The Definitive Guide On How To Sell Products Online Using Shopify And WhatsApp

The landscape of eCommerce has drastically changed with a greater emphasis on convenience. This applies to every step of a customer’s purchasing journey.

Looking up product details, reviews, or pricing can take time. But what if all of this can be done through a single platform? 

Everything from customer service, product catalogs, and even payments can be done through platforms like Shopify and WhatsApp. 

But why exactly should you use WhatsApp and Shopify when there are alternatives?

Why use WhatsApp with Shopify to sell products online?

WhatsApp alone has more than 2 billion monthly active users making it one of the most used messaging platforms worldwide. Meanwhile, WhatsApp Business has over 50 million active monthly users globally. 

If you’re a brand that wants to benefit from these apps’ massive userbase, convenience, and features, you’re in the right direction. Here are the key advantages WhatsApp and Shopify can bring to your business: 

Faster and More Direct Communication

A single message can lead to a sale. This is a prime example of conversational commerce. Customers that find your brand through WhatsApp or Shopify get to communicate with you directly. 

Direct communication with customers improves personalization which also boosts sales. According to a McKinsey study, 76% of respondents highlighted personalized communication as an important factor in choosing a brand.

Think of shopping at a brick-and-mortar store. If you’re looking for something specific, you can ask a sales representative to help you find it. The same concepts apply to WhatsApp Business, except they don’t follow you everywhere. But they’re there when you need them. 

Depending on the size, a business can get dozens, even hundreds, of messages daily. With a platform like WhatsApp Business, responses can be automated through a feature called “quick replies.”

Studies suggest that 75% of customers consider fast response times as one of the critical factors of online shopping.

Easily Promote and Drive Sales

Convenience is king when it comes to eCommerce. A quick response can be the difference between a sale and a customer going to another store.

As a business, you want to provide immediate assistance if you don’t want your customer to look the other way. You can use WhatsApp’s automated chatbots, quick responses, and more for this.

Features such as abandoned cart messaging, shipping notifications, and offer messages can help boost sales. According to studies, simple nudges like these can drive sales significantly.

WhatsApp can also be used as an eCommerce marketing tool. Brands can send personalized messages and offer at regular intervals, much like you would in your email or ad campaigns. 

The difference is, you’re doing it directly within a messaging app that has built-in integrations with Facebook and Instagram. 

Accept Payments Through WhatsApp Pay

WhatsApp Business has an integrated payment feature. Your customers don’t have to click a link that directs them to your online store. Everything can be done within the app.

After browsing through product catalogs, they can secure payments with just a few taps. Customers can message your business account, open the attachment for the product, and pay for it immediately.

Simplify Customer Support

Customer support goes beyond answering questions. It should be in every step of the purchasing journey. 

Groove HQ studies show that 69% of customers with a positive customer service experience are more likely to recommend brands to others.

WhatsApp provides brands with a customized salesperson from product research to checkout, creating a personalized customer experience for all.

You can send follow-ups, notifications, and direct offers if they don't purchase right away. All of these little conveniences can stack up to give quality customer service. 

How to Integrate WhatsApp API With Shopify

If you want the full features of WhatsApp for your eCommerce stores, you’d want to integrate its API (Application Program Interface) with Shopify.

Installing APIs can be technical. A developer might be needed depending on your level of expertise. But to simplify the process, you can use third-party platforms such as Zoko that have simple plugins for Shopify to do this for you.

Zoko and Shopify let you exchange catalogs and takes orders over WhatsApp. Shopify and Zoko can send automatic orders, shipments, confirmations, and other communications to customers.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Zoko with Shopify:

1. Connect Shopify with Zoko
2. Install the Zoko private app from your Shopify
3. Create a Private App Admin API Access Token

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How to Connect Shopify With Zoko

1. Go to Settings at the top bar.

2. On the left, click on Integrations.

3. Under All Integrations, you will find Shopify. Click on Connect and enter your Shopify store address.

5. Click on Install and log in using your Shopify credentials. Scroll down and click “Install App.”

6. Click on “Continue to Pay,” then add your card details, and click on approve.

How to Sell Products Online Using WhatsApp and Shopify

Selling products online with WhatsApp and Shopify is easy, thanks to the features and benefits the platforms provide. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the platforms to sell products online:

Broadcast Marketing Messages in Bulk

WhatsApp is the best place to conduct messaging campaigns, with more than 2 billion active monthly users. Using Zoko, you can send messages to customers in bulk with a single click just by importing your contact list. 

You can increase your brand’s customer engagement through broadcast marketing by sending out personalized promos, bonus codes, or discounts. It can also help with upselling or cross-selling campaigns.

Zoko also includes multi-language templates for broadcast marketing. You can select any of your own approved templates or create your own.

Use Quick Replies and Chatbots to Engage With Customers

Providing real-time support for customers improves conversion rates. Statistics show customers who message via live chat lead to higher conversion and AOVs (average order values). 

It is also the most preferred support channel based on studies. With WhatsApp, your brand can integrate automated chatbots and live chat for your customer’s convenience. 

To further streamline and elevate this to the next level, you can use Zoko’s ChatPowers feature. It can give your brand automation solutions, including but not limited to

• Order confirmation
• Customer query menus
• Order cancellation
• COD orders
• Non-COD orders
• Order Confirmation Pay Later Solutions 
• Shipping status

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Use WhatsApp Templates to Streamline Messaging

Templates streamline WhatsApp marketing campaigns. A message template can initiate or extend a client dialogue after customer service hours.

But WhatsApp must approve templated messages first. Before submitting the template for approval, clarify its purpose.

Templates can be:

• Sent to customers outside the 24-hour window.
• Used to send transactional or marketing messages.
• Used to start new conversations with customers.

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There are three types of Messages:

• Incoming Messages - A WhatsApp user has 24 hours to react to a customer's message after receiving it. The term "customer service window" describes this time frame of 24 hours.

• Outgoing Messages - An Outgoing Message is any communication with a client sent during a support window (24 hours). The clock starts over every time a consumer contacts you through messaging within this window.

• Template Messages - Outside of the 24-hour timeframe, you must use a pre-approved template message to start a new discussion with a client or respond to an incoming message.

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Enable Flows to Stay On Top of Sales and Events

Flows are smart notifications that automate tasks and notifications sent to customers. This can come in handy whenever your business starts sales or joins events.

Using Zoko’s Flow, you can send alerts to customers based on conditions and triggers that you set. Some of the basic flows you can enable include the following:

• Order Confirmation
• Order Confirmation - Non-COD Orders
• Shipping Confirmation (with partial fulfillment)
• Shipping Confirmation
• Order Cancellation
• Order Delivery
• Shipping Update
• Abandoned Cart
• Review Bots
• COD Flow with up to three notifications

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Flows can help streamline campaigns during events using the correct triggers. It can also be used for upselling, reordering, and customer opt-outs. 

You can learn more about them with this in-depth guide on how you can set up flows.  

Track Campaigns With Detailed Analytics

Tracking analytics helps businesses understand how to optimize their marketing and sales strategies. It can identify what went right on your previous campaigns and even find underlying issues you might’ve missed. 

Zoko provides analytics for chat overviews, chat activities, and agent activities. 

Chat Overviews

This section displays your account's open conversations with at least one incoming message. It also displays how many of these conversations are assigned and remain in Queue.

Chat Activity

A chat is considered active if it was initiated by a customer message received during the chosen period and is still open.

The metrics you can track include:

• Chat closed per agent hour - This KPI shows how many discussions your representatives manage every hour online. This is the number of new conversations closed by your agents divided by their total online hours in the given time.

• Time taken to assign - This KPI measures how quickly you match customers with agents/teams. This is the period between a chat entering Queue and being allocated to an agent/team.

• First response time - This KPI measures customer response speed. This is the time between assigning a chat to an agent/team and their first response.

• Chat duration - Agents can close chats after answering customer questions. This KPI measures customer service. This is the time between assigning a chat to an agent/team and closing it by an agent.

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These KPI metrics refresh daily at around 4 PM (IST).

Agent Activity

You can see the current availability of all of your account's agents here. Agen reports can then be used to monitor agent performance in a selected timeframe.

The metrics can include:

• Carry Over rates - The number of chats assigned to the agent before the selected time period but not closed or reassigned.

• Assigned rates - The total number of chats allocated to the agent within the given time period.

• Closed rates - The total number of messages an agent closed in the selected time period.

• Reassigned rates - The total number of messages an agent reassigned. 

• Open rates - Open rates are equal to (Assigned + Carry Forward) - (Close + Reassigned)

• Completion Rate - This is equal to Completion Rate = (Closed + Reassigned) / (Assigned Chats + Carry Over)%

• Response Time - The typical amount of time it takes for an agent to reply to a customer email.

• Online Time - An agent's cumulative online time. 

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Examples of Top Brands Using WhatsApp Business API 

WhatsApp Business’s API can be found anywhere, even on platforms, you’re already using. Here are some real-life examples of brands using the API:

Netflix

Netflix keeps its subscribers updated with all the newest additions to the platform. Not only can viewers get updates on new releases and forthcoming episodes via WhatsApp, but they can also get personalized suggestions based on what they've already seen.

Odara Jewellery

Odara Jewellery also makes extensive use of WhatsApp to gather user-generated content (UGC). You can also see a chat widget featured on their website.

Site visitors can quickly and easily get in touch with the company's customer service department and provide feedback based on their own experiences with the product. Several of these testimonials are presented on the website as well. 

BookMyShow

One of the first Indian companies to include WhatsApp Business in their marketing strategy was BookMyShow (BMS). At first, mobile tickets and QR codes could only be distributed digitally by SMS or email. However, using WhatsApp's business pilot program, BMS is now able to issue confirmations within the app itself.

Key Takeaways

WhatsApp is a massive messaging platform that can act as a powerful marketing tool for any business. Whether your business belongs to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) or a large eCommerce store, WhatsApp and Shopify have features that can help improve sales.

But before investing time and resources into them, here are some things to consider:

• WhatsApp offers three services: a messenger, a business app, and a business API. 
• WhatsApp Business has an API that can be used to seamlessly integrate it into a business’s website or Shopify store. 
• Third-party apps like Zoko can improve the integration process and helps automate important tasks such as customer replies.
• WhatsApp Business has built-in payment features that add more convenience to a customer’s purchasing journey.
• Among the most important features of WhatsApp include a business profile, quick replies, catalogs, payments, and labels. 

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If you want to get the best out of your WhatsApp and Shopify integrations, look no further than Zoko! Request a personalized demo today so you can see what Zoko can do for your business. 

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