Ashneer Grover trolls WhatsApp Pay, calls it the 'biggest failure'
What's the story
Ashneer Grover, the co-founder and former MD of BharatPe, was at his candid best in his tweets about WhatsApp Pay. He called the UPI-based payment service from the popular chat platform the biggest failure in India as a tech product. WhatsApp Pay hasn't been able to put up a tough fight against its rivals PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm despite the platform's reach.
Twitter Post
Did Grover just call Abhijit Bose's resignation 'good riddance'?
WhatsApp Pay has to be the biggest failure in India as a tech product. Everyone has @WhatsApp on their phone - sending money on WA using UPI is as easy as sending pic. It should have beaten @Paytm @PhonePe @GooglePay . Country managers can’t win you markets - good riddance now !
— Ashneer Grover (@Ashneer_Grover) November 16, 2022
Context
Why does this story matter?
WhatsApp Pay's struggles are real. Grover may have been a little too candid with his tweet, but the beholder may find it true. Its failure to take off is paradoxical and tough to understand. It could be because of WhatsApp's strong brand resonance surrounding messaging. Even then, it is baffling that Meta or WhatsApp haven't been able to navigate it.
Mocked
Grover believes that WhatsApp Pay should've been popular than rivals
Grover called WhatsApp the biggest failure as a tech product in India. He slammed the company's inability to penetrate India's massive UPI market despite being present in almost every smartphone in the country. The ex-Shark Tank judge said that WhatsApp Pay should have been more popular than its rivals. He also took a dig at Abhijit Bose, the company's former country head.
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Grover asked why isn't WhatsApp advertising WhatsApp Pay
In a follow-up tweet, Grover demonstrated WhatsApp's inability to promote its payment service. He posted a picture of an ad about the platform's privacy features. In the tweet accompanying the picture, he questioned why isn't WhatsApp advertising WhatsApp Pay instead of privacy features. Following that, he took a dig at Meta's recently stepped-down public policy director Rajiv Aggarwal as well.
Twitter Post
Grover took a dig at Meta's former public policy head
Yeh ad hi dekh lo - iska kya acahar daalega koi customer - itni ad WhatsApp Pay ki kar lete instead. Public policy uncle aur vakil babu dhanda chalayenge to aisa hi hoga pic.twitter.com/CxSNv8LJmq
— Ashneer Grover (@Ashneer_Grover) November 16, 2022
Market share
PhonePe and Google Pay control most of the market
WhatsApp India has struggled to make an impact in India's UPI-based payment segment. According to the National Payments Corporation of India's (NPCI) data, 49% of Indians use PhonePe for UPI payments. PhonePe is followed by Google Pay with a 34% market share, Paytm with 11%, and CRED Pay with 1.8%. WhatsApp Pay, Amazon Pay, and banking apps share the remaining 3.5%.