The very fact that a total of 50 Million (5 Crore) Businesses use the WhatsApp Business Application, out of which 15 Million (1.5 Crore) are Indian Businesses, implies the adaptation of WhatsApp as a strong business and marketing tool. And the reason for the adaption of WhatsApp is quite simple. WhatsApp is accessible to almost a third of humanity and is being used by 3 billion+ people around the globe, which gives an opportunity for businesses to grow exponentially and leverage a platform that is used globally.
Businesses can use the WhatsApp Business App to respond to frequently asked questions from customers, provide product information, and provide QR codes for customers to scan and chat with businesses. WhatsApp Business App, on the other hand, has its own set of limitations, such as limited broadcast and no chatbot integration. The WhatsApp Business API, which was released around the same time as the WhatsApp Business App, addresses these issues by providing features such as sending messages to 100,000 users in one click, 24x7 customer support with Chatbot Integration, and multiple live human chat support.
So let's understand, how can you use this pervasive platform to grow your business, acquire new customers, scale your operations, and serve more customers for less money?
Why do you need to integrate WhatsApp API into the Business?
WhatsApp has been soaring in the consumer market due to the comfort and ease it brings to customers. In the progressive digital age, customers are relying on technology wherein they don't have to switch between apps and platforms. But rather find a comfortable alternative wherein they can do everything with minimal effort. For the majority of customers who make online purchases, WhatsApp becomes a platform where they can order, pay and interact with the brand all under the same umbrella.
Order and delivery updates are preferred by 54% of users, followed by appointments, webinars, and event notifications, which are preferred by 50% of users. WhatsApp is preferred by 39% of users for customer service, while 23% use it to receive promotional offers. According to these figures, WhatsApp is gradually becoming a preferred platform for receiving updates, notifications, reminders, newsletters, offers, deals, delivery updates, and more.
Interacting with them on WhatsApp also has its advantages. The levels of engagement are at an all-time high. While you might struggle to get a 15% open rate on your emails, WhatsApp messages have a 70% engagement rate.
What are the benefits of Integrating WhatsApp API into your business?
1. Highest open rates
For most businesses, email and SMS have been the preferred modes of communication, whether it's for a product launch, offers, promotional emails, delivery notifications, or anything else. According to a report published by Mailchimp, Emails & SMS, despite their popularity, have open rates of 21.33%. Unlike emails and SMS, WhatsApp has a 98% open rate, which means that 98 out of every 100 messages sent are read. This is due to WhatsApp's widespread use as a messaging app.
2. Click-through & Conversion Rate
As reported by Mailchimp, WhatsApp has the highest open rates as compared to email and SMS. However, simply having the message read by users is insufficient. While email and SMS conversion rates are only 2-5%, WhatsApp has a modest conversion rate of 45-60%. 45-60 users click and convert into customers for every 100 users who receive a WhatsApp message.
3. Abandoned Carts & Application Dropoffs Recovered
Businesses can utilize the WhatsApp Business API to get back to customers who have not completed their checkouts or have dropped the application filling.Abandoned Cart recovery notifications can help you recover 45-60% of your abandoned carts and app drop-offs. You can use the Engati WhatsApp Chatbot solution to reach out to your customers and automate notifications.
How WhatsApp API Integration can help you market better?
1. Lead generation
WhatsApp opt-in feature is the most prominent element if combined well with the overall digital marketing efforts. Chatbot deployed on WhatsApp or click-to-chat WhatsApp ads can get in refined and qualified leads that have shown significant interest in the business. These visitors choose or opt to interact with the brand, which makes it easier for the business to pitch in the product and services. They can be used by your customers to schedule appointments, make reservations, request quotes, and much more. Instead of just generating leads, you can also qualify them on WhatsApp.
2. Product recommendations
The potential of using a bot to recommend products and purchases has yet to be fully realized. In fact, a WhatsApp chatbot is a better place for personalized recommendations than a one-on-one conversation. All you have to do is take advantage of the opportunity while the customer is already talking to you and use interactive images, gifs, and videos of the products to make purchase recommendations and provide a personalized user experience by strategically combining previously collected data with new product demands.
3. Cross-selling and upselling
Cross-selling and upselling opportunities can be created by using WhatsApp chats, allowing you to get more from your customers and increase their lifetime value. During customer service conversations, you'll come across a lot of these opportunities, especially because they flow better and faster on WhatsApp than on other channels like email. The bot can suggest products based on the insight and past purchases of the customers when they add new products to their cart.
4. Receiving online orders
An online store From the initial sale to the repeat sale, a WhatsApp chatbot is a great way to create a single-channel experience for customers. Customers can browse and place orders directly from the WhatsApp chatbot, eliminating the need to transfer them to another platform and increasing the likelihood of a sale. Ecommerce businesses can also use the WhatsApp chatbot to send data directly to their CRM or database, allowing customers to place orders while on the go.
5. Automating frequently asked question
Every eCommerce company wants its customers to have a smooth experience from the moment they visit the website to the time they make the final payment for their purchase. Customers, on the other hand, frequently ask questions throughout the process to assist them in making a purchase decision. These frequently asked questions cover a wide range of topics, including product and company information, refund policies, size charts, and payment options.
If customers' questions aren't answered to their satisfaction at this point, they're likely to leave. WhatsApp chatbots for eCommerce make it simple to handle FAQs by allowing you to quickly respond to all of your customers' purchase decision questions.
6. After-sale assistance
The WhatsApp chatbot for eCommerce can be used to do a quick post-purchase check-in once the customer receives his or her order. If the product requires installation or how-to instructions, this can be especially useful. Although creating product-specific WhatsApp template messages to check can be time-consuming, if done correctly, it can help you gain customers' trust and earn those extra brownie points you need to grow a loyal customer base.
7. Promotional messages and cart abandonment notification
You can use WhatsApp to communicate with your customers about discounts and other promotional offers. You could even personalize these offers to their preferences to make them more relevant. At the same time, you can also send your customers and prospects reminders about events, sales, etc. Another most important task you can achieve through a WhatsApp chatbot is automating reminders on cart abandonment. These cart abandonment notifications can carry a link to either product or the cart for smooth checkout.
8. Broadcast messages
You can use message templates with the WhatsApp Business API to send out messages to your customers, even if they haven't interacted with you on WhatsApp in the previous 24 hours. You could use it to send out announcements to all of your customers or to segment your user list and send relevant campaigns to them. Sending up to 1,00,000 unique messages to users and using WhatsApp on multiple devices is a benefit for startups, medium, and large businesses.
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