Why should online brands use an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution

Learn why your online brand needs an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution.

The eCommerce industry is growing rapidly, and the increasing number of businesses entering the market has resulted in fierce competition for consumer attention.

With so many businesses vying for the same customers, it has become increasingly challenging to stand out and effectively reach and engage consumers via the usual emails, SMS, or even social media posts.

To combat this, businesses are turning to WhatsApp as a more direct and personal channel.

However, using WhatsApp for marketing and sales purposes is not as simple as creating a WhatsApp Business profile.

In this article, we will discuss why online brands need to work with an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution to leverage all the features the messaging platform offers.

What is a WhatsApp marketing solution?

A WhatsApp marketing solution is a software or platform that enables businesses to leverage the WhatsApp Business API for their marketing efforts. This solution makes it easy for businesses to set up, automate and run, and measure the performance of marketing campaigns on WhatsApp and monitor the performance of these campaigns.

One of the key benefits of a WhatsApp marketing solution is that it simplifies leveraging the WhatsApp Business API. This API allows businesses to send automated messages, create quick reply options, and set up chatbots, among other features.

But since the WhatsApp Business API is now accessible to all, innumerable options are available to businesses when seeking a solution. The following section covers why you should pick one focused on the eCommerce industry.

Why pick an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution?

When it comes to using WhatsApp for your eCommerce business, using an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution can be a game changer.

An eCommerce-specific solution like LimeChat makes using the WhatsApp Business API simple, helps improve automation, and comes with all the features you need to succeed at turning it into an effective sales channel.

1. Makes using the WhatsApp Business API Simple

The WhatsApp Business API by itself can be complex and difficult for those without technical knowledge or experience. However, with an eCommerce-specific solution, businesses can easily set up and use the API through an app-like interface.

For example, with LimeChat, you can set up WhatsApp broadcast campaigns and automations, schedule messages, and monitor campaign performance – similar to popular email marketing tools.

2. eCommerce-specific workflows enable better automation

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution has workflows built explicitly for the eCommerce industry. These workflows are designed to address the unique needs of eCommerce businesses and include nuances that support their marketing, support, sales, and other functions.

For example, marketing workflows can include messages that promote new products, discounts, and promotions, while support workflows can include FAQs, real-time customer service, and assistance with order tracking. Sales workflows can have automated upselling, cross-selling opportunities, and post-purchase follow-up messages to encourage repeat business.

3. Customizable automation workflows

Every business is different, meaning their target audience preferences may vary too. This is where having the ability to customise automated workflows can come in handy.

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution has workflows to address an average consumer’s pre, during and post-purchase online shopping journeys. But it also offers the ability to tailor these workflows to address the business’s specific needs.

For example, you sell custom furniture. To offer support during the purchase journey, you should give the consumer the option to call your executive, send a picture for recommendations, or request a video call. A good WhatsApp marketing solution like LimeChat will allow you to optimise workflows.

4. Integrates with eCommerce CMS

One of the key benefits of an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution is its ability to integrate with eCommerce CMS.

This integration ensures that data remains streamlined, including product, customer, and order data. This makes it easy for businesses to manage and access all the necessary information in one place, allowing them to streamline their sales process and improve customer engagement.

For example, an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution can integrate with your eCommerce platform, allowing you to easily access customer data such as purchase history and browsing behaviour. This information can be used to trigger personalised messages and offers, increasing the chances of conversion.

Similarly, businesses can use the integration to easily access product data, making sending product recommendations and updates easier for customers.

5. Track the right metrics

Instead of a generic dashboard, an eCommerce-specific solution provides a tailored dashboard that allows businesses to track numbers relevant to the eCommerce business.

For example, businesses can track the number of messages sent, open rate, click-through rate, conversions, and revenue generated from WhatsApp marketing campaigns. These metrics can help businesses understand how effective their WhatsApp marketing campaigns are and make data-driven decisions on improving them.

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution also allows businesses to track customer engagement, such as the number of replies to automated messages and customer support inquiries handled through WhatsApp. This can help businesses understand how their customers prefer to communicate and allow them to adjust their communication strategies accordingly.

6. Helps create a complete commerce experience

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution is a powerful tool for businesses looking to create a seamless and convenient shopping experience for their customers.

Integrating with eCommerce CMS allows businesses to provide checkout links, take payments, and more directly within WhatsApp. This means that customers can complete their purchases without leaving the messaging platform, which can significantly improve the overall customer experience.

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution can provide businesses with valuable insights and analytics on customer interactions, such as purchase history and shopping behaviour. This can help businesses better understand their customers and tailor their marketing efforts to meet their needs better.

7. Comes with re-engagement campaigns

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution comes with built-in re-engagement campaigns to help businesses tackle common issues like cart abandonment.

Cart abandonment is a common problem for eCommerce businesses. Re-engagement campaigns can be set up to trigger automatically when a customer abandons their cart, or they can be started manually by the company.

These campaigns can include personalised messages, special offers, or other incentives to encourage customers to complete their purchases. Additionally, businesses can use re-engagement campaigns to upsell or cross-sell to customers, helping them to increase their overall sales and revenue.

8. Syncs campaigns with other channels

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution can help businesses provide a seamless customer experience on WhatsApp by syncing campaigns with other channels.

For example, if you’re launching a new product in a week, you can use WhatsApp to take pre-orders from your VIP customers. And then, you can follow up this campaign with an email as you inch closer to the launch to introduce the same to other consumers.

When used strategically, WhatsApp makes for a promising addition to the marketing stack for an omnichannel strategy.

9. Helps optimize the costs of sending WhatsApp messages

WhatsApp has conversation-based pricing, which requires businesses to pay close attention to whom they are sending messages to, whom they are following up with, and how frequently, as the costs of sending these messages can skyrocket in no time.

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution helps identify active and inactive subscribers, automate campaigns for different segments while keeping conversation pricing in mind and help you optimise your spending for high ROI.

10. Keeps your data secure

WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, keeping your data safe. But when you use a WhatsApp Business API solution provider, you risk sharing data with an external third party. This puts both your business and the consumers at risk.

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp solution is built keeping in mind all the compliances, including GDPR.

11. Enables easy scalability

The best thing about using an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution is that it can grow with you. You can always scale your campaigns up/ down depending on your current market needs or available business resources – for example, seasonal trends and holiday season.

A good solution will allow you to personalise WhatsApp campaigns for 100 customers and be powerful enough to support 100,000 as you grow!

Staying Ahead of the Competition with WhatsApp Marketing

As the use of WhatsApp as a communication and sales channel continues to grow, businesses need to stay ahead of their competitors to reach and engage their customers effectively.

Implementing an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution can give businesses a competitive edge by streamlining communication and sales processes, providing a better customer experience, and increasing sales.

But that’s just the first step.

In the future, we expect to see more advanced automation and AI capabilities being integrated into WhatsApp marketing solutions for eCommerce.

This will enable businesses to provide buyers with even more personalized and efficient shopping experiences.

When you choose an eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution like LimeChat, you can be assured that your current and future needs are considered. This allows you to innovate, experiment, and get ahead of competitors!

Wrapping up

An eCommerce-specific WhatsApp marketing solution can be a game changer for eCommerce businesses looking to leverage the WhatsApp Business API for their marketing efforts.

These solutions are built and updated to match eCommerce businesses’ specific needs, allowing for a more focused and practical approach to marketing, support, and sales.

In contrast to industry-agnostic solutions, a WhatsApp Business API solution provider focused on eCommerce will always be prepared for market and industry shifts.

Are you looking for a WhatsApp Business API solution provider?

Book a demo of LimeChat today!