E-Commerce Through WhatsApp: How Different Markets Are Evolving

WhatsApp has evolved beyond a messaging platform into a powerful channel for business–consumer interaction. With billions of users globally, it is increasingly used by merchants to engage customers, share products, manage orders, and support purchasing decisions. In several markets, WhatsApp is becoming an important layer in the e-commerce journey, though its role varies significantly by country.

In India, WhatsApp has become deeply embedded in everyday commerce. High platform adoption, combined with a mobile-first consumer base, allows small and medium businesses to sell directly through conversations. Merchants commonly use WhatsApp to showcase catalogs, negotiate prices, and complete transactions with minimal friction, making messaging a central part of the buying process.

In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, WhatsApp is also widely used by consumers and businesses. Retailers rely on it for customer inquiries, product discovery, order coordination, and post-purchase support. In these markets, WhatsApp often acts as a bridge between browsing and checkout, enabling personalized and assisted sales rather than fully replacing traditional e-commerce websites.

In contrast, the United States presents a different picture. While WhatsApp is used for communication and customer service, it rarely functions as a primary commerce channel. Purchases typically occur on websites or apps, with messaging platforms serving a supporting role rather than driving transactions.

From my point of view, this raises an important question about the role WhatsApp will ultimately play in Saudi Arabia’s e-commerce ecosystem.
While WhatsApp enjoys high penetration and is deeply embedded in everyday communication, the local payment and regulatory environment shapes how commerce can be executed through the platform. Transactions typically require redirection to regulated payment rails rather than being completed natively within the messaging experience.

As a result, WhatsApp in Saudi Arabia is likely to evolve as a high-impact engagement and conversion-enablement channel, facilitating discovery, trust, and assisted selling rather than functioning as a standalone transaction engine. In this model, WhatsApp complements existing e-commerce platforms, strengthening customer relationships and improving conversion, while core checkout and payment flows continue to sit within regulated channels.