WhatsApp is testing a system that would let businesses talk directly to WhatsApp users for the first time, according to communications about the project seen by Reuters. The tests are being conducted with a handful of companies that are part of the Y Combinator startup incubator.
WhatsApp is also surveying users about the extent to which they talk to businesses on WhatsApp, and whether they have ever received spam, according to the documents. A WhatsApp spokeswoman declined to comment on the testing of the system.
WhatsApp said a year ago that it was looking at ways to help businesses use its messaging platform. This would be a way to monetise its service, after it stopped charging an annual fee for the app.
The trial is still in the early stages, said Umer Ilyas, co-founder of Cowlar, one of the startups involved. The system is highly anticipated in remote places where WhatsApp is especially popular, he said.
Cowlar makes collars for dairy cows, collecting data on their activity and recommending changes to improve milk yield. The company, which is testing the collars in the US, wants to use WhatsApp to send automatic alerts from the collars directly to farmers if say, a cow is not behaving normally, Ilyas said.
