An innocuous WhatsApp "Hi” could end up transforming a US$1tril (RM4.3tril) industry.
Facebook Inc bought its way into India’s Internet commerce sphere last week with a US$5.7bil (RM24.68bil) investment in Reliance Industries Ltd, a sprawling conglomerate in everything from telecom to energy. They launched their first pilot within days, a programme covering three Mumbai neighborhoods where consumers can send that monosyllabic greeting to a designated number, bringing up an in-chat interface through which they then browse a catalog of goods on Reliance’s Jiomart, place an order and arrange for pickup.