Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced the WhatsApp Cloud API (Application Programming Interface) on Thursday, and it has lots of advantages for all sizes of businesses.
The API according to Zuckerberg in a Facebook post, will allow businesses and developers to build on top of WhatsApp to customize their experiences and respond to customers quickly and easily.
The Meta-owned messaging app also introduced its WhatsApp Business API in August 2018.
Recall that Zuckerberg began to drive into business offerings with the introduction of the WhatsApp for Business application for Android devices in January 2018, extending it to iOS in April 2019.
The WhatsApp Cloud API is the natural next step, enabling businesses of all sizes throughout the world to establish a presence on WhatsApp through free, secure cloud hosting services provided by Meta.
Zuckerberg said during his keynote, “The best business experiences meet people where they are. Already, more than 1 billion users connect with a business account across our messaging services every week.
They’re reaching out for help, to find products and services, and to buy anything from big-ticket items to everyday goods.
”He continued, “Any business or developer can easily access our service, build directly on top of WhatsApp to customize their experience and speed up their response time to customers by using our secure WhatsApp Cloud API hosted by Meta.
And this is an important step to help more businesses connect with people and help more people message the businesses that they want to support—big and small.”