Will we see ads in the app soon? (Image: MMollaretti – adobe.stock.com)
According to the Financial Times Meta is considering displaying advertising in WhatsApp. This would probably affect ads that appear in the overview between conversations with contacts.
Will we soon see advertising in WhatsApp?
Like the page TechCrunch reported, WhatsApp made a statement saying that they are neither testing nor working on advertising in their chat app. There are currently no plans to do so.
Analysts have long speculated about how Meta could better monetize WhatsApp. After all, over two billion people use the app every day – for free.
In 2012, Meta bought the social network Instagram for an estimated $1 billion. WhatsApp was much more expensive and followed just two years later at $16 billion.
The surprising thing: Instagram has already made much further progress in its monetization than WhatsApp – even though it cost significantly less.
This is how WhatsApp makes money
So far, WhatsApp has been reluctant to display advertising in the app. The company has so far only made money with WhatsApp Business.
What is WhatsApp Business? This app targets small retailers who contact customers via chat software. Buyers of the app pay for certain services, such as automated responses to customers.
WhatsApp Business is intended for small retailers who use Messenger to get in touch with their customers. (Image: WhatsApp)
WhatsApp says it has over 200 million monthly active users on the business version of its app TechCrunch.
So far, users of conventional WhatsApp have been spared advertising. However, with new features in the app, Meta’s opinion could change. This will soon change on WhatsApp:
Meta toyed with the idea of incorporating advertising into WhatsApp, but has dispelled any reservations. At the moment, the company is probably not thinking about running ads in-app. Would you continue to use WhatsApp if advertising was shown there? Do you even use the chat app? Feel free to type your opinion in the comments.
