, the popular messaging app, is set to revolutionize the shopping experience for e-commerce businesses and their customers with the introduction of a groundbreaking feature called Flows. This exciting addition allows WhatsApp users to seamlessly complete various tasks, such as booking a flight seat or scheduling an appointment, all without ever leaving the messaging app.
Flows equip merchants with a range of powerful tools, including text boxes, calendars, and a seat picker. These tools empower e-commerce companies to craft immersive and feature-rich experiences while streamlining the booking and payment processes.
The Flows support page provides numerous examples of how this innovative service can be harnessed, including scenarios like booking appointments, customizing products, logging into accounts, filling out forms, and signing up for events.
WhatsApp has conducted extensive testing of Flows with a variety of businesses, including well-known names such as Brazilian bank Banco Pan, retailer MagaLu, tech giant Lenovo, Indian travel service redBus, and car-reselling platform Spinny.
Nikila Srinivasan, Vice President of WhatsApp, emphasized the company's commitment to enhancing shopping and e-commerce experiences. “Shopping and e-commerce is one of the biggest verticals we want to focus on. The goal is to enable business messaging in a way that businesses and people can do a lot more right in the chat thread. We are trying to build rich experiences within the chat, and that's where Flows comes in.”
Flows will gradually roll out over the coming months, and Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, has confirmed that there will be no separate charges for merchants initially. Presently, Flows' features are exclusive to e-commerce businesses, but WhatsApp has ambitious plans to extend these rich experiences to other business verticals as well.
Earlier this year, WhatsApp's business app reached a significant milestone by surpassing 200 million monthly active users. The messaging company is also actively testing a personalized messaging feature for merchants, which was announced in June. This service enables businesses to send tailored notifications, such as discounts and special offers, to select customers, further enhancing the realm of business messaging.
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