Whether you are in B2B or online retail and e-commerce, providing a service that leaves your customers happy is vital to the success of any business. With the gradual increase in competition and the cutthroat nature of business, firms started to make happy customers their only priority. WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger make direct, personalized communication possible. In that scenario, WhatsApp accounts for more than 2 billion monthly active users worldwide, and its user base generates over 65+ billion messages per day on the messaging app. WhatsApp is nowadays considered the most important key player in sales, commerce, and marketing. With challenges such as abandoned carts and increasingly higher customer expectations to meet, delving deeper into the use of WhatsApp Business API can shape a better customer experience for these companies. In this blog, we will discuss-- how you can create WhatsApp business account, change the e-commerce face with WhatsApp for Business, and the need for a modernistic e-commerce approach to become successful in the future.

WhatsApp Business API: Hotspot for Your Customer Connections

WhatsApp Business offers two options depending on the size of your business. One freely available option is the WhatsApp Business App, and the other one is the WhatsApp Business API. The WhatsApp Business App is a freely available alternative. It is a user-friendly tool made for small to medium-sized enterprises with around 100 users. It lets users interact with basic WhatsApp business features for messaging.  While this app supports fundamental functions such as WhatsApp automated messages and replies, conversation labels, and desktop access, it imposes several limitations that make it less suitable for larger organizations. You can’t link your business with a toll-free number, and messages can only be sent to a limited number of contacts.

WhatsApp Business API, introduced by Facebook (now Meta), is engineered for larger enterprises requiring more sophisticated communication capabilities. The API does not come with a front-end interface but instead integrates with existing CRM software and marketing platforms. Businesses can send and receive messages on a much larger scale with the use of the API. Users have access to messaging an unlimited number of contacts, automate WhatsApp messages and responses through AI chatbots, and get detailed messaging reports. The level of customization and automation that it offers makes it the best tool for enhancing your customer engagement rate, providing the best e-commerce customer service, and ultimately getting more sales.

How can the WhatsApp Business API bring success to your ecommerce business?

1) Revives sales: converts opportunities with constant reminders

Businesses can send personalized reminders to customers who have left items in their carts along with product images and customized messages. These reminders can be smartly paired with incentives like discounts or free shipping to entice customers to complete their purchases. Follow-up WhatsApp automated messages can get more conversions by drawing attention to the urgency of limited stock or expiring offers. By analyzing the performance of recovery campaigns, businesses get insights into customer behavior and refine their strategies for better results. 

2) Instant support and trust: better customer service

The WhatsApp Business API helps build trust and satisfaction by giving quick answers to customer questions. Customers can fill out forms about products or payment issues and get immediate help. Businesses can use the customer data to derive better suggestions by integrating their system with CRM software. They can automatically deal with common user questions and forward personalized requests to human agents who have the expertise to handle such situations.

3) Survey and follow ups: analyze customer opinions

After a purchase, businesses can use WhatsApp for business to send surveys and get customer feedback. This helps them see where they can improve and shows customers that their opinions matter. Businesses can also ask happy customers to leave positive reviews on review sites or the company’s website. Handling negative feedback well shows that the business cares about customer satisfaction and can turn a bad experience into a good one.

4) Targeted promotions: special offers to boost sales

Businesses can get more customers by sending them special offers that match their interests and previous purchases by using WhatsApp for advertising. For example, they can offer discounts for birthdays or rewards to regular customers. It's a great idea to send such amazing offers through special messages. Businesses can create a tickling sense of urgency with messages along with countdown timers and discount codes for a short period. Businesses can improve their digital marketing, engage customers better, and increase sales by planning promotions that match customer interests and timing.

5) Active communication: keeping customers updated

Businesses can keep customers informed by sending quick order confirmations through WhatsApp business features. This message includes important details like order numbers and delivery dates, which helps reduce any worry customers might have. Providing real-time updates on shipping and delivery keeps everything clear and builds trust. Regular notifications about dispatch, tracking, and delivery help customers stay informed and cut down on the number of support requests.

Guide to apply for the WhatsApp Business API
 

1) Choose your way of applying

There are two ways to apply for the WhatsApp Business API: directly or through a Business Solution Provider (BSP). If you wish to apply directly, you should definitely use the WhatsApp Business API website. There can be complications in this process, and it can take a long time. This is the reason why this option works for bigger companies that have the right technical skills and professionals. Taking the help of a BSP is a much quicker and simpler choice. They take care of the technical work and provide extra customer engagement tools to manage and operate on customer data. The approval process usually takes one or two weeks this way.

2) Provide essential information to get started

You should brief your BSP about where you want to offer WhatsApp services, the country where your company is based, your website URL, and how you plan to use the API. You’ll need to estimate how many messages you expect to send each day and how you plan to launch. When you give the BSP this information, they’ll start organizing everything for you.

3) Get your phone number up and running

The next thing you should do is activate your phone number for the WhatsApp Business API. You can choose to use either a new or an existing phone number. If you opt for a new number, it must first be registered with the WhatsApp Business App before activation. To create WhatsApp business account,  you need to provide additional information like your Facebook Business Manager ID, the phone number for your WhatsApp business account, the name associated with the number, and the app’s region. Once activated, communications are managed through a virtual server or the BSP’s system rather than directly through your phone. For example, most BSPs offer customer engagement tools for managing WhatsApp campaigns, bots, and live support through their platform. You can also register up to a certain number of phone numbers per WhatsApp Business Account, though each number requires a separate server, which can increase operational costs.

4) Set up and submit HSM templates

Once your phone number is activated, you need to create and submit HSM (Highly Structured Message) templates. These templates are for sending messages like booking confirmations and shipping updates. They must follow WhatsApp’s formatting rules. HSM messages should be text only and help the customer. You need WhatsApp’s approval to use these templates, which takes 2-3 days. Messages you send in reply to customer questions within 24 hours are free and don’t need approval.

5) Get verified with a green tick

You can try to get the green tick badge for your WhatsApp Business account. The green tick badge is given to well-admired brands that send more than 500 messages a day. The green tick helps customers have more certainty and trust in your brands. Let's say even if you don't have the green tick badge. Still, the WhatsApp Business API is going to be important for improving customer communication and service. It’s a great tool for businesses wanting to improve their e-commerce customer service.

How are top brands dominating e-commerce with WhatsApp?

1) Zara

Zara, one of the leading brands in Spain, was able to personalize its services through WhatsApp. They build a customer service model that could behave just like any real person and manage the queries of customers like shoe size, outfit colors, materials used for production, updates on delivery tracking, refunds for the order, and much more in a matter of a few minutes.

2) Flipkart

For its much-anticipated flagship sales event, Flipkart planned to make its platform more engaging and conversational. They introduced a customer care chatbot on WhatsApp that was developed by Netcore. This was no ordinary chatbot, as it could interact with users using audio, emojis, pictures, and videos to help them visualize the product's quality, features, and discounts.

3) JioMart

JioMart, launched by Reliance, partnered with WhatsApp to help customers add items to their carts, confirm, and pay in seconds. Their goal was to provide users with an end-to-end user experience. Users could buy food items, clothes, devices, or any product through WhatsApp. Because of its omnichannel network, its customer base grew rapidly in a few months. 
 

Choose The Best Business Solution Provider (BSP)

When selecting a solution provider for integrating the WhatsApp Business API into your eCommerce operations, choose a Business Service Provider (BSP) authorized by Meta. The authorized BSPs are great in managing API access and billing and are evaluated to make sure they can always support your business.

An approved BSP can guide you on using WhatsApp for advertising, help with data protection rules like GDPR, and provide ongoing help with any tech problems. They will also assist in connecting your current system with a good-looking and easy-to-use interface. Additionally, they will offer continuous support and expert advice.

We help you turn leads into conversions. Choose Webelight Solutions as your WhatsApp business partner.

WhatsApp API integration has many benefits. It helps you plan marketing strategies, create targeted campaigns, and potentially double your conversion rate. By looking at customer feedback and their needs, you can tailor your products to better match their preferences. If you want to use WhatsApp for business, Webelight Solutions Pvt. Ltd. can help. We can set up WhatsApp so you can send automatic messages, grow your brand, and reach more people. Now is a great time to start!

Give us a call to set up and improve your e-commerce business and make sure your customers get what they need.