At its inaugural WhatsApp Business Summit in India, Meta-owned WhatsApp announced the launch of Meta Verified, a subscription-based feature designed for small businesses.
This move comes as part of WhatsApp’s broader strategy to support India’s vast SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) sector, which is still largely untapped, with only 5 million businesses operating online out of a total of 65 million.
Businesses that opt for Meta Verified will receive a verified badge, providing impersonation protection and account support. The feature will also help businesses send personalized messages like appointment reminders, birthday wishes, and sale updates. The personalized messages can include customer names and custom call-to-action buttons.
Additionally, Meta Verified offers: Custom WhatsApp pages for businesses
Multi-device support for businesses managing multiple employees.
Enhanced tools to help businesses amplify their brand and improve customer engagement.
The subscription for this service comes at INR 1 per message, and premium features like custom pages and additional messaging options are available at an extra fee.
WhatsApp Business Yatra: In addition to launching Meta Verified, WhatsApp announced the ‘WhatsApp Business Yatra’ initiative. This outreach program will target tier II and III cities across India, providing on-ground training to small business owners, helping them set up business accounts, create catalogs, and use ads for revenue generation.
Sandhya Devanathan, Meta’s VP in India, emphasized WhatsApp’s potential to support businesses in India’s transformative digital landscape. She highlighted WhatsApp’s user base of 500 million in India, making it a powerful platform for businesses to grow and enhance their customer experience.
This development follows Meta’s recent expansion of its verified services to Facebook and Instagram, and reflects the company’s increasing focus on business optimization for Indian users.
Summary:
- WhatsApp introduces Meta Verified for small businesses with features like a verified badge, custom pages, and multi-device support.
- Businesses can send personalized messages and enjoy premium features through a subscription model at INR 1 per message.
- WhatsApp Business Yatra will bring training to tier II and III cities, empowering more small businesses.
- Meta continues expanding its tools to support the digital growth of SMEs in India.