Meta to charge businesses for order and delivery messages on WhatsApp Business platform from Oct 1
Meta will start charging companies for utility messages such as order confirmations and delivery updates sent within 24 hours on the WhatsApp Business platform.
Companies that use the WhatsApp Business platform face a change in pricing. Meta has decided to revise the platform's pricing from October 1, which is tomorrow. Companies will now have to pay for messages that were free until now.
At present, companies using the platform can send replies to customers' messages and order updates without paying anything. That rule changes on October 1. Messages will remain free up to a limit, but Meta will charge companies for utility messages such as order confirmations and delivery updates.
The change applies only to the WhatsApp Business platform. People who use WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app will not be affected.
Until now, companies on the platform could send a free reply within 24 hours of receiving any customer's message. This included answers to questions about products or orders, as well as order confirmations and delivery updates.
From October 1, Meta will charge companies for order updates and other utility messages sent within 24 hours. On each business phone number, the first 1,000 service messages sent in reply to customers' questions will be free. Companies will have to pay for additional replies after that. Utility messages sent after 24 hours are already charged, and there will be no change to that rule.
In India, Meta has fixed a standard rate of Rs 0.115 per delivered message, before GST, for utility messages such as order confirmations and delivery updates. With 18 per cent GST added, the rate works out to roughly Rs 0.136 per message.
For example, if a business sends 1,000 order updates, it will pay Rs 0.115 per delivered message before GST, or roughly Rs 0.136 per message after 18 per cent GST. The amount will depend on the type of message.
Meta will charge Rs 0.8631 per message for marketing messages, such as promotional offers and sale announcements. Authentication messages, such as one-time passwords (OTPs), will be charged Rs 0.115 per message before GST.
