WhatsApp Business Surpasses 200 Million MAUs, Introduces Personalized Messaging Feature

In an impressive feat, Meta announced today that WhatsApp Business, the app tailored for small businesses, has exceeded 200 million monthly active users. This significant milestone marks a substantial increase from its previous count of 50 million users in 2020. As Meta embraces its "year of efficiency," it has introduced new features to enhance the experience for WhatsApp Business users, including simplified ad creation and personalized message service.

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Notably, Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has allocated substantial resources toward developing a metaverse. To offset this investment, the company is striving to enhance revenue generation through alternative avenues such as WhatsApp.

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To support this objective, the Meta-owned chat app now enables WhatsApp Business users to create "click-to-WhatsApp" ads even without a Facebook account. This new functionality allows sellers to conveniently design, purchase, and publish ads for Facebook and Instagram directly from within the app.

During Meta's Q3 earnings call last year, Zuckerberg mentioned the surpassing success of "click-to-WhatsApp" ads, with an annual revenue run rate exceeding $1.5 billion, showcasing an impressive 80% year-on-year growth.

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Furthermore, WhatsApp Business has introduced another paid feature that streamlines the process of sending personalized messages to customers. While specific pricing details remain undisclosed, WhatsApp has announced plans to commence testing this feature in the near future. Screenshots shared by the company illustrate that businesses will have the ability to send distinct messages to various customer lists. For example, a seller can dispatch a unique discount code to new customers along with a convenient purchase button.

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Over the past few months, Meta has taken significant steps to enhance revenue generation through paid messaging services. In February, the company announced modifications to the pricing structure and messaging categories on WhatsApp. These categories now include utility, authentication (for one-time passcodes), marketing, and user-initiated service conversations.

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During the Q1 2023 earnings call, Zuckerberg shared, "I previously mentioned that click-to-message ads had reached a $10 billion revenue run rate. Since then, the number of businesses utilizing our other business messaging service—paid messaging on WhatsApp—has increased by 40% quarter-over-quarter."

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Presently, WhatsApp's revenue is not disclosed separately, as it is included under the "other" category. Meta reported strong growth in messaging revenue for the WhatsApp Business platform in the quarter ending in March. However, this growth was offset by a decline in other line items, resulting in a 5% dip for the category year-over-year.

Additionally, WhatsApp has actively fostered its payments business on the platform. In Brazil, it introduced the ability to pay merchants in April, followed by the rollout of similar functionality in Singapore a month later. More recently, WhatsApp launched the channels feature, enabling broadcast conversations from various organizations. The company also expressed its intent to explore integrating payments into these channels.

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