WhatsApp introduces shopping button within the app

The app is looking to expand ways for people to check out available products and make purchases right from a chat.

Today, more than 175M people message a WhatsApp Business account every day, and more than 40M people view a business’ catalog each month – including more than 3M in India. According to a recent survey**, 76% of adults in India said “I am more likely to do business with/purchase from a company that I can contact via messaging than one that I cannot.”

And we want to make the shopping experience even better — especially as we get ready for a holiday shopping season unlike any other when people will need helpful ways to make purchases remotely and businesses want digital tools to close sales.

That’s why we’re rolling out a new shopping button on WhatsApp to 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. This will make it easier for businesses to have their products discovered which can help increase sales.

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.