Master WhatsApp eCommerce: Strategies and best practices

WhatsApp isn’t your average messaging app. With over 2 billion active users, WhatsApp has become a critical channel for customer interactions, enabling eCommerce businesses to connect with customers in a more personal, immediate, and conversational way.

For an eCommerce business, chatting with customers has rapidly become the norm, and consumers increasingly expect to have 24/7 access to support—whether through a chatbot or a live agent. WhatsApp Business Platform is a solution for eCommerce businesses that empowers them to engage customers throughout their shopping journey.

With WhatsApp, businesses can:

175 million people interact with brands daily on WhatsApp, 40 million users view product catalogs every month, and with a 98% open rate, WhatsApp ensures unparalleled visibility for eCommerce messages.

As mobile shopping continues to dominate—accounting for over 70% of eCommerce sales—WhatsApp’s direct communication enhances customer experience with convenience, loyalty, and satisfaction, helping brands stay connected with customers on a global scale on their favorite messaging app.

Flexible marketing channel: WhatsApp offers a wide range of use cases for marketing so that eCommerce businesses can improve engagement and make the most of every interaction.

Increase customer satisfaction: Boosting customer satisfaction through WhatsApp rich media messaging and automated support reduces churn, enhances loyalty, and encourages repeat purchases.

Fewer complaints and better reviews: Using WhatsApp via the Infobip platform enables prompt responses and faster issue resolution, reducing complaints, boosting the number of satisfied customers, and building stronger connections with daily users for better reviews and happier customers.

Optimize lead conversion processes: The Infobip platform enables targeted Facebook and Instagram ads that open WhatsApp conversations, guiding potential customers through their journey in one chat for higher conversion rates and smoother eCommerce experiences.

Higher agent efficiency: Automation can reduce agents’ workload by handling FAQs and repetitive questions, allowing them to focus on complex inquiries through predefined message flows or a WhatsApp chatbot.

Better eCommerce customer experience: WhatsApp for eCommerce enhances customer experience by enabling tailored customer journeys and convenient interactions based on individual needs and behaviors.

Automation is the key to making digital interactions faster, more efficient, and personalized for customers. With automation, brands can handle routine tasks like order confirmations, customer inquiries, and answering FAQs, providing customers with quick responses around the clock.

How can eCommerce businesses make this happen over WhatsApp? Luckily there are a few options:

WhatsApp has a game-changing feature called Flows that allows an eCommerce business to create entire automated journeys right in the chat-app. This way, brands can simply guide customers through any interaction, giving them instant responses and information based on the context of the conversation.

Check out more details on how Flows work in this blog:

Adding a chatbot can help reduce the workload for your support agents and provide customers with instant responses. They can handle a large number of inquiries simultaneously and help customers get answers to their FAQs, order delivery updates, return policies, or other common eCommerce inquiries without having to wait long periods of time.

Creating a chatbot is easier than you might think. If you aren’t a developer and don’t want to use WhatsApp Business API, our chatbot building platform, Answers, makes it easy to craft the right chatbot with drag-and-drop options and no coding required.

To learn more about how to build the right WhatsApp chatbot for your business checkout this blog:

Keep in mind, you don’t want automated customer interactions to come off as generalized or robotic – you’ll risk losing valuable customers to impersonal messaging over a channel that is designed to build connections.

Personalization is the key to making automated messages worth the investment. You know a lot about your customers, using a tool like a Customer Data Platform (CDP) can create detailed customer profiles that can be used to segment audiences for relevant campaigns, or re-targeting messages.

And this goes beyond just adding their first name to a message. Imagine you are a cosmetics brand, and you want to retarget a customer who previously purchased a skincare line. You can use their purchase history, feedback you’ve collected from them, and the amount of money they usually spend with your brand to send them relevant recommended products over WhatsApp through Flows or a chatbot.

The fear of missing out (FOMO) can help eCommerce businesses create a sense of urgency in their marketing messages. Flash sales, limited time offers, and exclusive product launches all help increase FOMO, but how effective are they if customers aren’t seeing these messages immediately?

By sending timely, direct messages to customers on WhatsApp with clear call to actions (CTAs), brands can encourage quick responses and purchases. For instance, a clothing retailer could send an alert for a flash sale that’s active for only a few hours, emphasizing the limited stock and urging customers to act quickly to secure their items. They are much more likely to see this message and open it on a messaging app like WhatsApp than on a channel like email for instance.

Similarly, an eCommerce business can send exclusive product launches that can be announced with early-bird notifications, giving WhatsApp subscribers first access to the product before it goes live elsewhere. This WhatsApp eCommerce strategy not only drives immediate engagement but also builds excitement and exclusivity around the brand.

A popular WhatsApp eCommerce strategy to re-engage customers who have abandoned their carts or haven’t completed a purchase, WhatsApp’s rich media capabilities can be particularly effective. eCommerce businesses can use retargeting strategies that remind customers of the items they left behind, paired with visually engaging media such as images, videos, or even short testimonials that highlight the product’s appeal.

For example, an abandoned cart message could include a video showing the product’s benefits, while a “Buy Now” button takes them directly back to checkout. By personalizing these retargeting campaigns and leveraging WhatsApp’s multimedia options, eCommerce businesses can make the shopping experience feel more interactive and immediate, increasing the likelihood of conversion and re-engaging customers effectively.

Check out how an eCommerce business can target a busy mom for Halloween sales:

So, what happens after the customer converts? Post-purchase communication is essential for building trust and ensuring customer satisfaction, and WhatsApp is an ideal channel to continue the conversation with customers after the purchase has been made.

WhatsApp offers Utility messages, which are designed for post-purchase, event-triggered, or transaction-specific messaging. These are business-initiated messages that allow brands to keep customers informed after their order has been completed.

Keep customers informed with real-time order confirmations, shipping updates, feedback surveys, and post-purchase support directly through WhatsApp. This allows an eCommerce business to keep customers informed at every stage of the process.

Proactive communication on WhatsApp helps reduce post-purchase anxiety. By providing notifications without the customer needing to check in, businesses can create a more reliable and transparent shopping experience, which in turn boosts customer loyalty.

This convenience builds a strong foundation of trust, as customers feel assured that any issues will be resolved promptly. Together, these post-purchase interactions on WhatsApp not only increase satisfaction but also reinforce your brand’s commitment to customer care.

Find out more about WhatsApp Utility messages in this blog:

Using WhatsApp for targeted marketing campaigns can be a powerful way for businesses to connect with customers due to WhatsApp’s high engagement rates and direct, conversational format.

Personalized promotions

One effective approach is sending personalized promotions to customers, encompassing tailored messaging that piques their interest and likelihood to convert. For example, a beauty brand could send a targeted campaign to all customers who have purchased hair care products showcasing seasonal product picks or exclusive tips from experts using the same products they’ve purchased before.

Interactive quizzes

Quizzes are also highly engaging; a fashion eCommerce business, for instance, could offer a “Find Your Style” quiz that recommends products based on each customer’s answers, which can be set up on WhatsApp Flows. This type of interactive content not only engages customers but also provides valuable insights for future segmentation.

Holiday sales

The busiest time of year for eCommerce brands is around the holidays. To make sure you win your bargain-hunting customers, send high-urgency messages on WhatsApp, or offer a special discount for WhatsApp users to use when they complete their purchase. It will encourage engagement on your channel and help promote a conversion.

To maximize the effectiveness of these campaigns, audience segmentation is key. By categorizing customers based on factors like purchase history, location, or interests, businesses can ensure that messages are highly relevant. For instance, a sports retailer might target hiking gear promotions to outdoorsy customers while sending urban-friendly gear to others. This can all be done with a CDP and Customer Engagement Platform, like Moments, to segment audiences and build scalable campaigns to be sent over WhatsApp.

Here are 22 examples of how to use WhatsApp for eCommerce interactions, and engaging features to help take your messages further. 

Give customers the option to opt-in for notifications from your business on WhatsApp. Once you’ve collected their opt-in (or consent) your brand and freely start to use WhatsApp to initiate conversations with targeted ads or special offers. Instead of sending newsletters that get a low open rate, use a channel that customers are active on and make sure your offers and promotions get the most visibility.

Now that your potential customer has subscribed to notifications or opened a conversation with you, you have a channel where you can send relevant offers for them to consider. Send engaging promotions to drive sales and stay in their line of sight while they consider other options.  

Collect data on their browsing behavior on your app or website to send relevant offers and products through WhatsApp. Start strong and create a conversational experience where customers are inclined to respond to the messages you send.   

Let your customers browse new and improved products over WhatsApp. Send messages that entices them to check out new arrivals all within the same conversation. You can set up an “eCommerce store” of sorts by featuring new items with product descriptions and prices, and allow customer to add items to their cart without ever leaving the WhatsApp platform. This offers a smoother experience, removing the need to switch between screens or apps.

Send back-in-stock messages to customers for items on their wish list. When the items hit your warehouse, you can let customers know instantly, allowing them to reserve or purchase items by conversing with you over WhatsApp. Use call-to-action buttons to elicit quick responses and boost engagement.

Cart abandonment is a pet-peeve of all eCommerce retailers. Reduce the chances of customers not completing a purchase by sending messages over WhatsApp. Remind your customers of what’s in their cart and make it easy for them to complete the purchase within the chat app. You can even send discount codes or promotional offers for those items to entice them into making the purchase faster. 

Make repeat purchases simple with WhatsApp list messages. This feature is ideal for eCommerce retailers that sell products that need to be repurchased regularly such as printer toners, vitamins or cosmetics. Customers simply choose from a list of their previous orders, add items to their cart, and complete the purchase without ever leaving the conversation.

Use product catalogs to allow customers to shop right in the chat app. Offer then simpler journeys by sending multi-product messages crafted to their interests and needs and allow them to explore your WhatsApp eCommerce shop. You can tailor the messages to include products related to their past purchases or browsing history on your web or app.   

To add more value to the conversation, customers can simply click on an item from the list to get more details on the product. Drive conversational commerce by having all these features available in the app. Customers save time and pain points are reduced, as there is no need to switch devices, apps or sites.

Give customers access to their loyalty status and the ability to use their loyalty points during a purchase on WhatsApp. With your automated chatbot, customers can simply ask for the status of their points and you can offer them the option to use those points during the checkout process.  

You can even send personalized and automated messages for discounts and promotions based on their loyalty status. Keep your customers feeling valued and make your loyalty program stand out from the rest.  

Allow customers to book appointments with personal shoppers over WhatsApp with list messages. Customers can book the time that works for them without having to make a phone call; ideal for bridal salons, auto dealerships, and luxury stores.  

They can even converse with their shopping assistant over WhatsApp. Using rich media, the personal shopper can send images and videos of new collections or options that might suit the customer. It’s a great way to build a personal relationship through conversational experiences. 

Reduce no-show rates and the overall experience for customers by reminding them of their appointments over WhatsApp. With its high open rates, WhatsApp is the ideal channel to ensure your messages have the best visibility and ensure your customers won’t forget about their booked appointments with your brand. 

Use your WhatsApp channel for eCommerce subscriptions. Whether you offer weekly grocery subscriptions, book subscriptions, or any other type, use WhatsApp to promote and manage your customers subscription plans. Customers can opt-in and out of their subscriptions, ask relevant questions, and manage their plans over a single channel that they use daily.  

With a WhatsApp chatbot, you can offer customers 24/7 support during their purchasing journey. By offering this support, you can reduce the risk of your customers abandoning their purchases with instant support for the questions and queries they might have.  

Offer a full customer journey with WhatsApp payments. This feature allows customers to complete purchases in the WhatsApp conversation, removing the need to switch windows and apps. WhatsApp payment is currently only available in India and Brazil, but Meta is gearing up to offer the feature in other countries soon.

Your eCommerce brand can also collect payments with third-party payment integrations and by sending payment links over WhatsApp. Your customers can now browse products, ask burning questions, add items to their cart, and finalize their payments all within one chat app.  

Easily send receipts, warranties and payment confirmations over WhatsApp. Use the channel that customers are familiar with and trust to make sure their documents are safely sent and seen. It makes for a user-friendly experience, eliminating the need to dig through mountains of emails in order to find receipts.

Continue the conversation once the order has been placed. 93% of customers say that they want to receive proactive updates from retailers about their shipments. Keep your customers happy by keeping them in the loop over the channel they love. Proactively send delivery updates via WhatsApp and let them know about status updates before they reach out to you.

Mistakes happen. Sometimes the wrong order is sent to a customer, and it can be a massive pain point that may lead them to not returning. You can avoid this by utilizing WhatsApp to resolve issues. Your customer can send you an image of the item they received and ask for instructions on what to do next to quickly resolve this issue, resulting in a positive customer experience.

Returns may be disappointing, but it can be an opportunity for eCommerce retailers to further enhance the customer experience. Send your customers shipping labels over WhatsApp to make for a smooth return experience. Follow up with updates to make sure they know their return has been received and the reimbursement has been paid out.

Keep the conversation open by re-engaging customers and sending recommendations on products they might like over WhatsApp. It’s a great way to upsell and ensure customers see your products without having to open your web shop or app. 

Collecting customer feedback can go a long way in deciding how eCommerce retailers approach their processes and tackle pain points. Make this touch point as simple as possible for customers to ensure you get the highest reply rate. Use WhatsApp Flows or list messages to create a seamless feedback experience. Customers can rate their experience by choosing a ranking right in the chat – with no need to switch apps.  

Be available to answer your customers burning questions and remove the need for them to browse your website looking for the answers with a rule-based FAQ chatbot. These chatbots can help speed up time to resolution, improving satisfaction with your brand and ensuring your customers get the support they need when they need it.

So you’re interested in using WhatsApp for your eCommerce brand. Let’s check out how to set up an eCommerce store on your WhatsApp channel so customers can get a single unified shopping experience every time.

Sound simple enough? 

Well, it takes a lot of strategic planning and development for your WhatsApp store to become a successful medium for sales and marketing. With a well-designed WhatsApp store, eCommerce retailers can increase their visibility and reach more customers, while providing a convenient and personalized shopping experience. 

Let’s breakdown the benefits and best practices that go into making these nine simple steps profitable for your brand and beneficial for your customers with an end-to-end customer journey on WhatsApp.  

For larger businesses with a WhatsApp Business Account, the WhatsApp Business Platform API is a powerful tool to scale customer communication efficiently and effectively. WhatsApp Business Platform API is designed for high-volume messaging, making it ideal for enterprises that need to manage, automate, and personalize large-scale interactions with customers.

With WhatsApp API over the Infobip platform, brands can send tailored messages to customers at once, while ensuring compliance with WhatsApp’s strict guidelines on customer consent, as well as local messaging regulations. This is especially beneficial during peak seasons like holidays or sales events, where quick and efficient customer deliverability is essential.

Quickly integrate WhatsApp Business Platform API into your existing messaging platform and start building customer templates over a flexible and comprehensive API. With clear and concise documentation and always-on integration support, you can instantly start building the right customer journeys for your eCommerce customers.

If you aren’t a developer, then our code-free interface will allow you to integrate and start using WhatsApp without any complications. Our platform allows retailers to maximize their usage of WhatsApp and apply any use case across the entire journey with: 

Infobip has over 40 data centers worldwide and with over 2 billion active users on WhatsApp eCommerce companies get the reach and visibility they are looking for to grow their business. From pre to post purchase, retailers can add value to every interaction by crafting conversational experiences using Infobip solutions over WhatsApp.

Infobip offers an all-encompassing platform that, together with WhatsApp will help retailers scale their communications, reduce pain points, and boost engagement.

Customers expect fast responses, personalization, and relevant campaigns from retailers. Easily offer them conversational experiences that leave an impact with WhatsApp over the Infobip platform. Take advantage of CX consulting to determine which use cases will help optimize the customer journey for your business and reduce pain points for your customers. Boost sales, engagement, and customer satisfaction by applying WhatsApp and Infobip solutions throughout the entire customer journey.