Little by little, WhatsApp ceases to be a simple messaging application to become a multifunctional application. Characteristics such as WhatsApp Pay, the new communities and even the product catalogs demonstrate this.
Besides, since last year Meta has been competing with Google Maps by allowing you to find small businesses near you through WhatsApp. This functionality was being tested in Brazil and now it has just received an update that takes it to a new level. The WhatsApp yellow pages reach Mexico and Colombia , but in a much more complete way.
Discovering new places is now easier thanks to WhatsApp
As we noted above, since last year WhatsApp Business has been testing a feature in the Brazilian market: based on your location, you can locate and contact small businesses near you. This feature divided those businesses into categories as varied as bars, restaurants, supermarkets, clothing stores, and more.
The advantage is that you could contact them with a simple touch, without having to know the number affiliated with WhatsApp . Let’s go! It’s like a kind of yellow pages, but directly within the messaging app. Now, the developers of WhatsApp have given this feature a twist, improving it and expanding it to more countries.
The first thing is that the WhatsApp yellow pages now show both small and large businesses in the directory . Besides, the search has been improved with more categories and an area view from the map that lets you know how close you are to a business and how to get there.
The design of the Yellow Pages has also been revamped: it is now more interactive for first-time users and is fully integrated with other marketing features on WhatsApp.
How to use the WhatsApp yellow pages and in which countries are they available?
The WhatsApp yellow pages will appear as an option called “Nearby businesses” in your contact list when you want to start a new chat. It’ll be right below the “New Group,” “New Contact,” and “New Community” options.
With the recent expansion, the WhatsApp Yellow Pages will now be available in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom . We do not know when it will arrive in Spain and other countries, but it will probably happen in the coming months.
By the way, in the case of Brazil, not only the new features are introduced. In the South American country, you can now make WhatsApp payments without leaving the app, as you receive the full version of WhatsApp Pay. Until now in Brazil mobile payments could be made by WhatsApp, but through Facebook Pay.
