*ISLAMABAD – **WhatsApp launches a new interesting feature for the usersacross the world .* Facebook Inc on Thursday launched a catalog feature forits WhatsApp messaging app, it said in a blog post, building out theservice’s e-commerce tools as it moves slowly toward monetizing the app itbought in 2014 for $19 billion.
Facebook has been trying to boost revenue from higher-growth units likeInstagram and Whatsapp, which has 1.5 billion users.
The company’s flagship News Feed product continues to draw big ad dollars,but is struggling to generate new users.
The move comes after Facebook added a shopping feature to Instagram inMarch that lets users click a “checkout” option on items tagged for saleand pay for them directly within the app.
The new WhatsApp tool stops short of that, as transactions still occurelsewhere. But small businesses, the main users of the free WhatsAppBusiness app, can now display a “mobile storefront” showcasing their wareswith images and prices.