Technology for MSMEs: Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp, which has India as its greatest market, on Tuesday launched SMBSaathi Utsav initiative to assist small companies get onto its WhatsApp Business app for development. The pilot venture launched in Jaipur’s Johri and Bapu Bazaar has already onboarded over 500 companies enabling them to leverage the varied options of the Business App and promote the benefit of doing enterprise, WhatsApp stated in an announcement. The initiative was rolled out in partnership with social media platform Josh Talks that had raised $3.5 million in funding in May this 12 months.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and technology has the potential to further boost their business. During the pandemic, we saw several small business owners thriving by using simple platforms such as WhatsApp Business App to stay connected with their customers,” stated Abhijit Bose, Head of WhatsApp India.
The firm stated skilled volunteers are offering digital coaching to companies one-on-one round constructing a digital presence on the WhatsApp Business App to assist them higher handle incoming leads and queries, construct a product/companies showcase and market to key audiences utilizing on-line instruments.
Businesses in conventional arts and handicrafts, jewelry, style and attire, meals and beverage retailers and different others are being skilled on utilizing the totally different options of the WhatsApp Business App and likewise guided on how they’ll market their product to the best audiences, WhatsApp stated.
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The enterprise app by WhatsApp was launched again in 2018 for small and medium enterprises. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in December 2020 on the Facebook Fuel for India 2020 occasion had stated that the WhatsApp Business app has over 50 million customers globally of which round 15 million are in India.
In its efforts to monetise the enterprise app, the corporate had additionally added a Shopping Button for purchasers to find enterprise catalogue of small companies and buy items from throughout the app. WhatsApp had earlier additionally introduced the launch of a function known as Carts to double down on its push in the direction of chat-based shopping for and promoting of merchandise between retailers or small companies and clients. Overall, WhatsApp has over 400 million customers in India.
Source: www.financialexpress.com”