Jio is betting on WhatsApp to ramp up grocery biz

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio Platforms and WhatsApp plan to build native features on the popular messaging platform through the conglomerate’s partnership with the latter’s parent firm Meta (formerly Facebook), according to directors Akash and Isha Ambani of Reliance Industries’ digital unit.

“With 400 million users of WhatsApp in India and an equal number of Jio subscribers it seemed like a natural progression to build very specific digital-commerce solutions,” said Isha Ambani at the social media giant’s second Fuel for India virtual event on Wednesday.

“As Jio and Meta teams work closely, we are opening more and more avenues of working together,” said Akash Ambani, referring to the Jio prepaid mobile recharge facility on WhatsApp announced in June 2021. Jio Platforms has also begun rolling out delivery of groceries from its JioMart stores through WhatsApp. These collaborations come on the back of nearly $6 billion investment by Meta into Reliance’s Jio Platforms in April 2020.

“We currently have over half a million retailers and is growing every day,” said Akash. Adding that the firm was clear about leveraging the opportunity, he said: “In collaboration with the WhatsApp team, we intend to build out native features that will not only help users shop seamlessly on WhatsApp but will also help retailers increase stock assortments, improve margins and get them closer to perhaps a larger base of customers, like never before,” said Akash.

The firm has also set its sights on onboarding local mom-and-pop stores called kiranas through the partnership with WhatsApp.

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