In India, WhatsApp users can order groceries through the app

Meta partners with Indian e-commerce company JioMart to turn WhatsApp into a super app. In India, users should in future be able to do their shopping within WhatsApp.

Grocery delivery services have been booming since the beginning of the corona pandemic at the latest. This should soon also be possible within WhatsApp – without leaving the apo.

in one blog post parent company Meta announced that it intends to introduce the first end-to-end shopping experience in the messenger service. To this end, the company is cooperating with JioMart, an Indian e-commerce company.

This is how Meta allows shopping via WhatsApp

The so-called “end-to-end shopping experience” will initially be available in India. If you want to make a purchase there via WhatsApp, all you have to do is send a “Hi” to JioMart’s WhatsApp number. The app then automatically forwards the user to a shopping interface.

There they can select products from a grocery catalog and add them to their shopping cart. The payment process also takes place within WhatsApp without the user having to leave the app.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave up Facebook meanwhile euphoric tones can be heard regarding the cooperation with JioMart:

Business messaging is an area with real momentum, and chat-based experiences like this will be the way people and businesses communicate for years to come.

The integration of JioMart on WhatsApp aims to accelerate digital transformation in India. According to Meta, people and companies of all sizes should be given the opportunity to further network and boost the country’s economic growth.

WhatsApp is set to become a super app

The new feature is strongly reminiscent of its Chinese counterpart, WeChat. Basically, the Messanger is similar to the US version. However, the app offers significantly more functions than just sending messages.

Within WeChat, users can, for example, order food and arrange doctor and hairdresser appointments, book flight tickets or even pay at the checkout in “real” shops.

In-app functions as a business model

so could also whatsapp follow the lead of this super app. Around two billion users worldwide use the messenger service. If Meta succeeds in following WeChat’s example, the company should be in for a rosy future. Because Meta collects fees for every payment transaction. And advertising could also find its way into the app.

In recent years, WhatsApp has in turn worked more on in-app purchases and payment processing at user level. The business version of the app is also constantly being developed.

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