WhatsApp Lets Users Find and Buy From Businesses; Here’s How to Use This Feature

WhatsApp, the Meta-owned instant messaging platform has rolled out yet another new feature for its users. This new capability will let users search for businesses on the platform. Besides finding businesses, this new feature will also let users chat with businesses and shop for products.

In an official blog post, WhatsApp stated that the new feature will let users browse businesses depending on the category, such as banking, travel, etc., or search by name. This move will help people easily contact businesses instead of saving their phone numbers into contacts or checking phone numbers on business websites.

Here's how this new WhatsApp feature works and where it is available.

WhatsApp has partnered with various payment partners to let users purchase products without leaving its messaging platform. The feature is similar to the functionality introduced in India with the launch of the JioMart shopping experience a few months back. Now, it is expanding the feature to more countries. As per WhatsApp, this feature is built to preserve the privacy of users.

For now, WhatsApp has announced that this feature to find businesses and purchase products on the platform is available in the UK, Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico.

Here's How to Search for Businesses on WhatsApp

To search for businesses and make purchases on WhatsApp, you need to follow the steps below.

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your phone.
Step 2: Tap on the Chat tab on the app.
Step 3: Now, tap on the 'Businesses' option under 'Discover'.
Step 4: Here, you need to select the location-sharing preferences.
Step 5: To use your current location to find businesses, then you need to tap 'Continue' and then 'Allow Once'. This will restrict WhatsApp's access to your location details. Alternatively, you can select a location manually or use your phone number to see business within your region. To do so, you need to tap on 'NOT NOW' and pick a location from the map.
Step 6: Now, type in the query for the business you are looking for.
Step 7: You can also refine your business search using the filter at the top of the list. It will let you filter businesses based on category, distance, open status, and catalog.
Step 8: In the list of businesses that appear, you should tap on the profile you were looking for.
Step 9: On clicking on the desired business profile, you need to tap the Chat button. That's it! You will be able to start a new chat with the specific business account.

WhatsApp wants to make it possible to pay securely to businesses right within the chat using a credit or debit card. Having launched this payment experience in India, it is testing the same in Brazil with multiple payment partners. This seamless checkout experience will be a game-changer for people and businesses looking to buy and sell on WhatsApp without having to go to a website, open another app or pay in person.