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WhatsApp it to me: Facebook’s push to use chat for commerce

WhatsApp payments is stuck at the RBI's door in India. Facebook's workaround? To open up conversational commerce on the messaging app for financial inclusion and rural services. Except for healthcare. After all, WhatsApp's willing 400 million active user base is ripe for the picking

21/01/20

Arundhati Ramanathan

WhatsApp is trying to evolve from being just a peer-to-peer messaging platform to a space in which companies can conduct business

This is a ripe market for the app—Indian internet users spend close to 1.2 hours a day on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram

With nearly 30% of India’s $2.7 trillion GDP driven by micro, small and medium enterprises, WhatsApp expects small businesses to lead this charge

This shift is something WhatsApp needs, especially as the commerce battlefield is crowded with the likes of Google, PhonePe, Amazon, and TikTok

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Want to read a free 200 word summary?

You’re at work. It’s 6 pm, and you need a cab home. You pull out your smartphone, open WhatsApp, find the Uber chat window, and type:

Hi, I want a cab to go home from work

“At what time?” asks Uber.

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