WhatsApp Introduces Meta Verified and Custom Messaging for Small Businesses in India

WhatsApp is now offering small businesses in India the opportunity to sign up for a Meta Verified badge and send personalized messages to their customers.

India hosts over 65 million small and medium-sized businesses, but only about 5 million of them are online, according to a report by Meta and Bain & Company from May. WhatsApp aims to tap into this market by promoting WhatsApp Business, a popular messaging app among Indians, as a key tool for small businesses to engage with their customers.

Meta Verified subscriptions for WhatsApp Business provide users with features such as the ability to create custom WhatsApp pages that are discoverable on the web, support for multiple devices, and multiple employee accounts. The subscription starts at approximately $8 (about ₹639) per month for Indian users.

Additionally, small businesses using WhatsApp Business can now schedule and send personalized messages, such as appointment reminders, birthday wishes, or sales updates, to customers for less than a rupee per message. These messages can include the customer's name and customizable call-to-action buttons.

Meta launched its verification program for business accounts on Instagram and Facebook last September.

WhatsApp is also launching an initiative called “WhatsApp Business Yatra” (a WhatsApp Business tour in Hindi), where the company will visit tier-2 and tier-3 cities in India to provide in-person training to small businesses. This initiative will help businesses set up their WhatsApp Business accounts, create catalogs, and learn how to set up ads that click to WhatsApp. WhatsApp will also build a resource center on its website to serve as a quick-access tutorial center for these businesses.