Did you know Meta Has Zero Intention Of Sidelining WhatsApp As Company Focuses On Business Messaging To Make Big Money
Around 10 years back, we saw the CEO of Meta unveil how he planned on
investing a whopping $19 billion in his WhatsApp platform.
There
were huge expectations attached to the popular texting app that had
very little to no business but how can one expect to generate revenue
when no ads are displayed? The latter is the main money-making means for
plenty of Meta’s other apps so Zuckerberg was clearly in a bit of a
dilemma here, in terms of how to make the money come in.
As years passed, the popularity surged, and today, more than 2 billion
users have adopted the texting app as an integral part of their lives.
Yet, it’s not profitable for Meta by any means and the general consensus
regarding it was Zuckerberg sidelining the platform and focusing on
other ventures that would help Meta generate huge profits.
But
new reports claim that Zuckerberg is making big plans for expansion to
capitalize on WhatsApp’s growing popularity, which isn’t slowing down
anytime soon. And the latest strategy appears to be business messaging.
Through this means, big firms can communicate with their clients on a
direct basis, and many experts feel this is just the push the app needs
to enter its next chapter.
The company really does need to get
large-scale businesses on board from all around the world as this would
place greater reliance on services as the main means for conversations
with clients. And for every chat, firms pay between 0,5 to 15 cents,
totally depending on which chat and nation the exchange arises.
For many years, it’s quite clear how businesses are trying to connect
with the platform. From countries like India where IT is booming to
Brazil, you’ll see WhatsApp numbers published on windows in the market
so frequently. And people really like to engage with one another through
the popular texting app for business purposes.
Another great
example from India is where Uber customers can book their rides through
WhatsApp directly while others attain recommendations on what to watch
from Netflix’s WhatsApp account. Others are using the platform to get
the latest updates on current affairs and then the usual chats between
loved ones and friends are always there to stay connected all over the
globe. Clearly, the usage is great and the functions are countless, not
to mention how feasible of an option it is.
Now the question is
what is going on with WhatsApp Business? Well, the firm is reluctant to
unveil the size with which the business functions but estimates
regarding revenue are somewhat between the $500 to $1 billion mark, but
that is less than 1% of the firm’s overall sales.
We’re seeing
popular platforms like Instagram generate revenue of close to $40 every
year. Considering how much usage WhatsApp has and how Facebook purchased
it a while back, it’s shocking how Meta didn’t plan on capitalizing on
its popularity before, as compared to now.
But as the old saying
goes, better late than never. And if you’re still wondering why apps
aren’t there, well, it’s hard to launch ads on such a secure and
encrypted platform. People are sending private texts and no one wants to
see which new burger McDonald’s has announced there, do they?
In
the year 2018, we saw Meta launch WhatsApp Business so that firms could
carry out chats more easily via commercial accounts and a long line of
tools on the app. And as time passed, the business segment grew by more
than four times in just three years. Today, it’s got close to 200
million users active on a monthly basis.
Through the WhatsApp
Business account, users get a myriad of features including greater
access to company accounts on 10 devices, while paying a subscription
fee allows for expensive texting campaigns to be brought into the
spotlight.
Meanwhile, features are designed to assist with
greater customer service and provide more support for huge audiences
through the app’s Business platform. And the more upper the tier goes,
the more funds the app collects from the Business Account holder.