WhatsApp Marketing: How your online store benefits from Conversational Commerce

Generate 2.6 million euros in net sales in 18 months through one marketing channel? Doesn't sound bad, does it? The D2C brand SNOCKS has demonstrated this, as we reported in this video.

The magic formula is called WhatsApp!

The messenger service, which is used daily by 60 million users in Germany for private communication, has so far been neglected in most corporate strategies. Wrongly so.

WhatsApp marketing can be a profitable channel for many brands (whether e-commerce or not). For example, companies can easily use WhatsApp to communicate with customers. It doesn't matter whether newsletters and shipping updates are sent or customer inquiries are answered - the messenger service is suitable for any marketing implementations and communication purposes with customers.

Since WhatsApp integration for Shopify online stores is straightforward, WhatsApp notifications based on activities triggered in the store can be implemented without any magic tricks. However, many entrepreneurs in the e-commerce sector are still unaware of the enormous benefits of customer communication via WhatsApp.

Therefore, in this article we take a closer look at the topic, clarify the advantages and possibilities of WhatsApp marketing and show which Latori customer is already actively using WhatsApp.

What is WhatsApp Marketing?

For some time now, WhatsApp can no longer be used only for private conversations, but also serves e-commerce companies as a marketing channel. Therefore, the term WhatsApp marketing includes any form of marketing messages that are sent via the messenger.

These can be inquiries initiated by customers or messages sent by companies. Business accounts created especially for companies enable the necessary, confidential and at the same time smooth communication with buyers and potential customers.

Unlike social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp as a marketing channel does not necessarily serve to publish advertising (although this is certainly a matter of interpretation). However, this is not a shortcoming, but rather an opportunity to bind customers to a company via individual messages and to significantly increase sales figures.

To really get started in WhatsApp marketing, you either need an account in the WhatsApp for Business app or use WhatsApp for Business platforms like charles, which professionally support the implementation of your messenger marketing.

Forms of WhatsApp marketing

To better classify WhatsApp as a marketing channel in the wide world of online marketing, we have compiled the most important areas for your e-commerce company at a glance.

• Push marketing: Your company proactively communicates with users to share newsletters, product launches or promotional discounts.

Tip: Include call-to-action buttons in messages you send to direct customers to your online store or include the option of a direct call.

• Pull marketing: your customers write to you directly to ask questions before or after buying your products. Since communication via WhatsApp is most likely not unfamiliar to your customers, a lengthy and cumbersome conversation via email is a thing of the past. In addition, this way you not only improve your brand image, but also the customer journey at the same time.

• Paid marketing: You build so-called click-to-WhatsApp ads into your ads on Facebook or Instagram to forward your target group directly to your WhatsApp chat. This way, interested parties can learn about your WhatsApp service via social media platforms and benefit from newsletters, discount promotions, and consultations.

The top 3 advantages of messenger marketing

58 million people in Germany use WhatsApp every day. The consequence of such a huge number of users - a large part of your customers most likely already use the messenger service. For Shopify merchants like you, this already opens up a tremendous set of benefits:

1. Strengthen customer relationships: WhatsApp marketing allows your business to be part of your customers' everyday lives. Through personal contact and proximity to your clientele, you create trust and leave a lasting impression.

2. First-class performance: Once the customer has added you to their contact list, wastage in WhatsApp marketing is very low. On top of that, the significantly high open rates of the messenger are convincing - up to 95% of recipients open the messages they receive. Sent e-mails, on the other hand, are only opened in just over 20% of cases. In addition, you can count on a click rate of 35-60% for your messages in Messenger and thus boost targeted sales in your Shopify store. If you look at the click rate of an email newsletter here for comparison, it also performs much worse than the WhatsApp variant with just 3%.

3. Speed with customer inquiries: While communicating customer inquiries via e-mail can prove to be rather cumbersome and lengthy, Messenger scores with answers in real time. This means that inquiries about products in your online store or customer problems can be dealt with quickly and conveniently, which increases customer satisfaction immensely.

Success with WhatsApp marketing: Crämer & Co. shows how it's done

Crämer & Co is one of the leading denim companies in Germany, founded back in 1983. Sales take place not only in the successful online store, but also in two fashion stores located in Nuremberg and Erlangen. Even though the company's history is already 40 years old - Crämer & Co. is always reinventing itself when it comes to marketing and customer service. Customers notice this at the latest when they want to contact the company with their questions.

In addition to its social media presence, Crämer & Co. also offers a Whatsapp channel where questions from customers and interested parties can be answered quickly.

We tried this out once in a self-test and got an answer to our question after just 3 minutes of waiting time. Unbeatable!

With the help of such a conversational commerce (cCom) strategy and the integration of WhatsApp into the Shopify store system, the company creates a unique customer experience and first-class support.

Best practice: WhatsApp marketing measures

WhatsApp Newsletter

Newsletters have always been a very important marketing element to inform customers about new products or discount promotions. The most common way to get newsletters to customers so far has been emails. However, since the opening and click-through rates of promotional emails and thus newsletters are anything but promising, many companies are taking a different approach.

With WhatsApp, promotional messages can be created, approved and finally sent within a few minutes. So customers receive your newsletter quite straightforwardly in the form of a WhatsApp message.

The unbeatable advantage is the extremely high opening rate of these messages compared to conventional e-mailing. However, with only slightly higher costs for sending newsletters on WhatsApp, the conversion rate is increased many times over. One of the reasons for this is that messages sent via Messenger cannot end up in a spam folder, as is often the case with e-mails.

WhatsApp shopping cart

An absolute game changer in WhatsApp marketing is the function of anchoring a shopping cart in the chat, so that the customer can save and purchase requested products directly there. Customers thus benefit from a simple ordering process.

This is also a classic win-win situation, in that the customer can quickly receive their desired product and brands can process sales in the shortest possible time and thus increase revenue.

Chatbots

One thing that has become indispensable in WhatsApp Messenger marketing is chatbots. Digital service agents are well prepared to greet customers, answer frequently asked questions and recommend products. With a polite and courteous chatbot, customers feel well taken care of.

In the event that the digital assistant does get overwhelmed, WhatsApp requires that it be forwarded to a human service representative. So if you're considering using a chatbot, make sure your customer service team is closely connected to your WhatsApp channel.

Keyword campaigns

Besides sending newsletters, keyword campaigns are one of the most common marketing features of Messenger. This allows companies to create a special service for customers using a keyword.

For your company, for example, you could enable automatic product advice via chatbot. This works by making settings so that customers send a message such as #advice into the chat and a chain of communication is established.

Click-to-WhatsApp ads

Click-to-WhatsApp ads allow you to give potential customers a seamless transition from a campaign played out on Facebook or Instagram to your WhatsApp chat.

Perhaps the question that comes to mind here is why it makes sense to redirect to WhatsApp at this particular point, and whether Instagram Direct Messages or Facebook Messenger wouldn't be more obvious?

The unbeatable advantage that WhatsApp offers here is that, compared to social media, Messenger is not flooded with advertising and therefore ensures less distraction. In addition, Facebook and Instagram are used much less for daily communication, which is why WhatsApp is perfect as a connection for subsequent communication.

WhatsApp Marketing and DSGVO: Successful strategies in line with data protection

The use of WhatsApp as a marketing tool has increased significantly in recent years as companies recognize the opportunity to engage directly with their customers. But when implementing WhatsApp marketing strategies, compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is of utmost importance. The GDPR sets out clear guidelines on how personal data may be collected, processed and used. Companies that use WhatsApp for marketing purposes must therefore ensure that they act in accordance with these regulations.

Using WhatsApp as a marketing tool opens up direct customer interaction, but requires strict compliance with the GDPR. Key steps for this are:

1. Obtain consent (opt-in): Clear consents for data processing must be obtained before sending messages.

2. Transparency: Disclosure of data use and type of messages in a privacy statement.

3. Right of withdrawal: Users must be offered the opportunity to unsubscribe.

4. Data security: use of appropriate security measures and encryption.

5. Purpose limitation: Data may only be used for the stated purpose.

6. Data transfer: Use GDPR-compliant mechanisms for international data transfers.

The successful fusion of WhatsApp marketing and DSGVO requires ongoing adaptation and conscious implementation to ensure both customer loyalty and data protection.

Charles: The Whatsapp integration for Shopify

From newsletters to chatbots - it's hard to imagine WhatsApp marketing without charles. Since 2019, companies can use the software of the Berlin-based start-up to create automated and user-friendly customer journeys.

As a WhatsApp marketing provider, charles has already supported many well-known companies such as Snocks, Baro Cosmetics, Woodboom or ooia, so that they recorded significant increases in sales and a consolidated customer loyalty based on this. In the future, the young start-up would like to further expand its influence in conversational commerce and help many more companies gain a foothold in WhatsApp Messenger marketing.

By the way, you can find the charles WhatsApp integration for Shopify in the Shopify App Store.

charles features for WhatsApp marketing

Previously, we have already reported on measures such as WhatsApp newsletters, click-to-WhatsApp ads or shopping carts in chats. With the help of charles, there are countless other options that could be considered in connection with your online store.

We have therefore summarized the most important functions for you here:

• Campaigns: This includes any marketing campaigns such as brochures, charles WhatsApp newsletters or quizzes with multiple answer options, which can lead to at least a 90% open rate and a 10x higher return on investment.

• Commerce: with an automatic synchronization with your Shopify online store, charles allows you to create shopping carts and payment links (chat outs), view current stock levels and thus send product recommendations. You can also send delivery updates and last-minute discounts as notifications.

• Conversation: With the help of charles you can communicate with your customers quickly and easily via WhatsApp, answer questions and solve problems. All conversations are clearly listed so that analyses and optimizations are easily possible.

• Chat-Ins: To collect opt-ins (consents for advertising contact), charles offers you many options for creating chat-ins such as website chat bubbles or QR codes, which are of course always DSGVO-compliant.

• Integrations: All the customer information you've already collected with other platforms like Shopify or Instagram can be easily imported into the WhatsApp Business API using charles - without having to do any coding yourself.

• Journeys: You can easily automate conversations on WhatsApp with charles WhatsApp marketing solutions to create intuitive chat flows that will drive sales behind the scenes.

Conclusion

WhatsApp marketing is one of the most important marketing measures when it comes to contemporary communication with customers. The biggest advantages of this conversational commerce strategy are clear - conversations via the messenger service are fast, trustworthy and targeted. While customers can easily ask questions about items and buy products directly in the chat, online store owners benefit from customer satisfaction in the form of higher sales.

Well-known companies like ooia, which is now the market leader in the sale of period underwear in Germany, prove that WhatsApp marketing works. By working with Berlin-based WhatsApp marketing provider charles, it's easy to set up links between your Shopify store and Messenger, so charles WhatsApp marketing can be lucrative for you, too.