In times of lockdown, companies are looking for alternative ways to attract new customers, keep in touch with existing customers, and sell products outside physical stores. Social media platforms play a major role in this, especially after the introduction of direct shopping options on Facebook and Instagram, among others. Multiplatform Whatsapp also seems to (could) become part of the e-commerce strategy now. With Whatsapp for Business, perhaps the most personal and direct way to sell has been born.
Source: https://blog.whatsapp.com/shopping-payments-and-customer-service-on-whatsapp/?lang=nl
Whatsapp for Business makes it possible for companies to display a catalog of products or services on WhatsApp and to communicate one-on-one with consumers. Just like the “regular version”, you can chat in person, but communication can also be partially automated via smart chat functions. For medium to large companies, it's even possible to connect the channel to your customer service via the WhatsApp for Business API.
Business chat features such as automatic greetings, quick replies and absence messages make chatting easier and faster. However, you may wonder if this doesn't cause the channel to lose its power and charm of one-on-one contact. Especially for small, independent entrepreneurs or SMEs, Whatsapp for Business is a cheap and easy way to communicate in person and maintain customer relationships, as long as the doors of the physical stores remain closed. A useful feature within the app is the ability to label customers based on the phase of the purchase process they are in. This makes it easier to keep an overview and decide how to use your communication and content as efficiently as possible.
At the same time, Whatsapp for Business makes it even easier for consumers to contact a company, ask questions about a product or service and, of course, make a purchase.
Where the direct shopping functions of Instagram and Facebook have quickly become valuable traffic sources, Whatsapp's has been in its infancy for a relatively long time. This is because this business functionality has been around for about two years. There are several reasons why Whatsapp for Business has not (yet) been embraced by the general public. First, it was very cumbersome for a long time for consumers to make a purchase and was not user-friendly. For example, companies had to manually send photos of the available products and customers could then order only one product per order. Thanks to optimizations, it is now possible for sellers to show an entire catalog and consumers can add multiple products to their basket and then place one order.
Whatsapp for Business certainly has the potential to become an important part of retailers' marketing mix. In order to provide real added value, a number of e-commerce functionalities will have to be optimized and added.
An important part is the payment option, because it is not yet possible to pay for the purchase in the app, for example. As a seller, you currently have to complete the order and arrange payment yourself. In theory, you could do this by sending a Tikkie to the customer and then processing the order yourself in the back end of your webshop. An in-app payment method and a link to your shop's order system are currently missing.
A second addition should be the link to a product feed. Currently, you need to manually place your products or services within the Business app in your catalog by uploading photos and writing text. This is easy to do if you sell 10 products, but if you have a large range where prices and inventory may vary, this is an absolute must. In the near future, we would like to see a link with Channable, for example, so that we can easily and dynamically synchronize the entire range.
When these functionalities are added, Whatsapp for Business will be able to become a serious and important sales channel for retailers, focusing on an interactive dialogue with the customer. A more detailed example of what this should look like in the near future can be seen in the video below.
Getting started with Whatsapp for Business is very easy. Download the Business app, select the phone number you want to use for the business account, and add the appropriate company information. You can then create your catalog of products or services and set up your messaging tools. That's it! Of course, it is important that you inform your (potential) customers about the possibility of contacting you via Whatsapp. They can use the regular app for this, and therefore do not need a business version.
