WhatsApp for eCommerce customer engagement & service: A few tips and tricks
In a world where smartphones are indispensable, most of the business communication happens online through mobile devices. Websites have dedicated chat boxes these days for instant interaction with customers. Businesses have even started integrating AI to provide a suitable responses to customer queries without human intervention.
However, interacting with businesses on their respective sites is inconvenient for customers. A customer may interact with a lot of people on any given day. There is a danger of some interactions getting lost, when he/she uses a multitude of chat interfaces to communicate with different businesses and individuals. Every communication lost is a lost opportunity for a business. It can also cost customers in terms of user experience and convenience. So, there is a clear need to have a unified chat interface that can help businesses interact with customers better. Whatsapp for ecommerce suits the purpose well.
Why is WhatsApp for ecommerce good for businesses and customers?
Whatsapp is one of the most popular personal messaging apps available today. With more than a billion users, Whatsapp continues to become more and more significant in our daily lives. So, it makes sense for both users as well as businesses to have all business-related communication inside WhatsApp. Having a proven, feature-rich chat interface improves customer engagement and helps them keep track of conversations. It also enhances the ability of businesses to interact with customers in ways it is otherwise impossible.
How can WhatsApp for ecommerce help businesses serve customers better?
Whatsapp for ecommerce enhances the shopping experience for the customers and enables companies to serve customers better in the following ways.
1. Improved engagement and user experience
Whatsapp for ecommerce brings a unified interface for all interactions. So, customers don’t have to go to a website and type emails or chat with customer care. They can chat from WhatsApp itself. It makes interactions convenient and far more engaging. Whatsapp for ecommerce enhances business communication through ways that were previously limited. For instance, it is possible for customers to send images of the product they have purchased and clarify their doubts with regard to how to use a product feature. The ecommerce business can share a product demonstration video and help customers know the product better. This improves customer relationship and makes the brand endearing to the customer.
2. Easily searchable communication history
Writing to a business and later finding the interaction in the inbox for reference is a challenge that most customers face. Whatsapp chat interface enables customers to find specific chats quickly with ease. The entire history of every interaction with the business can also be viewed hassle-free at any time. It helps customers organize chats better and keep track of all interactions with ease.
3. An effective replacement of complicated mailing lists
Email marketing and mailing lists are indispensable for ecommerce businesses. WhatsApp marketing for ecommerce enables businesses to market products in ways similar to email marketing. Lead generation can be done by adding a click-to-chat link that redirects customers to a WhatsApp chat window to immediately start a conversation; then the contacts can be captured for marketing purposes using a chatbot. With all the contacts, businesses can use groups and broadcast features to constantly push offers, updates and notifications to the list of customers. As customers are more likely to read shorter chat messages than lengthy emails, Whatsapp helps businesses engage with customers much more effectively.
4. Enhanced privacy
Whatsapp for ecommerce has improved privacy features. All the conversations are now end-to-end encrypted. This ensures peace of mind for customers compared to other channels of online communication available for customers, such as the contact form on the website that could be relatively less secure.
5. Comprehensive order management
With integrated digital payment and integration with CRM and Order Management systems, WhatsApp provides new opportunities for businesses beyond just communication with customers. Whatsapp chatbot for ecommerce empowers businesses with deep integration to create a single-window experience. Customers can place orders from the phone as a result and pay for them, receive update notifications regarding the orders and shipment, cancel orders and get a refund or replacement, all using WhatsApp for ecommerce. The delivery experience of products can also be improved when customers can share the precise location and add specific delivery related messages, such as directing the business to deliver the product at a neighbor’s doorsteps in the event of the customer’s absence.
6. Personalized offers and services
Whatsapp for ecommerce enables businesses to stay in touch with customers constantly, answer their queries and understand customer preferences better through surveys and feedback, and improve their products and services accordingly. This promotes customer satisfaction and better engagement with customers.
