WhatsApp has taken another miniature step towards maximizing its eCommerce potential with the addition of a new shopping button in business chats to streamline purchases besides transactions.

WhatsApp Shopping Button in 2020:

In light of WhatsApp Shopping Button, Whatsapp explains “Now you can easily discover something you’d like to buy from your favorite business by tapping on the new shopping button at the top of chats.”

Related to the new Shop options on Instagram and Facebook, the WhatsApp shopping button takes you through to a product listing in-app, where you can choose items as well as tapping through to make a purchase.

It’s a moderately small addition, however, it could have a significant impact, particularly as WhatsApp looks to build on its presence in India, where it’s already the most used messaging app and a fundamental platform for keeping millions of Indian users connected.

Moreover, Last week, India approved the wider use of WhatsApp Pay in the nation, which WhatsApp soon followed up on with the increase of funds transfers in the app.

Talking more about WhatsApp shopping button, the idea here is that by getting people to transfer money within WhatsApp, that will then make it easier for people to make subsequent purchases – if they’re already moving money via the app, paying for goods is a natural extension, not only that but could see WhatsApp become a main eCommerce provider in the region.

In addition, that will enable parent company Facebook to monetize the app. Ads in WhatsApp didn’t work, however, if Facebook can make WhatsApp a more crucial business tool, it can then charge brands to use it, or take a percentage of transactions, moreover, becoming a critical platform for facilitating connection.

In light of the WhatsApp shopping button, the addition of a dedicated shop tab is highly important, and will help to further normalize shopping behavior in the app as well.

Definitly, this is not just relative to India. WhatsApp has 2 billion active users worldwide, presenting significant opportunity for many brands, in many regions, and if it can make in-stream shopping more habitual, that could present a range of opportunities for businesses within the app.

Furthermore, WhatsApp is not as big as Messenger in Western markets, anyhow, it’s still significant, and additions like WhatsApp shopping button are worth keeping tabs on as it continues to evolve into a much wider connective tool.