Entering the Balkans? Your customers are on Viber, not WhatsApp
In Serbia and much of the Balkans, Viber is the default messaging app for personal and business communication, in a way WhatsApp is in Western Europe and Latin America. A foreign brand entering the region should plan for three Viber channels: display ads such as the post-call screen for reach, verified business messages for order and appointment notifications, and a business chat for support. Each has its own rules, and promotional messages require explicit consent.
When a US or Western European brand plans a launch in Serbia, the messaging channel in the brief is usually WhatsApp. It is the default in their home markets and in much of the world.
In Serbia, it is not. Ask people here how their dentist confirms appointments, how the family group chat runs or where the supermarket sends its weekly offer, and the answer is Viber.
Why this matters for market entry
Messaging is where local customers already hear from businesses they trust: banks, retailers, couriers, clinics. Viber has built specific business features around that habit, including a separate folder for business messages and verified sender profiles.
A brand that shows up on the channel people already use for this looks local. A brand that asks Serbian customers to join a WhatsApp channel looks like it is running a campaign from elsewhere.
Three ways to use Viber
Ads for reach. Viber sells display inventory inside the app, including a full-screen placement shown right after a call ends. It is strong for awareness and launch announcements, weaker for considered purchases. Details in Viber post-call ads.
Business messages for service. Order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders and one-time codes, sent from a verified profile with your name and logo. Promotional messages are possible too, but only to people who opted in. Details in Viber Business Messages.
Chat for support. A business account where customers can write to you, answered by people, a chatbot, or both. Viber also offers business calling, so customers can call you from inside the app.
What foreign brands get wrong
Translating instead of localizing. A message that reads like a translation gets ignored or blocked. Copy needs to be written by someone who writes Serbian every day.
Treating the phone list as consent. A phone number given for delivery is not permission to send offers. Serbian data protection law and Viber’s own rules require explicit consent for promotional messages, and Viber’s 2026 policy update explicitly bans unsolicited messaging from business accounts.
Intrusive formats. Some in-app formats tie a brand to words people type in private chats. In late 2025 a bank’s campaign of that kind drew a formal complaint from a Serbian consumer association and critical press coverage. Reach is not worth that kind of introduction to a new market.
Where this fits in a launch
A typical sequence for a consumer brand entering Serbia:
- Local website and search presence, so people who hear about you can find you in Serbian.
- Search and social ads for people already looking for your category.
- Viber post-call ads around launch for broad awareness.
- Viber business messages once there are customers: orders, deliveries, reminders.
- Promotional messages only to an opted-in list, sparingly.
We are based in Belgrade and run this kind of launch for foreign brands, from a localized site to campaigns. See market entry.
Common questions
Is WhatsApp irrelevant in the Balkans?
No, many people have both. But for everyday conversation, family groups and messages from local businesses, Viber is the habit in Serbia and several neighboring markets. A plan that only covers WhatsApp misses where customers already expect to hear from companies.
Do we need a local partner to run Viber campaigns?
Viber advertising and business messaging are sold through Rakuten Advertising and authorized partners, and most work happens in the local language. A local agency handles creative, Serbian-language copy, consent wording and partner contracts, which is the part foreign brands usually underestimate.
Can Viber messages be sent in English?
Technically yes. In practice, Serbian-language messages perform better with local consumers, and consent and unsubscribe wording should be in the language of the audience.
