MUMBAI: WhatsApp has become synonymous with communication on the Internet and with brands deploying innovative means to engage with customers using the app, it has gone beyond being just an informal messaging app. One such innovative use of WhatsApp to engage with audiences is the Bloomberg|Quint (BQ) WhatsApp Service. The service uses advanced features for users to consume personalised business news and stock updates. Users can simply key-in their topic of interest and receive the latest information on that topic. The BQ WhatsApp Service is a first-of-its-kind offering in the business news space with a reach of more than 3.5 lakh users and a 90% daily engagement rate.
Bloomberg|Quint is the only news service in India which deploys a technology called ‘news-bots’, which allow users to create their personalized news streams. The WhatsApp service also makes use of ‘stock-bots’ to provide real-time information about any stock. BQ has recently introduced its ‘Stock Watchlist’ feature, which allows users to set ‘stock alerts’ on WhatsApp. This helps users get the latest stock updates tailored to their requirement. This distinctive service assists and enables new-age decision makers and executives to stay updated, on the go.
Commenting on this commendable achievement, Mr. Ankit Dhadda, Head – Product & Marketing, Bloomberg|Quint said, “As the fastest growing business news portal, we realised that readers have a packed schedule and their need for crisp and curated content is higher than before. Hence, WhatsApp works as a perfect platform for content distribution. We utilized the mobile web space to convert mobile traffic into WhatsApp subscribers in just 2-clicks. The focus was on enabling BQ WhatsApp subscribers take better and faster business decisions.”
Adding on to the uniqueness of the service, he said, “The product is a clear breakthrough innovation in the news space in India and has helped us augment our stellar performance. Although a few brands have already imitated the first layer of the product, we are continuously innovating in this space and have a clear competitive advantage.”
Ms. Menaka Doshi, Managing Editor at Bloomberg|Quint said “Bloomberg|Quint’s Whatsapp service is used by a wide audience ranging from business leaders to financial market experts mostly for two reasons. Its timeliness, we bring all big breaking stories to our readers and viewers in real time. And the convenience. No more flipping through tons of stories across numerous websites and social media platforms to find what’s important and relevant to your business day. Just check the BQ whatsapp feed on your phone and read the story whenever you have time.”
According to an internal research conducted by BQ, on mobile, pages per session is almost 60% higher for users coming through WhatsApp as compared to users coming through other sources. Over 56% of the users consume news on Bloomberg|Quint via BQ WhatsApp. 49% users find WhatsApp News Service more useful as compared to other platforms used to disseminate news.
BQ WhatsApp Service was launched to deepen its engagement with users and augment its distribution footprint. Subscribers to the service receive Bloomberg|Quint’s much acclaimed “All You Need To Know” morning podcast, business and financial news and more. Users can also interact with the service through a hashtag-based search to consume content of their interest across markets, business, politics and opinion.
To subscribe to the service, users have to click on this link and save the number as a WhatsApp contact, and send a message saying ‘Start BQ’ to initiate their subscription.
