WhatsApp has argued for years that it does not want to take advantage of the very large number of users it has to display advertisements that they do not want to see, but this strategy has been forgotten. Yesterday we told you that WhatsApp launched a new service for companies that allows them to contact customers through the platform, and provide support for problems, they are charged if they respond to requests after more than 24 hours from contact.
WhatsApp also allows companies to display "friend" requests to users to get in touch with them and ask for help directly through this platform, without having to call the standard methods. WhatsApp starts with these intrusive requests, but soon it will show ads that will tell people that they can more easily get in touch with various companies for contact, these will be thought in the form of messages sent to people.
WhatsApp will Display ADVERTISEMENTS in the Application, Here's WHEN
WhatsApp offered more than 100 companies the opportunity to test this system before it was officially launched, and for each advertising message sent to people, companies will be charged 1-9 cents, depending on the country. Those from Facebook said a few months ago that they would try to find ways to monetize the WhatsApp application in order to generate money from it, and this is the method discovered to be viable.
"The company will introduce new ad types to let users know they can text companies directly via WhatsApp for any customer-service queries instead of calling. WhatsApp will charge companies between half a penny and 9 cents—depending on the country—for every message delivered to a potential customer, a spokesperson said. About 100 companies have been testing the feature, including Singapore Airlines, e-commerce company Wish and ride-sharing company Uber, WhatsApp said."
WhatsApp has shied away from showing ads to people for years, but it will do it for many on the platform starting next year, or at least that's the plan at the moment. It is not known exactly when in 2019 ads will be displayed on the WhatsApp platform, but considering that a ceiling has been reached for the increase in Facebook revenue, I would not be surprised if ads appear even in 2018 to increase the company's income.
