How to Sell on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp Business App account for small businesses

By following these simple steps, you can set up a WhatsApp Business App account for small businesses:

Step 1: Install the WhatsApp Business App.

Step 2: Use your business number to register. Try to avoid using your personal number here.

Step 3: Fill in the following details:

• Official business name that your target audience knows
• A premium-quality image that conveys your brand
• Business category that defines your services
• Business description highlighting what makes you stand out
• Mailing address along with contact details and operating hours

Step 4: Activate labels, quick replies, and greeting messages to ensure prompt responses to customer queries.

Step 5: Share your WhatsApp link on your website, social media, and emails to engage with customers.

WhatsApp Business API for enterprises

If you want to set up WhatsApp Business API, you have to register through a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) or Meta’s API setup.

Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: WhatsApp Business API is managed through Meta, so you need to visit Facebook Messenger first.

Step 2: Navigate to Business settings>WhatsApp Accounts.

Step 3: Choose Add>Create a WhatsApp account.

Step 4: Fill in the details, including:

• Account name
• Messaging purpose(own business or client)
• Time zone
• Currency

Step 5: Complete the verification using the OTP sent to your business number.

Step 6: Assign roles to your team to efficiently manage conversations and permissions.

Step 7: Integrate with the CRM tools you use, along with chatbots and automation tools, to create a seamless sales experience.

Build your product catalog on WhatsApp

Selling your products directly on WhatsApp is quite simple using product catalogs. Your customers can browse through the catalogs to learn about them and experience a smooth checkout process within the chat.

Here is how you can build a product catalog on WhatsApp:

1. Open the app: First, you have to open the App and then navigate to the three dots in the right corner
2. Go to settings: Click on settings > business tools > catalog.
3. Add products: To upload your products, hit the "Add New Item" button.
4. Enter product details: Fill in the details like product name, price, description, and a link to purchase and add images.
5. Save the catalog: Hit the "save" button, and the catalog will be saved.

When there are multiple products in your catalog, it becomes difficult for the customer to browse through them.

However, collections can help you organize products based on categories so your customers can easily find what they need.

Here are the steps to create collections:

1. Under business tools, visit the catalog manager.
2. Click on "add new collection" and name the collection as per the category
3. Choose the products to add to the collection
4. After adding all the required products, click on "save".

Read also: WhatsApp catalog: A step-by-step guide to boosting sales

Tips to maximizing sales with WhatsApp catalog:

More than 40 million customers view WhatsApp catalogs every month. To ensure that your WhatsApp catalog serves the purpose of conveying the information and getting a purchase, here are some tips you should keep a note of:

Create broadcast lists

If you have a huge customer base, sharing the same message one by one can be chaotic. You might miss some important customers and spend a chunk of time selecting.

Instead, you can use WhatsApp Broadcast Software to notify your customers about product launches, updates, product demos, and more. With Broadcasts, you can reach the customers who have already interacted with your brand in the future, so they are more likely to convert.

Do not bombard with salesy messages

When you send a lot of sales messages to your customers, the overall customer satisfaction declines, and some customers may even opt out.

To keep your customers engaged, share content that informs and provides value. It could be product demos, industry insights, product guides, or even a sneak peek into new launches or behind-the-scenes. 74% of customers move towards the purchase after watching an explainer video.

This way, you can inform your customers about the product's benefits, and if they find value, they're more likely to trust your business, which may translate to sales.

Use Facebook Ads to drive conversations

If you run ads on Facebook or Instagram, offer your customers a way to connect with you.

With click-to-WhatsApp ads software, you can drive potential customers to the WhatsApp chat and initiate a conversation.

38% of businesses reported an increase in sales after implementing WhatsApp in their advertising strategy.

Offer exclusive deals

Building customer loyalty is essential for your business as they not only become repeat purchasers but also a way for word-of-mouth marketing. You can send exclusive deals, early access to product launches, or personalized recommendations to keep them engaged and make them feel valued.

Clickable shop links

If you have set up an online store on WhatsApp, make sure that your customers can access it easily and make purchases without unnecessary steps. 

Research states that 28% of customers abandon their purchase if the checkout process is complicated.

You can share the link through chats, broadcast lists, websites, and social media. You can even add QR codes on physical channels so your customers can connect with you online.

Collect customer feedback

When you ask for feedback from your customers, they feel valued. 78% of customers prefer to purchase brands that ask for feedback. It additionally lets them share any queries they have to get a quick solution. The best time to ask for feedback is right after they have made a purchase.

You can ask them about the experience and offer after-sales support, which improves customer experience and keeps them engaged.

Analyze the strategy

Sending messages to your customers will not result in engagement and purchase. You need to track and analyze your strategy regularly to find out customer interests and preferences.

Track engagement rates, response times, and conversion rates to find what type of content resonates with your audience the most.

Be proactive in responding

90% of customers expect quick replies to their queries and therefore, make sure that you address customer queries promptly. You can set up quick replies, away messages, and WhatsApp chatbots to ensure timely replies.

Read more: Why live chat is a must-have for retail businesses

Segment your customers

You do not just engage with your actual customers on WhatsApp; you engage with leads and potential customers also. Additionally, there are different categories of customers based on their purchase history and preferences.

To keep each category of customers engaged, you have to send personalized messages to them. 52% of customers noticed an improvement in customer loyalty with personalized services. The best way to do this is to segment and organize your customers using customer labels to drive targeted marketing and efficient sales management.

How different businesses implemented WhatsApp for sales to scale

Let us explore some real-life examples of how businesses scaled their operations by implementing WhatsApp Business API with the help of Gallabox:

1. LivingStone Stays

LivingStone Stays implemented WhatsApp Business API to optimize customer service and initiated 10k+ conversations a month.

Here's how Gallabox helped:

• The multi-agent login helped agents access customer data under a single number.
• With a rule-based chatbot, they streamlined data collection so that agents could take over the conversations.
• With template creation, Gallabox streamlined the process of assisting in travel planning.
• Integrated Zoho CRM to optimize broadcast messaging efforts.

2. Hugg (D2C brand)

With WhatsApp API implementation, Hugg saw a 20% growth in the number of orders and boosted conversion rates for first-time customers by 30%.

Here's how Gallabox helped:

• Implement custom workflows to set trigger messages.
• With Razorpay and Woocommerce integration, streamlined payment processing and e-commerce process.
• Using intelligent chatbots, they could handle around 800 queries a day with a small team.

3. Rostrum Education

By implementing WhatsApp Business, Rostrum Education achieved a 40% increase in lead generation.

Here's how Gallabox helped:

• Use broadcast messages to connect with multiple prospects.
• Using chatbots, they provided 24/7 support to inquiries and automated routine queries.
• With custom WhatsApp flows, they streamlined the process of guiding prospects through their educational products.
• Streamline their workflow with integration capabilities.

Improved sales cycle

You can perform every single step of the sales cycle on WhatsApp, from acquiring and engaging to converting leads.

You can send personalized messages to make your customers feel valued. With personalized product recommendations, you can boost revenue by 300%. This makes the entire journey smooth and seamless.

Additionally, you can make efforts to retain your customers even after the sale. With alerts on product status, feedback, and after-sales support, you can build rapport and trust.

Reduced cart abandonment

Customers explore your products, add them to the cart, and just leave. There may be many reasons for this, including forgetfulness or indecisiveness.

By sending offers or cart abandonment reminders, you can reach out to your customers and gently nudge them to go ahead with the purchase.

Upselling and cross selling

When customers have a positive experience with your brand, the chances of upselling and cross-selling increase. With upselling, you can increase customer lifetime value by 20-40%.

Additionally, you can share deals, discounts, and personalized recommendations to engage with your customers and establish an efficient distribution channel.

Prompt support

Your customers can reach out to you on brand queries very easily. Additionally, using quick replies, away messages, and chatbots, you can respond to customer queries quickly. Companies ensuring quick responses secure 35–50% more sales.

Additionally, you can easily access chat history to analyze the conversations and generate insights to improve the overall experience.