Branding your business and seeking more customers has now become possible with the use of mobile messaging such as WhatsApp chatbots and Facebook Messenger. Smartphones have given e-commerce businesses an easy opportunity to market different items and products directly to their customers without any middlemen. When it comes to mobile messaging and chatting platforms, WhatsApp and Facebook messenger are in the leading positions. In this article, we will be talking about WhatsApp for business and its importance for e-commerce business.
The WhatsApp user base is very active because it is the most popular messaging app, with more than 2 billion active users spread across 180 countries (as per Feb’s 2020 report). When it comes to group messaging, WhatsApp is an excellent choice, apart from one-to-one chatting.
There is nothing to be surprised as more and more customer businesses are embracing WhatsApp business for interlacing their customers on a user-friendly and rich messenger. That is the reason enterprises are using the WhatsApp platform to engage customers for their business. According to the Facebook Messaging Survey, “over the next 2 years, 67% of mobile messaging users expect to use chat for communication with businesses.”
WhatsApp Business API
Even though WhatsApp is on the top of the instant messaging app, it still needs to catch up to the top spot of countries like the United States, Russia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Spain, and other countries where the messenger-based business is top-notch.
If you are interested in creating a large-scale international business reach, WhatsApp Business API is for you. The recently launched WhatsApp for Business came in with the motive of enabling small and big business marketers to broaden their business influence and scope to consumers and users on all spheres. The company also introduced and designed the WhatsApp Business API to empower businesses to reply to customer inquiries and render them with additional information as per user request.
Since WhatsApp Business API is an application programming interface (API) that allows developers and other businesses to use WhatsApp Business services, it does not provide any front-end interface. Integrating the WhatsApp Business APK endpoint with different technology stacks will make it easier for e-commerce businesses to reach audiences in a better way. The WhatsApp Business API integration helps e-commerce platforms like Shopify to send programmatic notifications and messages to the users.
How to obtain the WhatsApp Business API?
To begin your work with all the possible opportunities of WhatsApp API and enjoy its services, you, as a business owner, have to set up the Whatsapp Business account and verify it, this process can be done with the help of WhatsApp partners like us. Let us give you a compiled insight of all the useful information to help you get your WhatsAppAPI in five steps.
1. An account in Facebook Business Manager is a must, if you don’t have one you can create your account by linking your business account.
2. Now, you need to verify your Whatsapp Business account by submitting your documents with your official WhatsApp partner.
3. On successful WhatsApp Business api verification, access is given to us, to deploy a verified WhatsApp chatbot template.
4. Once you complete all the steps, you can use your WhatsApp API.
Yellow.ai is one of the official partners of WhatsApp.
What a Business Can Do With WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp helps enterprises to interact with their existing customers as well as target customers in a very convenient way. Soon, every e-commerce business and online service wanted to switch their style of marketing and service by integrating API into their online systems. Unlike the messenger app, the WhatsApp Business API is not free. Companies who want this API need to seek services from “WhatsApp Business Solution Providers” who are trusted, third-party providers that can grant access to the API interface. There are some essential tasks that a business can use with WhatsApp Business API. Here are some notable uses of WhatsApp Business and its API.
1. The profile in WhatsApp Business allows businesses to establish a graphical presence and integrating the API with the online business services can help promote the business.
2. WhatsApp Business API, in integration with eCommerce platforms like Shopify, will allow tracking of order, provide customer support, resolve queries, and take instant feedback from customers. All these features come with WhatsApp security (end-to-end encryption).
3. WhatsApp Payment using UPI: It is another significant feature, that, when integrated into your online business, will allow you to pay the bills of WhatsApp Business users with proper WhatsApp security. WhatsApp payment using UPI provides features like peer-to-peer payment, UPI supported banks, direct debit/ credit of money, and secured transactions with UPI PIN.
4. Tracking of Orders: WhatsApp Business API brings in the capability to implement live location sharing deliveries and tracking of orders. That makes customer support automated. This approach becomes useful for food delivery and e-commerce business.
WhatsApp chatbots enable two-way communication
Businesses can use WhatsApp Business API to engage with their customers 24/7. Business marketers can engage with customers by:
1. Sending Notifications:
WhatsApp Business creates a communication channel between customers and businesses. WhatsApp business notifications have a higher open rate compared to any other channel like SMS and email. These can be used for alerts, payment status, items in stock, order tracking, meeting reminders, etc.
2. Customer Support:
Customer support on using WhatsApp chatbot is gaining popularity as it is preferred by the customers. This has exponentially improved customer engagement as well as customer experience. For any grievances or query, users can interact with the WhatsApp chatbot and get it resolved or in cases, it can’t be resolved by AI-powered chatbots, you always have human customer support representatives. At the back end, our agent assist dashboard helps the agent by showing the complete conversation transcript and suggesting answers with the help of Yellow.ai’s in-house researched and developed natural language processing engine.
3. Social Commerce
Enterprises can handle end to end sales on WhatsApp. Customers can chat and browse the aisle for the products they want. They can order, cancel orders and even change the quantity or ask for a return. Social commerce has been gaining traction because of engagement level is very high on social channels as well as most of the social channels enabling features that are customer as well as business-friendly.
Customers can even track their orders and check their purchase history.
Enterprises can track the generated quality leads coming on WhatsApp by connecting the WhatsApp chatbot with CRM, Billing, and Invoicing Software.
4. Bot Moderated Groups
With the help of bot moderators, enterprises can create groups of 2 or more people or groups of up to 125 members can be made. Enterprises can send out a company update or any new promotion campaign to the mass. And when the conversation is over, the bot can auto kill the group. Moderator can check for any spam and keep the conversation going for the desired results.
5. QR Code Landing Pages
Enterprises can use QR code to initiate the conversation with customers. They can print the QR code on labels, products, or simply publish it on all their Online pages.
6. Advertising and Lead Generation
WhatsApp is an excellent medium for lead capture, enterprises can publish the ad on TV, Social Media channels or their website to initiate the conversation on WhatsApp. Enterprises can also utilize Facebook’s click to WhatsApp ad to help land your customers on the preferred messaging platform.
7. Customer Support
Provide 24/7 customer support to your customer on the preferred messaging platform of more than a billion people. Resolve issues one-on-one with personalized conversations instantly.
Conclusion
So far, we have understood that WhatsApp Business is a powerful tool to target the WhatsApp user base, and a modern online business can make a potential reach with the use of it. Onsite chat, order updates, delivery tracking, personalized recommendations, instant feedback, and other such benefits, everything under one umbrella makes a business customer-rich. So, if you are excited to extend your customer support, then WhatsApp Business API is for you. To get started on WhatsApp business bandwagon, connect with Yellow.ai experts for demo.
