WhatsApp Business is adjusting messaging rates to reduce marketing spam and improve user experience.
From August 4, rates for utility messages will be reduced, while rates for marketing messages will increase from October 4.
Under Meta’s new pricing structure, businesses are billed based on four categories: marketing, utilities (e.g. order updates), authentication (e.g. one-time passwords), and service (customer support).
WhatsApp Business marketing messages are becoming more expensive
In India, marketing tariffs will increase from $0.0099 to $0.0107 (an 8% increase), but utility tariffs will decrease significantly by 67%, from $0.0042 to $0.0014.
The changes address concerns over the rise in unsolicited WhatsApp messages, leading to more spam across more channels. Traditionally, customers have received marketing spam via email, but direct access to consumers’ messaging inboxes has been met with mixed reactions.
Earlier this year, tests were conducted in India to block messages that are unlikely to be read. The tests were positive and the company has now started rolling out the new guidelines globally.
The company commented (via TechCrunch): “People use WhatsApp for everything from asking questions about a product, to getting a boarding pass, to getting a deal on a holiday. It can be too much of a good thing, so we’re working to find the right combination of tools to get it right, so people continue to have a great experience messaging businesses on WhatsApp.”
Regardless of marketing perceptions, WhatsApp Business has become a major revenue generator for Meta, with over 200 million users worldwide. By changing its pricing structure, the company continues its fight to appease users at both ends of the spectrum – consumers and businesses.