Facebook has announced its plans to start charging companies for some of its WhatsApp Business chat services. The company says it will soon offer services like ‘hosting’, to help partners manage chat messages with clients, inventory, and more.
With more than 50 million users, WhatsApp Business allows small and medium businesses to connect with customers, provide support, and facilitate sales. The company projects that more than 175 million people around the world message a business every day.
Although Facebook bought WhatsApp for $16 billion in 2014, it has struggled to generate meaningful revenue from the service. Instead, the company primarily generates revenue via advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
Also read:
– You Will Soon Be Able To Make Voice And Video Calls On WhatsApp Web Version
– New WhatsApp Crash Code Circulates Causing The App To Fail
– Tech Twitter Reacts To Dissatisfying iPhone 12 Pro Battery Life
Facebook didn’t reveal which additional services it will be charging for on WhatsApp, or how much they’ll cost. However, the company told CNBC that it charges businesses to send certain messages to customers. They include boarding passes or product receipts. However, the company says the costs vary on the market and quantity of messages sent.
It says that it intends to use some of the revenue from WhatsApp business sales to keep offering free services to its more than two billion WhatsApp users.
“We will charge business customers for some of the services we offer, which will help WhatsApp continue building a business of our own while we provide and expand free end-to-end encrypted text, video and voice calling for more than two billion people,” according to a blog post.
For your daily dose of tech, lifestyle, and trending content, make sure to follow Plat4om on Twitter @Plat4omLive, on Instagram @Plat4om, on LinkedIn at Plat4om, and on Facebook at Plat4om. You can also email us at info@plat4om.com and join our channel on Telegram at Plat4om. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE.