Are you tired of the cut-throat competition in the e-Commerce industry? Do you find yourself struggling to get noticed on social media, email, and other conventional marketing channels? It’s time to think outside the box and tap into the immense potential of WhatsApp marketing.
With over 2 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp is not just another messaging app. It’s a powerful tool that can help you reach out to a vast and diverse audience, engage with them in real time, and boost your sales like never before.
But when WhatsApp is traditionally a channel for personal communication, why should businesses consider adding it to their marketing strategy?
In this blog, we’ll give you 10 compelling reasons why your brand should not miss out on using WhatsApp marketing for e-Commerce and D2C.
From a vast user demographic and higher open rates to two-way communication and end-to-end encryption, we’ll explore how WhatsApp can give you a competitive edge and help you build trust and credibility with your customers.
So get ready to discover the untapped potential of WhatsApp marketing!
Reasons why D2C and e-Commerce brands should use WhatsApp marketing
Direct-to-consumer (D2C or DTC) or e-Commerce brands, in particular, can benefit greatly from incorporating WhatsApp into their marketing strategy. Whatsapp provides a unique opportunity for businesses to engage with their customers in a more personalized and convenient way.
Here are the top 10 reasons why you should use WhatsApp marketing:
1. Vast user demographic
With over 2 billion active users globally, WhatsApp is a platform that has an incredibly vast and diverse user base. It’s safe to say that no matter what kind of products or services your D2C or e-commerce business offers, your target audience is likely to be on WhatsApp.
In fact, research suggests that WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging app in the world, with users spanning across all age groups and geographies. For instance, in India, WhatsApp has over 530 million active users, making it the most popular messaging app in the country. In Brazil, WhatsApp has over 120 million users, and in Mexico, it has over 90 million users. This diverse user demographic makes it an excellent platform for D2C brands to reach out to their target audience. By incorporating WhatsApp into your marketing strategy, you can tap into this huge potential market and reach a wider audience than ever before.
2. Active use of WhatsApp
WhatsApp is not just a popular messaging app, it’s an integral part of daily life for many people. In fact, people tend to use WhatsApp more frequently than any other messaging app, spending an average of 195 minutes per week on the platform.
This means that by using WhatsApp as part of your marketing strategy, you have the opportunity to reach your target audience on a platform that they are already familiar with and actively using. By leveraging the natural conversational flow of WhatsApp, you can engage with your customers in a more personal and direct way, leading to increased brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.
3. Higher open rate
WhatsApp is a great marketing channel for companies that want to reach their customers directly. Compared to other communication channels, WhatsApp has an exceptionally high open rate, with up to 98% of messages being read within the first few minutes of being sent. This means that your marketing messages are more likely to be seen and engaged with by your audience, resulting in increased brand awareness, sales, and revenue.
The higher open rate can be attributed to the fact that WhatsApp messages are sent directly to the user’s phone, making it a more personal and direct form of communication that people are more likely to pay attention to. By incorporating WhatsApp into your marketing strategy, you can increase the visibility and effectiveness of your messaging and ensure that your customers are always up-to-date with your latest offerings.
4. Higher click-through rate
Using WhatsApp for marketing can be incredibly effective in driving higher click-through rates compared to other marketing channels. The beauty of WhatsApp’s conversational style messaging is that it promotes engagement and an effortless flow of conversation. This means that users are more likely to interact with your brand and ultimately click through to your website or landing page. Plus, with the ability to include rich media such as images, videos, and links in your messages, you can make your content more visually appealing and interactive, which in turn, increases the chances of user engagement.
According to the success stories of our customers, WhatsApp’s CTR can be up to three times higher than that of email marketing. By incorporating WhatsApp into your marketing strategy, you can expect to see higher engagement and better returns on investment. By capitalizing on the interactive and conversational nature of WhatsApp messaging, you can create a more personalized customer experience that drives clicks and ultimately boosts conversions.
5. Two-way communication
Research has shown that customers prefer messaging businesses directly over other forms of communication. In fact, a study found that 53% of consumers would rather shop from a company if they could message it directly.
WhatsApp’s two-way communication capabilities make it a highly effective channel for engaging with customers and providing personalized shopping assistance. Unlike other channels, such as email, where customers are less likely to engage in two-way conversations, WhatsApp is designed for natural and effortless conversation. This means that businesses can easily communicate with customers, and vice versa, leading to higher response rates and better engagement.
With WhatsApp, businesses can provide proactive shopping assistance, helping customers choose the right product, pick a size, or request customizations. This level of personalized assistance not only enhances the customer experience but also helps businesses build trust and credibility with their customers, ultimately leading to increased sales and loyalty.
6. More trust and credibility
WhatsApp is a goldmine of features that can help businesses build trust and establish credibility with their customers. For instance, businesses can apply for a verified green tick with a WhatsApp Business account, which signals that the account belongs to a legitimate business. Compared to other verification processes, it’s much easier and requires only validating contact details and business information.
Additionally, WhatsApp offers a directory called the “WhatsApp Yellow Pages,” where businesses can list their brand and contact information. This directory allows customers to easily discover and contact businesses, further enhancing their credibility and visibility.
By utilizing these features, businesses can establish a strong online presence and build trust with their customers, which is crucial for building long-term relationships and increasing customer loyalty. Customers are more likely to make purchases from businesses that they trust and perceive as credible, and WhatsApp can help businesses achieve these goals.
7. Commerce features
WhatsApp offers several commerce features that can significantly improve the shopping experience for customers and increase conversions for businesses. One of the key features is the ability to create a product catalog, which allows businesses to showcase their products and services in an easily accessible and visually appealing format. Customers can browse through the catalog, view product details, and even place an order directly from the chat.
In addition to product catalogs, WhatsApp Business API also offers checkout links and the ability to make payments directly through the app. This feature allows customers to easily make purchases without having to leave the app, which can reduce friction in the buying process and increase the likelihood of a purchase.
By utilizing these commerce features, businesses can provide a more seamless and convenient shopping experience for customers, ultimately leading to increased sales and revenue. WhatsApp’s commerce features are particularly beneficial for e-Commerce businesses, as they can help streamline the buying process and provide a more engaging and personalized experience for customers.
8. End-to-end encryption
In today’s digital landscape, security is paramount, and customers are increasingly concerned about data privacy.
End-to-end encryption is one of the key features that sets WhatsApp apart from other messaging channels. With this security measure, all messages, media, and files exchanged on the platform are encrypted end-to-end, which means that only the sender and the intended recipient can read them. This provides an added layer of security, ensuring that sensitive information such as personal details, financial data, and transaction details remain secure.
In addition to providing greater security for your customers, WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption also protects your business information, including messages exchanged between you and your customers, ensuring that your business-critical information remains secure.
9. Diverse and interactive content formats
WhatsApp offers a range of content formats that businesses can use to make their message campaigns more informative and engaging. These include images, videos, PDFs, and more. This allows businesses to provide their customers with a more engaging and interactive shopping experience.
For instance, businesses can share high-quality images of their products, showcase product videos, and even provide product demos in the form of PDFs. With the ability to share diverse and interactive content formats, businesses can create more engaging and personalized experiences for their customers.
Compared to SMS, where businesses are limited to text-based messages, WhatsApp’s diverse content formats provide businesses with more opportunities to showcase their products and services. This not only makes the shopping experience more engaging, but it can also increase conversions and drive sales.
In addition, the use of diverse content formats can help businesses stand out from the competition and establish themselves as innovative and forward-thinking. By leveraging the full potential of WhatsApp’s content formats, businesses can differentiate themselves and gain a competitive edge in the e-commerce industry.
10. Better ROI on the pricing
Another reason why WhatsApp marketing is a smart choice for e-commerce businesses is because of its pricing model. WhatsApp Business offers a conversation-based pricing system that is often more affordable than other channels like SMS. This means that businesses can send multiple messages within a single conversation without incurring extra charges. Additionally, with the high engagement rates and click-through rates that WhatsApp marketing offers, businesses can expect a higher ROI on their marketing spend.
According to a study by HubSpot, businesses that use WhatsApp marketing have seen an increase in customer engagement and retention rates, resulting in a better ROI. By leveraging the diverse and interactive content formats available on WhatsApp, businesses can create engaging campaigns that drive sales and conversions. With the added benefits of the other points mentioned above, businesses can expect a significant increase in their overall ROI with WhatsApp marketing.
Ready to unlock the power of Whatsapp Marketing?
It’s no secret that the e-Commerce industry is becoming increasingly competitive. Brands that want to stand out need to adopt innovative marketing strategies that reach their target audience effectively.
By incorporating WhatsApp marketing into your overall marketing strategy, you can benefit from a vast user demographic, high open and click-through rates, two-way communication, enhanced trust and credibility, robust commerce features, end-to-end encryption, and diverse content formats. Plus, with the conversation-based pricing offered by WhatsApp Business, you can achieve better ROI compared to other channels.
However, to truly unlock the full potential of WhatsApp marketing, businesses need to leverage intelligent automations and tie them in with their other marketing campaigns. That’s where a WhatsApp Business API solution provider like WebEngage comes in. With our expertise, you can create customized and targeted campaigns that engage your audience and drive conversions.
So what are you waiting for? Book a demo with us today and start unlocking the power of WhatsApp for your e-Commerce business!
Diksha Dwivedi
Prakhya Nair
Surya Panicker
