Meta Expands WhatsApp Customer Buying Journeys into Singapore

WhatsApp as a Business has partnered with Vonage to enable payments in Singapore

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CRMLatest News

Published: May 19, 2023

James Stephen

WhatsApp as a Business has partnered with Vonage to enable payments in Singapore, expanding on Meta’s entry into the customer buying journey space.

Vonage Conversational Commerce, powered by Jumper.ai, will allow consumers to engage in end-to-end shopping experiences, from discovery to payment, for WhatsApp users in Singapore.

According to Vonage, payment on WhatsApp in Singapore will transform the way consumers and businesses connect with one another.

Yash Kotak, Sr. Director of Product Management at Vonage, said: “Backed by the power of the full Vonage Communications Platform, we are delighted to meet customers’ evolving needs with Vonage Conversational Commerce powered by Jumper.ai – providing embedded commerce capabilities to drive more engaging and seamless shopping experiences through WhatsApp.

 This development highlights our commitment to continue pushing the boundaries of conversational commerce and empowering businesses throughout Singapore to create meaningful relationships with their customers.

Over one billion people use Meta’s messaging services to connect with businesses every week.

By enabling WhatsApp payments, businesses will be able to offer a real-time customer experience, which will set WhatsApp apart from other messaging platforms, boost customer engagement, and increase loyalty.

Adding Vonage Conversational Commerce allows retailers to create omnichannel customer buying experiences on WhatsApp and other popular messaging platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, SMS, Google Business Messages, Messenger, LINE, and more.

Vonage’s Communication APIs can offer further value to businesses, including the capability to add live video interactions with customer service agents in a single click.

This feature lets consumers enter into conversations about products from anywhere and simultaneously helps businesses to build relationships with their customers.

The ability to purchase via WhatsApp was first introduced in Brazil in November 2022, following in the footsteps of WeChat, China’s number one networking, shopping, and mobile payment platform.

Speaking about mobile business and payments at the first-ever WhatsApp Business Summit in Brazil, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, said: “Starting today, people can search for a brand or a small business right on WhatsApp, either by browsing a list of categories or by typing the name.

Zuckerberg continued:

The ultimate goal here is to make it so you can find, message, and buy from a business all in the same WhatsApp chat.

Earlier this week, Meta separated from the CRM vendor, Kustomer, making the subsidiary an independent entity.

It valued the company at $250 million, which is only a quarter of the $1 billion it paid to acquire the company in February 2022, and has snapped up investors, including Battery Ventures, Boldstart Ventures, and Redpoint Ventures.

Kustomer announced the decision in a blog post, describing the move as its “next chapter as an independent company.”

Although Kustomer had been performing well, Meta has plied $200 million to support Kustomer by expanding its international offerings, AI, and connections with social channels.

The move may well be accounted for by an attempt to cut their losses on Kustomer, despite the company being ripe to start making major gains.

Another possibility is that Meta is now looking to shift towards developing partnerships, such as its latest feature collaboration with Vonage.

 

 

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