While brands have been investing unfathomable amounts of money on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, WhatsApp has been an underdog in the race.
We often hear brands complaining about low retention and high Cost per Acquisition (CPA) also while none of us are bothered to open an email from a brand anymore.
What’s the missing piece here?
WhatsApp has entered the chat
Remember the qualities romantic comedies made us believe we can find in one person? WhatsApp has them.
- It's a popular choice.
- It looks good.
- It’s easy.
- And everyone’s on there, beating almost all of its competitors.
How can D2C brands utilize all of the great qualities of WhatsApp and ace it for their D2C store?
They should start with talking to the customers at every stage of their purchase journey and beyond.
How to talk to the existing subscribers list of your brand?
Broadcasting is one way to do it. It’s not the sexiest thing but it works when you send it to a relevant, selected target group.
Some usual and not so usual ways you get maximum bang for buck:
- Segment your subscribers and customers. I can't stress this enough. Imagine receiving a message to buy that expensive mattress when you just bought one last week. That too from the very same store that just sent you the message! Personalization isn't just about slapping a {FName} in your messages. Its about providing a red carpet treatment even if there are 100,000 people in your database. The way to do that? Segment based on past orders, previous order, average order value, life time value, and combining multiple combinations of these to create the perfect audience.
- Talk about incentives which can be given to your customers as add ons. Because everyone loves something EXTRAAA.
- If you can’t convince them with text, send them a picture. Even better, send the message with an image of the exact product they viewed.
- No one likes a constant reminder of something they don’t want. So give them an option to unsubscribe from the messages.
- Track your progress. Numbers can tell you a different story. Using Urchin Tracking Modules (UTMs) to generate Google Analytics data for quantification. Seriously, how do you track your campaign's RoI without UTM parameters?
Retention Marketing - The art of staying in touch.
Believe it or not, people do open WhatsApp messages more (~60% open rate) than other in-app messages.
Remember, you know when a person opens your message, yes including the wrong texts you send it by mistake (or intentionally by mistake 😉). This opens up possibilities to engage more and when you can engage more you can connect - to unfold, understand and upsell.
Upsell - When selling one product is just not enough, brands want to enjoy the sale for two.
Now this can be tricky, just like Work from home or Work from office.
People love when they see care, it makes them feel special and that’s where the magic happens. By going the extra mile, brands to can show that they care . It’s the small things like sending a status update message but with love.
Aim is to make them come back and stay. This also gives brands a great opportunity to make connections and give personal suggestions about products that go well with their previous purchase.
One can’t just buy a white silk top and not match it with beige pants to complete the classic office look. In fact, you’d be doing a disservice to your customers for not helping them stay in the game. For brands this is great as most customers end up adding that suggestion (~2-3% conversion rate on upselling).
Reduce RTO - Don't let people make you work extra hard for that $$$
When it comes to money, people are extremely careful - even in the era of online shopping, opting for cash on delivery is not uncommon. Trust issues, we tell ya.
But connecting with people on WhatsApp right after they make a COD purchase can help them manage their anxiety better than Clonazepam. It just reassures them that the brand is legit - that “they will send the product” and also that they care enough to “ask for a reconfirmation”.
And for brands it can help in reducing the cancellations and return to origin even before the delivery is made. So brands, Hey there! Are you on WhatsApp?
Collect Feedback - Because people love to express emotions
Well this marks the end of the purchase journey before some genius finds another bucket to fill.
And at the end, it's all about being able to listen to what the customers are saying about your brand and the kind of whispers going around.
Brands should start a review campaign on WhatsApp. For instance, the message requesting a rating can include response buttons (such as great/good/bad/ooo-la-la) to spare the user from having to "type in'' the review. The response might then determine the next message.
For example, when a customer responds with "Excellent", you can send them a thank you note with a discount for their next order. On the other hand, if they respond with "Poor", you can connect them with a customer support agent to address problems and enhance their overall experience.
Cross Sell - Because nothing makes people happier than feeling heard
Cross-selling is like peeping into your past to make a better future recommendation.
Brands should base their recommendations on a consumer's past purchases and try to make a connection, trying to remind you of your good times. WhatsApp text is as powerful as Harry’s wand, CTA buttons to drive website traffic, response buttons, and more. All a brand needs to know is to say the right spell.
And with this motto, the conversion rate on an average can be upto 1%. To put that in perspective, if you have an order volume of 20,000 with an average order value of $100, you'll rake in 200 more orders driving an extra $20,000 per month just because you sent that message.
Provide a memorable experience to your customers and increase customer retention – determine the reasons why your customers depart, then test and target specialized communications and incentives to increase revenue for your store while keeping things pleasantly simple.
You can also choose to access BiteSpeed's suite of WhatsApp solutions to unlock the gamut of advanced capabilities for D2C brands like segmented bulk messages, abandoned cart, upselling and cross-selling, chatbots, omni-channel support inbox, and more.
Intrigued? Get a personalized demo for your store’s needs. Or sign up for free if you prefer to play around first.
