WhatsApp Business rolls out new features including payment gateways

Meta Platforms announced several new features for WhatsApp Business at the Conversations event in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Over the last few years, WhatsApp has become one of the go-to apps on smartphones, replacing SMS as the primary form of messaging others. Meta has capitalized on this opportunity and rolled out new features time and again that promise to entice customers and keep them from switching to other apps. It has also become a platform for businesses to expand their base with WhatsApp Business offering customer-centric features.

At its Conversations event, Meta announced several new features for WhatsApp Business. Taking to X, Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp posted, "For everyone that chats with businesses on @WhatsApp, we've got lots of great improvements coming, including a way for business to build richer in-chat experiences that will make it easier to do things like book an appointment or buy a ticket, all within the app."

Multiple payment services

Customers can now choose from different payment options such as debit and credit cards, different UPI apps, and more while making payments for services or products that they wish to purchase.

Payments can also be made within the chat, instead of going to other UPI apps. WhatsApp has announced that it has partnered with Razorpay and PayU to make payments on WhatsApp Business easier.

At the event, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "With payments in India, we're going to support other payment methods as well, including all UPI apps."

Flows

This feature brings customizable menus and forms that businesses can take advantage of to provide customers with experiences such as booking an appointment, selecting a seat on a train, or choosing a meal. All of them can be done without leaving the WhatsApp app.

Flows will be made available to businesses through WhatsApp Business in the coming weeks.

Meta-verified businesses

To reduce the amount of fraud that can potentially occur via fake businesses listed on its platform, WhatsApp will bring Meta-verified badges to legitimate businesses on the platform.

Businesses will need to demonstrate their authenticity to Meta, and in turn, they will receive the verified badge, along with services like enhanced account support and impersonation protection. It will also come with additional premium features such as multi-device support, easily discoverable pages, and more.

Meta has announced that it will begin testing the Meta-verified feature soon, and it will be rolled out onto the platform in the future.