You will soon see shopping catalogs on WhatsApp

Facebook has been constantly pushing ecommerce features on its popular messaging platform WhatsApp. The latest in that endeavour is a new feature on WhatsApp Business called catalogs.

With WhatsApp catalogs, merchants on WhatsApp Business will be able to share inventories of their products with WhatsApp users. “We are making it easier to learn about the products and services businesses offer with the introduction of catalogs in the WhatsApp Business app,” WhatsApp wrote in a blogpost.

The company explained that the new catalogs feature will give small businesses a chance to look more professional. Catalogs will act as mobile storefronts for vendors and users will be able to discover a list of goods and services provided by them.

A WhatsApp catalog can include information such as images of products, prices, descriptions, and product codes. The company says it will host these catalogs on its own servers so merchants and customers don’t have to waste storage on their devices by exchanging product images, etc.

WhatsApp Business merchants can create catalogs by heading to Settings > Catalog on the app. They can then follow instructions to add product details, images, prices and more.

The catalog feature is available on the WhatsApp Business app, on both Android and iPhone. It is currently rolling out in Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the UK, and the US. WhatsApp says it will be rolling out the feature around the world soon.

There is no option to buy things from these catalogs for now. However, given the general direction WhatsApp is heading in with payments, catalogs could be a step towards full-fledged ecommerce functionality on the platform.