Meta and Jio Platforms launch grocery shopping on WhatsApp

The launch follows Meta and JioMart beginning to test an integration with select users two years ago.

Customers in India will be able to browse JioMart’s entire grocery catalogue on WhatsApp, add items to cart, make the payments via local payments rail UPI without ever leaving the instant messaging service.

Consumers can start shopping on JioMart via WhatsApp by simply sending ‘Hi’ to the JioMart number (+917977079770) on WhatsApp. Users need not save the number in their mobiles. Just typing in the number in the WhatsApp search box will take them to JioMart Shop chat.

The launch is part of a strategic partnership between Meta and Jio Platforms to accelerate India’s digital transformation and provide people and businesses of all sizes opportunities to connect in new ways and fuel economic growth in the country. The JioMart on WhatsApp experience will revolutionise the way millions of businesses across the country connect with their consumers while bringing simplicity and convenience to people’s shopping experience.

Meta and Jio Platforms have launched one of the first shopping experiences on WhatsApp, allowing consumers to shop from JioMart within their WhatsApp chat.

The USD 25 billion spent on 5G services

Jio also announced it will be spending USD 25 billion to debut 5G services in the country in October 2022 and aims to reach ‘every town’ in the South Asian market by end of 2023.

Jio will deploy a standalone 5G architecture that doesn’t rely on existing 4G network and hence offers superior performance. The company can connect 100 million homes with its 5G network and further accelerate its connectivity ambitions with fixed broadband services.

The company unveiled the AirFiber, a wireless plug-and-play 5G hotspot that doesn’t require fiber cables to reach homes.

The company is working with Meta, Google, Microsoft, Intel, and Qualcomm to broaden their joint collaborations.

With Google, Jio is working on ultra-affordable 5G smartphones as well as collaborating on Google Cloud in India. Microsoft and Jio inked a deal in 2019 to bring Office 365 and other solutions to small businesses. The companies said they are working on broadening their business applications offerings.