WhatsApp announced its Business app will gain a host of new features in a move which could reignite uptake of the service.

The company is bringing some of the most popular features from its consumer app to the enterprise app and a related desktop version. These include Quick Replies and the ability to organise contacts and chats with labels. Businesses can also now manage chats with filters to sort by unread messages, groups or broadcast lists.

“Using these features on a computer helps businesses save time and get back to their customers quickly. We’re excited to keep growing WhatsApp Business and introducing new features that make it easy for customers to find and engage with businesses that are important to them,” the company said in a blog post.

It added that the app is being used by businesses across the globe, citing Indian eyewear brand Glassic as an example: the company told WhatsApp “that 30 per cent of its new sales” are generated through the business service.

WhatsApp Business launched in January 2018 and initially enjoyed rapid uptake, with 3 million businesses signing up by April.

However, since then uptake appears to have tailed off: WhatsApp said the total today stands at 5 million businesses, indicating it took around eight months to add the extra 2 million.