Meta Invests In Singaporean App That Helps Merchants Sell On WhatsApp

Since 2009, Meta’s WhatsApp has become the most popular social-messaging app in the world, having increased its monthly active users from 1 billion to 2 billion, with 100 billion messages sent daily across the globe. 

WhatsApp also has a business app that makes it relatively simple for small businesses to communicate directly with customers when selling products and services. In May, the company launched its new version of Business API, its original revenue-generating enterprise product. WhatsApp Cloud API is hosted on Meta’s infrastructure. 

With this in mind, Meta recently invested in Take App, a Singaporean startup that connects merchants to customers via WhatsApp. Take App promises to bridge the gap for small-business owners in Southeast Asia, reports TechCrunch.  

Simply put, Take App aims to make it easy for those with few technical skills to create a simple website for online orders with a shopping cart, payments, and a direct connection to WhatsApp for managing and tracking orders. 

Take App was founded by Youmin Kim, a former Facebook engineering manager who left the social media company in 2021 to work on this new endeavor, which services myriad businesses including bakeries, grocers, and beauty salons.

“Our unique selling point is that we let merchants keep direct WhatsApp conversations with customers,” Kim explained to TechCrunch. “Merchants love the idea that they receive notifications and order details directly in WhatsApp — no other app or login is required.”

Take App is also trying to help businesses gain a repeat customers base through a specific database with support for creating and sending newsletters. The app is free, but includes premium features such as advanced analytics, unlimited image uploads, and custom domain names. 

While many of Take App’s clients reside in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the company claims that 1,000 businesses have used the app in 35 different markets.

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