WhatsApp Rolls Out Meta Verified For Small Businesses In India

Meta-owned instant messaging app WhatsApp has begun rolling out the Meta Verified badge feature for all eligible small businesses in India, which will allow them to send personalised messages to customers.

“With Meta Verified, businesses that choose to subscribe and demonstrate their authenticity will receive a verified badge, impersonation protection, account support, and premium features that help amplify their brand online and make it more efficient to chat with customers,” the company said in a statement. 

WhatsApp believes there is a huge untapped potential in India’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector, with only 5 Mn small and mid-sized businesses selling their products online out of the total 65 Mn.

With Meta Verified subscriptions, WhatsApp Business users can also design custom WhatsApp pages discoverable on the web, create multiple employee accounts and get access to multi-device support, the company said.

WhatsApp Business lets small businesses schedule their customised messages to clients for events like birthdays. Businesses can also set appointment reminders and send updates on sales.

WhatsApp will charge a fee of INR 1 per message for this feature, which also gives small businesses the ability to send personal messages with a customer’s name and add call-to-action buttons.

In addition to Meta Verified, WhatsApp is also launching a new initiative — ‘WhatsApp Business Yatra’  — in an attempt to increase its market reach in Tier II & III cities in India. Under the initiative, the platform will help small businesses set up WhatsApp Business accounts, create catalogues, and earn revenue through ads.

Earlier in June, Meta said that it would roll out the Meta Verified programme for WhatsApp business users in India. Later, the social media giant also launched the Verified service for brands on Facebook and Instagram.

With rising digitisation, India has emerged as an important market for big tech giants like Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, among others. Last year, Meta also joined hands with ONDC to bring small businesses on the network.