Meta, in partnership with Indian e-commerce company JioMart, is adding a shopping experience to WhatsApp in India, allowing users to purchase JioMart grocery products via the messaging platform.
Two years ago, the two organizations tested the integration with limited users. According to Meta, this is the first complete purchasing experience on WhatsApp.
Users in India can begin buying on JioMart over WhatsApp by messaging “Hi” to the company’s phone number. They can then browse the JioMart catalog, add items to their shopping basket, and pay without leaving the conversation.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, stated in a blog post that “enterprise messaging is an area with significant momentum, and chat-based experiences like this will be the preferred method for people and organizations to connect in the coming years.”
Meta is a minority shareholder in Jio Platforms, the business that owns JioMart. The US tech giant announced in April 2020 that it would invest US$5.7 billion in Jio Platforms for a 9.99% interest, making Meta the largest minority shareholder.
India is WhatsApp’s largest market, with 487.5 million monthly active users. The investment gave Meta access to more than 419 million Jio Platforms users.
