Unlock the power of WhatsApp for your brand
Use WhatsApp over other mobile channels when you need highly interactive, real-time, personalized, and rich media-enabled communication. This focus on interactivity is indispensable for engaging modern consumers, particularly in regions like EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), Asia, and South America where its usage dominates. While RCS also allows for ample interactivity, it is predominantly used by audiences in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
To break it down further, WhatsApp is particularly effective for:
- VIP messaging: Drive loyalty among VIP shoppers, or engaged customers who purchase frequently.
- Conversational commerce: Guide a customer through a complex purchase.
- High-touch customer service: Support customers with quick, back-and-forth communication at scale.
- Regional or general preference: Target regions where WhatsApp is the dominant communication channel, or users who prefer WhatsApp over standard text (SMS, MMS, and RCS).
With that said, let’s walk through an example of an advanced WhatsApp strategy in action!
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Put it all together: create a robust shopping experience
WhatsApp allows you to insert contextual, personalized communication at every stage of the customer journey, from initial inquiry to post-purchase support. For instance, you’ll unlock all of the following abilities with Klaviyo and WhatsApp:
- Product news: Share updates about new products or collections, as well as special offers on select items.
- Support: Help solve customer problems and answer frequently asked questions.
- Recipes: Share “recipes” (i.e., instructions) to demonstrate how a product can be used in more ways.
- Chatbot (Customer Agent): Automate customer interactions and lead generation via a virtual chatbot.
- Reminders: Send automated reminders and notifications via WhatsApp.
With that in mind, let’s discuss how you can use WhatsApp to its full potential at each stage of the buying journey. Click through the tabs below to learn more.
General pre-sale
Pre-sale focuses on distributing information to your audience on WhatsApp. You’ll disseminate content likely to a wide audience, say all engaged and recent subscribers.
Objective: Share information, quickly address common questions, capture preferences, and move potential leads down the funnel.
Sample topics to include:
- Automated buying guidance: "Press 1 to buy now, 2 for additional product details, or 3 to chat with a human."
- Carousel of recent, trending, or recommended products for them to buy.
- Loop in product FAQs for something they recently showed interest in shopping for, but hesitated to buy right away.
- Send along low value, high reward incentives, like Free Shipping or standard coupon codes.
High-value nurture
For products with a high price point or complex configurations, WhatsApp offers the intimacy required for conversion.
Objective: Provide dedicated, personalized assistance that mimics an in-person consultation.
Sample topics to include:
- Set up a “virtual showroom” for high-value customers or those browsing high-value items (e.g., sending high-resolution product photos, 360° videos, and even voice notes detailing unique features).
- Schedule a virtual consultation or in-store visit directly through chat.
- Create a back-and-forth conversation to provide a tailored approach to their shopping experience, asking what questions they have or product preferences to support them in deciding to buy
Purchase
WhatsApp provides immediate, trustworthy updates that cut through email clutter.
Objective: Reduce "Where is my order?" calls and increase customer sentiment at the time of buying.
Sample topics to include:
- Order confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery notices (done within flows).
- Offer immediate support at purchase, and even recommend a related cross-sell product that is often bundled together.
Post-purchase
WhatsApp transforms customer service from a cost center into an opportunity for retention and upselling.
Sample topics to include:
- Proactive Check-ins: "How are you enjoying your new product?"
- Reordering Reminders: For subscription or consumable products.
- Automate messaging and address common refund or return questions.
- Provide multimedia support (e.g., videos on how to assemble a product, a link to a product manual or warranty information, voice notes from a customer service team as needed).
Test your understanding: When is the right time to use WhatsApp?
Now that we’ve discussed the true power of WhatsApp, what that looks like in a truly personalized marketing strategy, and how you can use this channel to support customers throughout their buying journey… let’s test your knowledge.
In the activity below, match the scenario to the best communication channel: RCS or WhatsApp.