Yesterday we talked about a WhatsApp service you can use as a business directory. Well, today, we’ve come back with yet another WhatsApp based service called Mobié that allows you to to look for products and services via WhatsApp. The service was developed by the same start-up behind Cashbot, Cash Ledger and Ecoledger.
As the developers of Mobié puts it, it’s a “WhatsApp-based Google Search Engine” which allows you to search for products and services on WhatsApp. In a way, the service allows you to ‘google’ local products and services whilst you are on WhatsApp.To come up with such a service, the developers of the service are saying that they “have indexed all major Zimbabwean e-commerce sites”.
How Mobié works
As with all virtual assistants (bots), you first have to save a number and start a chat with a ‘magical’ word or phrase. With Mobié the word you have to send the word; “Hi”. And the number to which you send that message is; +263 71 922 2402.
By simply typing any product or service in the chat, Mobié replies you with a list of the products or services along with their prices. The list comes with unique codes which you can use to view a certain products or services through clicking a WhatsApp link and talking to the owner (of the product).This is all done using a WhatsApp bundle which virtually all Zimbabweans can sacrifice to buy (as opposed to data bundles. And I assure, it’s not a complicated process at all. Here’s a screenshot of my interaction with Mobié:
The launch of this service underlines the fact that in Zimbabwe, WhatsApp is the internet for many people so developers are continuously developing services that are delivered through the platform. As data is now beyond the reach of many, it’s only fitting that people can access things that are on the internet via WhatsApp.
3 comments
Great job well done
Number yacho ahisi kuitaa wan
its working now