Facebook eyes conversational commerce in India as WhatsApp payment stuck with RBI

As full-scale WhatsApp payments are waiting to see daylight in India due to its ‘n-compliance’ with data localisation rms, Facebook is w looking for a controversial workaround. In vember 2019, RBI reportedly told Supreme Court about n-compliance and directed National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to t allow Whatsapp to launch full-scale payment business on Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

According to media reports, Facebook has devised a plan to start conversational commerce on WhatsApp, targeting around 400 million active user base. In conversational commerce, people and businesses connect through chat with an intention to purchase goods or services. In India, Facebook is planning to push for financial inclusion and rural services but healthcare services will be excluded from it.

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Whitepaper on conversational commerce

Since messenger is battling for its im as a secure platform after Pegasus (Israeli spyware) controversy, Facebook’s new plan to exploit huge e-commerce market through conversational commerce can spark fresh debate. Facebook has already published a whitepaper on conversational commerce with help of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). 

As live chats for services have failed to receive encouraging feedback, Facebook, through its extensive resource at its disposal, can provide a new lease of life to it using conversational commerce. BCG has ted pain points which ranges from delayed replies from seller, delayed response post payments, hard to understand product, and limited ways to verify seller among ors.

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According to study, shoppers in Souast Asia have shown a high level of comfort with online transactions, making region well-suited for growth of conversational commerce. users value immediacy and promptness while interacting with online sellers and are more likely to use messaging platforms when learning about new products.

With online payment system already crowded with PayTM, Google Pay, PhonePe, and Amazon Pay, Facebook’s plan to enter commerce side of business can be a game-changer in e-commerce.

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