WhatsApp Launches Business AI Tools For Small Businesses In India

WhatsApp has introduced Business AI for businesses using the WhatsApp Business app in India, bringing AI-powered customer support and sales tools directly into the messaging platform for small businesses.

The new feature is designed to help businesses automate customer conversations without relying on additional software or third-party integrations. According to the company, Business AI will support all native Indian languages and can handle tasks such as answering customer queries, capturing leads, booking appointments and assisting with sales activity inside chats.

Also Read: WhatsApp Adds Group Message History to Ease New Member Onboarding

AI Pushes Conversational Commerce Growth:

The rollout reflects a growing shift in how messaging platforms are evolving beyond communication tools into commerce and customer service ecosystems powered by AI. Instead of directing businesses towards separate CRM or chatbot platforms, WhatsApp is positioning itself as an all-in-one interface for customer interaction and transactions.

Businesses using the feature can customise the AI using their own product catalogues, business details and documents. The system can then respond to customer questions related to pricing, discounts, shipping and product information in a tone aligned with the business. WhatsApp also said future updates will support UPI payments directly within chats, further integrating commerce into the messaging experience.

At the same time, businesses will still be able to manually step into conversations involving more complex or sensitive queries, keeping human intervention available where needed. The feature is expected to roll out gradually to eligible businesses over the coming weeks.

Small Businesses Turn To AI:

Citing a 2025 Kantar study, WhatsApp said 91% of online adults in India interact with businesses weekly through chat-based platforms, highlighting the growing role of conversational commerce in the country’s digital economy.

Speaking about the launch, Ravi Garg said, “Small businesses are the backbone of India's economy, and we deeply understand the value of every customer conversation for them. Over the years, we've consistently heard that managing high volumes of customer queries with limited resources remains one of the biggest challenges for small businesses.”

The platform also shared examples from early businesses testing the feature. Soil Concept said the AI support system helped improve conversions by handling late-night customer queries, while The Purple Sunset reported increased sales through AI-managed conversations.

Eligible users can access the feature through the “Your Business AI” section within the Tools tab on the WhatsApp Business app.