CEO Will Cathcart explains how to do grocery shopping on JioMart while chatting on WhatsApp – Times of India

Facebook parent Meta and Reliance Industries subsidiary Jio Platforms have announced the launch of the first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp, where consumers can shop from JioMart right within their WhatsApp chat. The first-of-its-kind initiative aims to allow users in India to browse JioMart’s grocery catalogue, add items to their cart, and complete the purchase without leaving WhatsApp, the companies said. “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,” Meta said in a statement. The announcement comes more than two years after Meta picked up a 9.99% stake in Reliance’s Jio Platforms for Rs 43,574 crore.
WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart too shared a video explaining how WhatsApp users can shop on JioMart without leaving the app. “Today @JioMart is LIVE on WhatsApp with our first end-to-end shopping experience. You can browse products, add your items to your cart, and make your payment — all within a WA chat! Excited about the opportunities this opens up for businesses to build experiences on WhatsApp!, said Cathcart in a tweet. The 54-second video shows a step-by-step guide on how to use JioMart on WhatsApp. For those unaware, JioMart is Reliance’s rival to Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart. The two e-tailers so far are not there on WhatsApp.

How to shop on JioMart on WhatsApp
Shoppers can start shopping on JioMart via WhatsApp by simply sending ‘Hi’ to the JioMart number (+917977079770) on WhatsApp. There is no need to save the number in their contact list to get going. Just typing in the number in the WhatsApp search box will take users to JioMart Shop chat. On sending ‘Hi’ a dialog box opens that they can start shopping by viewing the catalogue. Users will need to enter the PIN code of the place they want the products to be delivered. Once done, users can see the catalogue of available items across categories in their area.
In Mark Zuckerberg and Mukesh Ambani‘s words
Mark Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook: “This is our first-ever end-to-end shopping experience on WhatsApp – people can now buy groceries from JioMart right in a chat. Business messaging is an area with real momentum and chat-based experiences like this will be the go-to way people and businesses communicate in the years to come.”
Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director, Reliance Industries, said, “When Jio Platforms and Meta announced our partnership in 2020, Mark and I shared a vision of bringing more people and businesses online and creating truly innovative solutions that will add convenience to the daily lives of every Indian.”