On an intimate platform such as WhatsApp, we get many brand and business messages. It has increased so much that it is feared that WhatsApp is going the SMS and e-mail way. It all started with WhatsApp Business in India in 2018 allowing business to connect directly with consumers on WhatsApp. WhatsApp has about 500 million users, and India is its biggest market. WhatsApp messages have an open rate of over 90 per cent within the first hour of receiving the message. WhatsApp Business has 50 million users globally, of which 15 million are in India. Facebook took over the messaging platform in 2014 for a sum of $16 billion. Facebook is interested in monetising this investment by pushing WhatsUp Business. The advertising revenue of Facebook has shown decline and its core business is plateuing. It has to make investments in metaverse. It, therefore, is innovating in Facebook. JioMart has been allowed as an end-to-end shopping experience platform. It is morphing into e-commerce.
WhatsApp spamming is of serious concern. People receive so many messages and links. Such links or messages should not be opened at an individual level. They could be blocked if necessary.