How to Sell on WhatsApp?

Selling isn't just about showcasing your products; it's about building a relationship with customers. To engage with them, you need to understand their needs, personalize your approach, and offer support even after the sale, from collecting feedback to addressing queries.

But how do you stay connected? That's where WhatsApp Business steps in.

69% of customers [Drag] favour purchasing from a business with a presence on WhatsApp. That is why there is a higher chance that they open it and engage with your brand.

But managing conversations on WhatsApp is no easy feat. To solve this issue, WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Business API provide tools to manage sales and gain insights to improve your services.

Let us explore how to sell on WhatsApp​ Business, its benefits, and the key differences between WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Business API.

Steps to sell on WhatsApp

To sell on WhatsApp, you have to create a WhatsApp Business account if you have a small business. However, if you have a large customer base, WhatsApp Business API is the right pick.

Let's find out the steps on how to sell on WhatsApp​ Business and WhatsApp Business API:

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:

Premium-quality images

When making a purchase, 75% of customers look at product images to decide. When the images are unclear, they will not appeal to the eyes of the customers and will provide incomplete information.

This may hurt your brand identity. To avoid this, upload high-quality and well-lit images taken from multiple angles to give the best view. With 360-degree images, you can increase the online duration of buyers by 50%.

Complete and concise description

Just listing the product in the catalog won't bring results. Make sure that you highlight the features and benefits of the product in a crisp and engaging language. 87% of customers believe that product description affects the purchase decision most.

Share the catalog link

By sharing the catalog link, you can attract customers' attention and make them explore your products and services. To share the catalog, click on "catalog" in business tools and select the link icon to generate a link. Finally, choose where you want to share the link: WhatsApp, email, or social media.

Update regularly

You might keep on adding new products and replacing or removing the outdated ones. So, make sure that you update the WhatsApp catalog when there are changes in your product line. This will ensure that your customers are aware of the latest services. Additionally, this will keep your customers engaged by generating curiosity to explore the new launches.

Tips on how to sell on WhatsApp

To sell on WhatsApp, you should not create content to sell but to engage with the customers. You need to ensure that the customers find value in your products, ultimately moving to the purchase.

Here are some tips on how to sell on WhatsApp​ Business:

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.

Selling on WhatsApp business Vs. WhatsAPP API platform: Which one is better

WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp API offer a set of features to connect and engage with your target audience. Choosing the right one for your business depends on the size and goals of your business.

Here's a breakdown of the key differences between WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Business API:

WhatsApp Business is an ideal solution for businesses with a small customer base, but as you scale, you need to shift to WhatsApp Business API solutions. Here are some tips to help you know when to switch to WhatsApp Business API:

• When your inbox is overflowing with inquiries and messages, slowing down response times and reducing customer satisfaction, it is time to switch to WhatsApp Business API.
• As the customer base grows, data management responsibilities also grow. With enhanced security standards, WhatsApp Business API helps you implement data protection while scaling.
• Handling client queries with just one or two members is getting difficult and you need multiple users to access the chat to handle inquiries.

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.

Benefits of selling on WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a widely used app, and customers are quite familiar with the interface. Additionally, it can boost sales to 127%, making it an ideal platform to scale.

Let us find the key benefits of using WhatsApp for sales:

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.

Boost your sales efforts with Gallabox

With catalog creation and other features on WhatsApp Business, you can ensure a seamless experience. With the tips on how to sell on WhatsApp​ Business, you can deliver value with informative and personalized messages that not only engage but also build trust.

Gallabox helps seamlessly connect your business to WhatsApp, making it easier to win customer trust and loyalty. With WhatsApp API integration, Gallabox not only optimizes customer services but also helps you engage with leads at every step of the sales funnel.

Don't let valuable conversion opportunities slip away. Implement WhatsApp Business API integration with Gallabox and scale your business.

Sign up for a free trial today to learn more!

Frequently asked questions

Are there any limitations to selling products on WhatsApp that I should be aware of?

While WhatsApp offers a range of features to grow your business, there are certain limitations you should be aware of. First, you need to follow a few technical steps, and there can be technical issues sometimes. The products showcased are limited to what is added in the catalog, so you need to update constantly.

How can I track sales and customer interactions on WhatsApp for better analytics?

You can integrate WhatsApp Business API with CRM tools to monitor key metrics like response rates, conversion rates, response time, and engagement rates. Gallabox helps you filter, sort, and export data to help you analyze and optimize performance.

What are the legal considerations and privacy concerns when selling products on WhatsApp?

To ensure customer security and satisfaction, there are certain legal considerations that you need to follow.

• Get explicit consent from the customers for opt-in. Pre-checked boxes or assumed consent will not be considered as consent by customers.
• You have to maintain compliance with WhatsApp policies and avoid bulk messaging, automated spam, or unsolicited promotions.
• You must follow GDPR (EU), CCPA (California), and PDPA regulations when handling customer data.
• Inform customers on how their data will be stored and used and give an option to opt out.