Are you tired of sending your Shopify order notifications via snail mail, carrier pigeon, or telegraph?
You’re not alone. In fact, many Shopify retailers struggle with finding the best way to send notifications but again they end up using the same Email route.
But don’t worry. There is a better way. You can now send Shopify order notifications on WhatsApp!
This article will walk you through the steps to get started today.
Why send Shopify order notifications on WhatsApp?
Because it gives you better visibility and conversion rate. 😉
Before diving into the question "Why WhatsApp?" let's see how Shopify owners actually send their order notifications. There are three possible ways,
- Push notifications,
- Email notifications,
- SMS notifications.
State of push notifications
Push notifications are a great way to keep your customers informed about the latest sales and promotions. Statistics say that web push notifications have an average click-through rate of 12%, but this can be improved to 15% if automated systems are used. You'll see a boost in clicks by using rich media in your push notifications at 18%.
But let's admit the truth; they're also one of the most annoying features in the world. And do you know what happens when some people get too many push notifications? They turn them off ultimately, like,
And when you turn off push notifications? You're losing customers. They can't see the latest sales, promotions, and more.
State of email marketing
More than ever, the number of brands that use email marketing is increasing. And as a result, many Shopify store owners send email notifications to their customers. With the reach and frequency of email, it’s no wonder that at least 69 percent of marketers use it to spread their content.
If you're also one of them, it's probably not the best way to reach out to your customers. Even when you use a killer subject line and get the user to read your mail, the click-through rate will be 1.43%, with a bounce rate of 11.75% across all industries.
Though the CTR is very low compared to push notifications, they are still an effective way to get in touch with your customers.
State of SMS marketing
SMS marketing receives better open rates, and people instantly check their inboxes for new messages. Moreover, many businesses report an average SMS click-through rate of 20–35%. This is far better than email marketing and push notifications.
Why WhatsApp leads the game?
Now let's look at why WhatsApp is better suited to sending order confirmations or any kind of notifications. One of WhatsApp's most significant advantages is that it supports all types of rich media—images, videos, and gifs. This makes it easy for businesses to engage customers with eye-catching interactive content.
Moreover, AiSensy states that WhatsApp messages have a 98% open rate with a 45%-60% CTR, which is 5x more than all the methods mentioned above. And the best thing?
Most Shopify store owners are not considering WhatsApp to reach their audience.
So it's a great opportunity to get ahead of your competitors and grow your business. After all, who else will say no to a simple chat feature that allows them to interact with their favorite brand? 😉
How can you integrate WhatsApp notifications for Shopify?
To leverage the power of WhatsApp, you need to use a Shopify App that helps you send order confirmation notifications to your customers. Here we have added three apps that ease the process; let's see the exact steps you need to follow to integrate WhatsApp into your Shopify store.
1. BiteSpeed: The simplest of all.
BiteSpeed is just like a one-stop shop for your WhatsApp marketing needs. With rich features and a simple interface, you can do anything within WhatsApp marketing. The best thing is that the setup process is also simple, and the API approval process will be handled by them.
Step 1: Sign up for the BiteSpeed account and contact us to get WhatsApp API access. If your account is approved, we will contact you within 5 business days via the same WhatsApp number.
Step 2: To set up the notification campaign, go to WhatsApp->auto-campaigns in the sidebar and select buyer from the customer journey stages. From here select the shipping notification campaign.
Step 3: Now in the editor, you can enter what customers will receive as a text message once their products are ready! Click save and turn on your new auto-campaign.
Step 4: Once you've set up your campaign, sign into WhatsApp in an incognito window and place a test order. Mark that order as shipped so you can see if they receive shipping notifications via the app.
2. Pabbly.
Pabbly is a Shopify app that allows you to send WhatsApp notifications to your customers. It integrates with your Shopify store and lets you send WhatsApp notifications through texts, images, and GIFs. Let's see how you can integrate Pabbly with WhatsApp.
Step 1: Create an account with Pabbly, and once you are in the dashboard, click on the "connect" option.
Step 2: On the next page, you have to create a new workflow.
Then, select Shopify from the dropdown and select "New order."
Step 3: Once you’ve selected the option, copy the webhook URL from it and use that to continue setting up your integration.
Step 4: Go to your Shopify settings and click "Notifications." On the next page, scroll down to the bottom and select "Create Webhook."
Step 5: To integrate this with your WhatsApp, choose the trigger. Click the "+" button and select “Chat API” in the Choose an app section. In Method, choose "Send Message."
Once done, select the button "Connect with chat API."
Step 6: To connect Chat API with Pabbly Connect, paste the “API URL” and "Token" from your Chat API account. For that, you have login into Chat API.
After logging in, you will be redirected to the dashboard of Chat API. From here, copy the “API URL” and “Token” as shown above.
Paste the copied “API URL” and “Token” into the Pabbly Connect window, then save your changes.
Step 7: When building a message, we need to map the details in fields like Message Body and Recipient Number.
After you have finished mapping all the fields of the form, press “Save and Send Test Request.”
3. Rasayel.
Rasayel is much similar to Pabbly. To get started with Rasayel, you need to sign up for an account. After signing up, you have to create and submit a template for approval. Once it's approved, you can start sending messages. Here's the step-by-step guide to integrating WhatsApp with Rasayel.
Step 1: Once done with the template approval part, login to the dashboard and click on API management.
Create a new API and give it a name.
Step 2: Now, we have to set up an automated workflow with MESA. Install the app from the Shopify store. Once you log in, click "Automate" and select "New Workflow."
Step 3: Select Shopify from the dropdown. You can customize the workflow at this point by choosing from a list of triggers. For example, you may wish to send a WhatsApp message when an order is paid—instead of when it's ready for shipment.
In the following screen, search for API, and select API by Mesa to send WhatsApp messages.
Step 4: After selecting No Authentication, we will authenticate the connection differently.
In your step configuration, set Method to Post and enter https://api.rasayel.io/api/graphql as the URL:
Step 5: Select Advanced Options >> Add header. This is where we'll add our API authentication key. For the Key, type "Authorization." For value, paste your Basic Auth value from step 1 into that blank space after typing it out.
Step 6: Once you've entered your authentication key, scroll down to the Custom request body. In that field, enter the query you'll use to send automated WhatsApp messages—remember the channel ID and template ID we obtained in step 2? Get those handy now!
If you are confident that your automation is set up correctly, click Done and Test. This will allow you to see how the automated process works without affecting any real Shopify customers.
Shopify Plugins for WhatsApp notification
There are multiple plugins available for Shopify stores that allow you to send automated messages via WhatsApp. Here are some of the most popular:
1. BiteSpeed.
BiteSpeed tops the list because of the rich features it has. You can send automated messages to customers using BiteSpeed. It also allows you to create a chatbot to help your customers with their queries and questions. You can use this plugin for WhatsApp notifications and marketing automation to send order confirmations to upsell/cross-sell messages.
The best part is that you have more than just sensing order notifications. BiteSpeed allows you to automate things that help you make more than usual with the upsell/cross-sell features. It automatically suggests products based on the current order, and you can also create custom upsell/cross-sell messages.
Most importantly, how will you convince your users of reviews and ratings? BiteSpeed solves that too. You can automate a personalized message that helps you get more customer reviews and ratings. To ensure that you are getting more reviews, you can even offer some incentives.
Wait, you have pop-ups and a chatbot too. It helps you prevent cart abandonment. Overall, it’s a perfect tool for merchants who want to improve their sales and increase their revenue.
2. Wati.
WATI (WhatsApp Team Inbox) is a WhatsApp Business API-based tool that offers WhatsApp API access to businesses. WATI enables business users and administrators can operate their official accounts entirely from one place.
If you only need to send bulk messages, WATI is the tool you need. You can send messages, respond to messages and view your statistics. Wati also offers a free version with limited features. You can even use this as a chatbot and use it to interact with your customers. Wati is a great tool for businesses that want to improve their customer service and save time in managing their WhatsApp Business accounts.
3. SuperLemon.
SuperLemon is a tool designed to provide automated WhatsApp notifications for Shopify stores. It allows store owners to recover abandoned carts, send order confirmations, and provide delivery updates via WhatsApp, with the option to include discounts to increase conversions.
You can automatically send order confirmation messages to customers' WhatsApp numbers, providing them easy access to their order details. The tool also enables store owners to inform customers about delivery updates, such as tracking numbers and tracking links, via WhatsApp automatically, once the order is shipped.
The tool also includes pre-approved message templates in three languages, opt-in widgets, message logs and analytics, and other WhatsApp tools such as a chat button, CRM, share option, and support extension.
Frequently Asked Questions.
1. Why is WhatsApp better than email and live chat?
When we compare the open rate between these two channels, WhatsApp wins. And people check their WhatsApp even if there is no notification of a new message. And that empty space is being used to send messages that can help you get better results.
2. How do I use WhatsApp with my Shopify store?
You can use WhatsApp for multiple purposes from chatbot support to collecting reviews from your existing users. It helps you to connect with your customers directly, and you can use it to increase your sales.
3. How do you get notified when you get an order on Shopify?
Shopify has an inbuilt feature that you can use to get notified when you get an order on your store. You can also set up an email notification for it. You can easily configure the notification settings from the admin area of Shopify.
4. Can you link Shopify to WhatsApp?
Yes, you can link Shopify to WhatsApp. You can use the Shopify app to connect your online store with WhatsApp. You can follow the above steps to connect Shopify to WhatsApp.
5. How do I enable pop-up notifications on WhatsApp for business?
To enable pop-up notifications for WhatsApp Business on your mobile device, follow these steps:
- Open the WhatsApp Business app on your phone.
- Tap on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen to open the settings menu.
- Select "Notifications" from the list of options.
- You can customize your notification preferences for messages, calls, and groups in the Notifications menu.
- Ensure the "Popup notifications" toggle is turned on to enable pop-up notifications.
Once you have enabled pop-up notifications for WhatsApp Business, you will receive a pop-up message on your screen whenever you receive a new message. This can be a helpful way to respond quickly to customer inquiries and stay on top of your business communications.
6. How can I attract customers to buy my product on WhatsApp?
You can use multiple methods to achieve this. With BiteSpeed, you can set up upselling or cross-selling campaigns. It automatically recommends products based on the buyer's purchase history and preferences. You can also create an online store on WhatsApp and link it to your store. This way, you can promote your products directly on Whatsapp.
7. How do I set up push notifications on Shopify?
You need an App to send push notifications to your customers. You can set up notifications for a specific product or category or send push notifications to all your customers. We have made a guide to explain the exact steps; check that here.
8. Does Shopify have push notifications?
No, Shopify doesn't have this capability. However, you can add another app to send push notifications to your customers.
Wrapping up.
Now you know how to send Shopify order notifications on WhatsApp. All you have to do is, select the perfect app that allows you to do this without messing up things.
Now, the real challenge is not to ghost your customers after sending the order notifications. Don't be like someone who never calls back after a first date. Instead, give your customers some options to explore or sweeten the deal with incentives to leave a review.
This will help you establish a relationship with your customers and make them return to you again. But let's face it, who has time to manage these things manually? It's like trying to do the laundry with a rock and a stream.
That's where BiteSpeed comes in. It's like having your own personal assistant who handles all the nitty-gritty customer service tasks, like sending order notifications and collecting reviews, while you focus on growing your business.
All you have to do is set up your campaign and let it run on autopilot. With tons of features, you can turn your WhatsApp into a conversion machine, and yes, your creativity is the limit. But what if we can also give you some proven strategies? Sounds like an excellent deal?
Get on a call and discuss how it will fit your store; what say?
