Following this week's announcement of Facebook @Work, China's Alibaba Group Holding is also piloting a mobile messaging app aimed at marrying social networking with business. An Alibaba spokeswoman on Friday confirmed the company's plans to Reuters.

Through an app called DingTalk, which has been in a Beta phase since December, mall- and medium-sized enterprises, businesses can make conference calls and exhange group messages.

Underscoring the appeal of such apps, Facebook in October completed its $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp. The world's largest social network also announced earlier this week Facebook at Work (FB@Work), a new communication app that aims to expand the US firm's presence within offices and other places of work.