Whatsapp will now charge businesses N30 per message to use the platform

WhatsApp has announced that it will start charging businesses on its platform for sending marketing and customer service messages in a bid to generate revenue.
Since acquiring WhatsApp in 2017, Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook has been looking for ways to raise revenue on the popular messaging platform with over 1.5 billion users.

The instant messaging tech company in a statement on Wednesday, July 1, 2018, said messages from businesses will be charged at a fixed rate between 0.5 cents to 9 cents per message and depending on the country.

The range is about N30 to N35 in local currency, although the platform is yet to determine its exact rate for other regions in local currency terms.

WhatsApp says large businesses will be charged for sending non-promotional content, such as shipping confirmations, appointment reminders or event tickets.

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Users can also send messages to the business to ask questions, and responding to these messages will be free, for the first 24 hours but will come at a premium thereafter, when compared to SMS rates.

Why Whatsapp Business
In January 2018, the instant messaging tech company, Whatsapp, launched Whatsapp Business application, to help small businesses connect their customers in real time.

According to the company, the purpose of the new product is to make it easier for businesses to respond to customers and create an effective online presence for small businesses across the globe.

WhatsApp Business application now has over three million active users.