WhatsApp Business gets a new shopping button, here's what it does

The new shopping button on WhatsApp Business will be visible as a storefront icon.

WhatsApp Business (WhatsApp)

WhatsApp has launched a new shopping button on its business app. The new shopping button on WhatsApp Business lets users browse through the catalogue, and message businesses directly about a certain product they wish to purchase.

The shopping button will be visible as a storefront icon on WhatsApp. It will appear next to the business account's name on top. Users can tap on this shopping icon, and browse through the catalogue of products available. Each product will be displayed with its pictures, description and price.

Under each product, there will be an option to message the business about it. Users can tap on that button and chat with enquire businesses directly about the product they wish to buy. The new shopping button is now live for WhatsApp users globally.

The voice call button has been replaced with the shopping button. Users can still make calls by tapping on the call button and choosing either voice or video call.

“Today, more than 175M people message a WhatsApp Business account every day, and more than 40M people view a business' catalog each month – including more than 3M in India,” WhatsApp said in a release.

Facebook is getting more aggressive with WhatsApp Business as it announced three new features last month. Soon WhatsApp users will be able to shop directly from a chat with a WhatsApp Business account. Facebook will also provide hosting services for WhatsApp Business users to manage their WhatsApp messages. The company also plans to start charging businesses for some of the features on WhatsApp Business.