Meta just dropped a comprehensive WhatsApp Business overhaul targeting India's massive market. The company unveiled AI-powered customer support calls, integrated payments, and unified marketing campaigns across WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram - all designed to transform how India's 91% of online adults who chat with businesses weekly actually do business.
Meta is making its biggest play yet for India's business messaging market with a suite of WhatsApp Business tools that blur the lines between social media, e-commerce, and customer service. The announcement, delivered at the company's second Indian business summit, signals Meta's recognition that India represents the future of conversational commerce.
The centerpiece is an AI-powered calling system that lets customers connect directly with businesses through a single tap in WhatsApp. But here's the kicker - businesses can deploy AI assistants to handle these voice calls at scale. "Businesses are implementing Business AI to offer scaled customer support where a customer can get their queries solved while talking to an AI assistant using the Voice calling feature," according to Meta's announcement.
The timing isn't coincidental. Meta is betting big on a market where messaging has become the primary business interaction channel, with 91% of online adults in India chatting with businesses weekly according to Kantar's 2025 report. That's a massive audience that competitors like Google and Microsoft are also eyeing for their own business communication platforms.
Payments integration represents another major shift. Small businesses can now share QR codes with one tap for "fast and efficient sales closures," enabling customers to pay directly within WhatsApp using their preferred payment method. This puts Meta in direct competition with India's digital payments giants and creates a seamless commerce experience that keeps users within the WhatsApp ecosystem.
The real game-changer might be the centralized Ads Manager integration. Businesses can now create and manage marketing campaigns across WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram from a single dashboard. AI systems then optimize budget allocation across platforms to maximize performance - a move that leverages the company's cross-platform data advantage.