Next time you book flight tickets online, you may get the confirmation message on WhatsApp. And if that flight is delayed, the airline could send you a WhatsApp message with the new timing.

WhatsApp is launching its first revenue-generating product in India for enterprises to interact directly with customers using the instant messaging platform.

WhatsApp for Business APIs (application programming interface) will debut with MakeMyTrip, India’s largest online travel agent,customer service software provider Zendesk and Gurugram-based pharma delivery startup 1mg, which uses Zendesk in India.

“Last year we saw that a lot of small businesses were using the app for communicating with their customers. We realised that it was a useful tool for businesses in India and created value for the consumers as well,” said Matthew Idema, chief operating officer at WhatsApp, told ET.

WhatsApp had started piloting the business offering since September last year with companies like Bookmyshow. It was officially launched in January and this is their first attempt at monetising the offering.

Companies such as online retailers will be able to integrate WhatsApp for Business APIs with their systems and reach out to customers through notifications and deal with their queries. While installation of the product is free, enterprises will be billed for every message that is delivered.

“Now we are going ahead with the next step of our strategy and launching WhatsApp Business APIs mainly for businesses that need more scale than a typical smartphone could provide to interact with their customers,” Idema said.

With this new tool, large enterprises will be able to send notifications like airline tickets, travel details and information on products that customers have bought online. At the same time, customers will be able to directly interact with the company for their doubts, grievances and other requirements.

The service is currently being piloted with Indian companies such as Bookmyshow, Kotak MahindraNSE -1.28 % and RedBus.

Also from 2019, WhatsApp will use the Status feature – where text, photos, videos and animated GIFs can be shared for 24 hours – to let companies advertise and promote their businesses. They will appear between slides and will clearly be marked as coming from a business. The company said the plan is to start rolling out the product in 2019 and eventually be scaled up globally.

The advantage of WhatsApp over SMS is that message delivery can be confirmed. By charging companies only for messages delivered, the cost for Indian startups will reduce.