WhatsApp Business App rolling out to iOS globally

WhatsApp Business App, a new version of the messaging app that allows businesses to connect directly with their customers, is rolling out worldwide on iOS. WhatsApp Business has been available on Android since last year.

What is it? The Facebook-owned app is designed primarily for small businesses to manage customer communications. Businesses can create a branded, verified profile featuring an email address, business address and phone number. It also contains sections for links, documents and other media. It offers secured direct-messaging capabilities between users and the business.

Similar to email or SMS messaging, users are prompted to opt-in to receive messages and can also opt-out from each message. WhatsApp users send their messages through the standard WhatsApp application.

A business profile and messaging options in WhatsApp Business.

Engagement analytics and prompts. Businesses can access message statistics and send satisfaction surveys or requests for business reviews to select users. Labels are available for grouping contacts for future communications.

Businesses can also create “quick replies” in the app, which are preset responses for frequently asked questions and use rich media formats such as videos and photos in their messages.

Why you should care. WhatsApp Business App is available now in Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, India, Mexico, the UK, and the US.  The global availability of WhatsApp Business opens up engagement capabilities for businesses across WhatsApp’s entire user base. While Facebook Messenger’s capabilities for brands are more evolved than WhatsApp’s, WhatsApp’s user base of 1.6 billion is actually larger. WhatsApp for Business could become an important communication channel for businesses, particularly in international markets where WhatsApp has large audiences.

Note that WhatsApp Business is separate from the WhatsApp Business API, a paid service primarily used by enterprise companies to serve ads that open chats in WhatsApp.

About The Author

Jennifer Cannon

Jennifer Videtta Cannon serves as Third Door Media's Senior Editor, covering topics from email marketing and analytics to CRM and project management. With over a decade of organizational digital marketing experience, she has overseen digital marketing operations for NHL franchises and held roles at tech companies including Salesforce, advising enterprise marketers on maximizing their martech capabilities. Jennifer formerly organized the Inbound Marketing Summit and holds a certificate in Digital Marketing Analytics from MIT Sloan School of Management.