WhatsApp has announced it’s making it easier to learn about the products and services businesses offer with the introduction of catalogs in the WhatsApp Business app.
People love chatting on WhatsApp with their favourite small businesses, but having to exchange multiple messages and photos to get product information is tedious.
Catalogs are a mobile storefront for businesses to showcase and share their goods so people can easily browse and discover something they would like to buy. Previously businesses had to send product photos one at a time and repeatedly provide information — now customers can see their full catalog right within WhatsApp.
For each item in its catalog, a business can add information including price, description and product code.
WhatsApp hosts these catalogs to save valuable storage space on the phones of both businesses and customers.
A WhatsApp Spokesperson said: “What we’ve heard from small businesses is that they need a simpler way to share what they offer with their customers directly on WhatsApp. Catalogs on the WhatsApp Business app help small businesses create a mobile storefront for free where they can easily share product information with their customers directly in a chat and people can browse and discover their offerings.
“This helps a business connect directly with its customers, establishing deeper customer relationships that can ultimately help a business grow.”
The catalog feature is available today to businesses using the WhatsApp Business app on both Android and iPhone in Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S. It will be rolling out around the world soon.