Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that India is a world leader in terms of adopting messaging as the better way to get things done. He was virtually addressing Meta's Annual Conversations in Mumbai on 20 September.
Zuckerberg added that the company is looking at building more tools for its messaging products — WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram DMs, based on the trends. This will be done on how not just people, but even businesses are using these apps.
“I am particularly excited to be hosting this year's event in India, a country that's at the forefront of a lot of what we're going to talk about today,” Zuckerberg said during the event that also saw the launch of WhatsApp Flows, Payments and Meta Verified.
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“Now, this is how we've continued to innovate with our messaging formats, our group chats and broadcast channels,” he added.
WhatsApp Flows, a new app feature within WhatsApp was also launched at the event. It intends to give businesses the ability to create customised experiences within chat threads.
“So, for example, a bank can build a way for customers to book an appointment to open a new account, a food delivery service can build a way to place any order from any of their partner restaurants or an airline can build a way to check in for a flight and pick up a seat, all without having to leave the chat thread,” the Meta CEO said.
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The transactions in these business interactions can be done through its in-app payment Payments system, which is only available in Brazil, Singapore, and now India.
“With payments in India, we're going to support other payment methods as well, including all UPI apps. This is going to make it even easier for people to pay Indian businesses within a WhatsApp chat using whatever method they prefer,” Zuckerberg added.
Another feature announced by the Facebook founder is Meta Verified Businesses, which authenticates businesses by providing them with a blue checkmark.
The businesses also get better account support, impersonation protection, multi-device support for multiple staff, and a unique WhatsApp website that can be found through web searches in addition to the verified badge. The company intends to test this functionality out first with small businesses before releasing it more broadly in the future. It is still in the testing phase.
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