New business directory to be launched by WhatsApp in 5 countries

San Francisco: Meta has announced that its WhatsApp messaging platform will be rolling out a yellow page business directory in five countries.

The feature will be rolled out across Brazil, the UK, Indonesia, Mexico and Colombia, The Verge reports.

According to the company, the new feature will help users search directly to find companies they can contact on the service, or browse by business types like travel or banking.

All registered users of the WhatsApp Business Platform across five countries will be visible in the contacts list.

In Brazil, the directory will also be open to small businesses.

“While millions of businesses in Brazil use WhatsApp to chat, we haven’t made it easy to discover businesses or buy from them, so people end up using work around. ,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is quoted as saying.

“The ultimate goal here is to make it possible for you to find, message, and buy from a business in the same WhatsApp conversation.”

The feature’s introduction coincides with the company’s growing effort to position itself as a platform for messaging businesses alongside friends and family.

After a limited test in Sao Paulo last year, the company has now decided to officially release the feature.