Instant messaging just got a whole lot more fun. Global messaging platform, WhatsApp, recently made waves when they released a whole new set of features to make the platform more interactive. The goal of the company has always been to provide consumers with an efficient and effective way to communicate with their peers and loved ones, and their latest updates are geared towards doing just that.
One of its new features allows users to send and receive animated stickers – something that consumers are familiar with if they also use Facebook Messenger. This should not come as a surprise as Facebook has announced that it will be working to streamline the features of all of its messaging platforms. Facebook’s goal is to make sure that all of the same features are available across all of its platforms. WhatsApp now also has a feature that allows users to update their status, which will disappear after 24 hours. This is similar to Instagram’s Stories feature and Facebook’s My Day feature.
WhatsApp is also adding QR codes to its list of features, which it has also been testing out over the last few months. Gone are the days that users need to manually input the phone numbers of their contacts. With WhatsApp’s new feature, users can simply scan QR codes and their peers’ contact information will be automatically downloaded into their phone.
Apart from that, WhatsApp has added a ‘dark mode’ feature for web and desktop, and it has also created a feature for users to zoom in on individual participants during a group video call. This allows users to focus better on whoever is speaking, instead of facing a screen filled with little squares. The app’s video call feature has also increased in functionality, as users can now start video calls for groups below 8 people with just one tap.
Implications for Marketers:
WhatsApp has long been known solely as a messaging platform, but its new features attempt to break it out of that mold. Since Facebook plans to integrate the features of its messaging platforms, WhatsApp may be another potential tool for eCommerce. As WhatsApp is Facebook’s biggest messaging platform, Facebook aims to capitalize on its reach and build it up to attain its fullest potential.
Reference: https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-animated-stickers-qr-codes-and-more
