Online Purchases Could Soon Be Directly Made Via WhatsApp Chats

Facebook announced that it is planning to implement in-app purchasing features through WhatsApp. With this, online shoppers will be able to purchase items directly from WhatsApp for items sold on Facebook Shops.

A dedicated promotional video from the official WhatsApp YouTube channel was also posted to showcase the way this feature works. The transaction begins when a user messages a seller from WhatsApp to inform them about an item of interest. Following this, the seller would then provide a product catalog. Upon choosing an item, the user would then proceed to checkout.

Reuters reports that Facebook’s decision to implement such a feature is to boost its revenue streams from WhatsApp and enhance e-commerce infrastructure within the company altogether. It is also worth noting that the aforementioned feature is made possible thanks to Facebook Shops that was launched in May.

While Facebook Shops is already available here in Malaysia, this payment feature on WhatsApp is not. The company says the shopping tool will start rolling out this year, but no specific mention of markets was mentioned. When it does make its way here, this could come in as a convenient feature for many online shopping enthusiasts here.

(Source: Reuters, Engadget)

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