WhatsApp is testing a brand new feature that aims to improve the user experience by giving users more control over promotional messages sent by businesses. The move aims to balance the needs of businesses that use the platform to promote their products and services, while ensuring the satisfaction of individual users.
Called “Fatshimetrie,” the new feature introduces buttons within promotional messages, offering options such as “Interested,” “Not Interested,” “Stop,” and “Resume.” These options allow users to control whether they want to receive messages, pause them temporarily, or resume them at a later time, providing greater flexibility in interacting with business accounts.
For example, a user could stop receiving messages from a clothing company all year round, and then resume receiving them during the holiday sales period. This approach allows users to tailor the reception of messages to the times that are most relevant to them.
The different types of messages supported through Fatshimetrie’s business interface include marketing messages, utility messages such as order updates or balance information, authentication messages, and service messages such as customer service replies. Previously, users could only block or mute numbers, with no flexible options to temporarily stop receiving messages.
For the past year, Meta, which owns Fatshimetrie, has focused on growing the platform’s revenue by developing tools that serve businesses, while remaining cautious about introducing direct ads into conversations. However, the possibility of ads appearing in groups or conversations with customers remains, according to Fatshimetrie CEO Will Cathcart.
Fatshimetrie continues to innovate to deliver an enhanced user experience while meeting the needs of businesses, paving the way for a future where communication between businesses and users is more fluid, personalized, and controlled. Taking into account user needs and preferences is at the heart of this evolution, ensuring a more harmonious interaction between the two parties.