WhatsApp introduces 'shopping button' in India to help people discover business catalogues

Facebook on Tuesday made a new shopping button in WhatsApp live globally, including in India, to help people check out available products and make purchases right from a chat. The tool will make it easier for people to discover a business' catalog so they know what goods or services it offers. Previously, people had to click into the business' profile to see if the business had a catalog.

"Now, when a person sees the shopping button, which looks like a storefront icon, they will immediately know the business has a catalog so they can browse products and start a conversation about an item they see with just one tap," the company said in a statement. This will also make it easier for businesses to have their products discovered which can help increase sales.

More than 175 million people message a WhatsApp Business account every day, and more than 40 million people view a business' catalog each month -- including more than 3 million in India. According to a recent survey, 76 per cent of adults in India said that "I am more likely to do business with/purchase from a company that I can contact via messaging than one that I cannot." The new shopping button is available now across the world and will replace the voice call button.

To find the voice call button, simply tap on the call button to select either a voice or video call. "In the future, we'll make it possible to add items to a cart and check out, all within WhatsApp," the company said last month. Facebook said it will finally start charging companies using WhatsApp for Business, as it expanded ways for its users to check out available products and make purchases right from a chat. Some 50 million businesses message a WhatsApp Business account every day and this move will help WhatsApp continue building a business of its own while it provides and expands free end-to-end encrypted text, video and voice calling for more than 2 billion people.