The best 6 LimeChat alternatives for Shopify stores

If you’re looking to increase repeat purchases and grow a subscriber base who can turn into raving fans of your product, you can forget about it with LimeChat. Why? Simply because they don’t have this capability yet.

This is one of the many important use cases in D2C marketing, that LimeChat skips like a 5-sec YouTube ad and remains behind its competitors.

So, if you’re a D2C marketer, we’ve curated a list of top LimeChat alternatives (that aim to primarily serve D2C stores) based on their offerings for you to judge and finalise the best tool based on your requirements.

In this post, we’ll cover LimeChat’s top alternatives for 2 different use cases-‍

1. LimeChat’s alternatives for multi-channel support & WhatsApp marketing  ‍

We’re picking this use case because Shopify D2C brands prefer multi-channel support and marketing across WhatsApp, Instagram, Email, and Facebook to ensure the effectiveness of all their campaigns. That helps build customers’ shopping experience smooth and highly personalised.

In this use case, we’ve picked the top LimeChat alternatives-

1. BiteSpeed
2. DelightChat

And we’ll go through the advantages and disadvantages of each platform.‍

2. LimeChat’s top alternatives for WhatsApp Business communication 

Multi-channel solutions should be the priority of all D2C brands because they help generate more revenue and sales. But still, if you’re interested in learning more about WhatsApp-only LimeChat alternatives, we’ll cover them here.

We’ve picked BusinessOnBot, QuickReply, and Zoko for this use case.

Let’s now see each platform's potential as a worthy LimeChat alternative.

And if you don’t already know much about LimeChat, we’re going to start with that. Feel free to skip this section if you’re a PhD in LimeChat. 

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LimeChat: How much does it offer to a Shopify D2C brand?

LimeChat is a multi-channel ecommerce communication platform that enables stores to communicate with customers on channels including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. This communication includes both support and marketing (a little bit).

In our detailed review of LimeChat, we’ve found that the tool is more geared towards live chat, chatbots and customer support across channels for Shopify stores. 

Pros

• LimeChat offers multichannel customer support on its platform. This gives the platform an edge over alternatives like BusinessOnBot.

• Along with live chat support, it provides AI-based WhatsApp chatbots that are smarter than keywords-based chatbots processing complex queries.

• Conversational marketing features like re-targeting and retention campaigns are available for D2C brands. 

• For WhatsApp-based campaigns, LimeChat offers a comprehensive report on WhatsApp broadcasts, and cart recovery campaigns.

Cons

• D2C-specific features including converting Cash On Delivery to prepaid, and user segmentation for marketing campaigns are yet to be available on the platform. These features are a must-to-have if you want to launch successful campaigns across channels.

• LimeChat pricing also includes their team's installation time and effort to customize and implement the solution to suit your business goals. That makes LimeChat a bit overpriced compared to its competitors.

With all these major limitations, let’s found out if LimeChat stands against its alternatives.

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LimeChat’s alternatives for multi-channel support & WhatsApp marketing

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1. BiteSpeed

So, why do we place ourselves as the best alternative to LimeChat for Shopify D2C stores?

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Because our customers have generated 20-30% more revenue with us. We’ve built BiteSpeed to serve Shopify Stores. 

We offer all the high-class features that D2C brands need to launch successful WhatsApp marketing campaigns and offer multi-channel support on WhatsApp and Facebook.

Also, check out top LimeChat alternative to learn how BiteSpeed is a better platform for your Shopify store.

Pros

Features offered by BiteSpeed: 

• WhatsApp chatbot flow builder:  BiteSpeed offers you a complete flow builder that helps you customise your WhatsApp chatbot in real-time and based on your requirements. 

• Multi-channel support inbox: BiteSpeed allows you to support customers across channels from a single support inbox. It also lets you assist buyers by quickly creating carts and collecting payments with a single click to help you generate more sales and revenue.

• Auto upsell & cross-sell campaigns: BiteSpeed allows you to set up automatic upsell and cross-selling campaigns. With deep integration with your Shopify store, BiteSpeed makes it effortless for you to build a recommendation engine. 

This way, with just a click of a few buttons, your store now has a recommendation engine that suggests your buyers buy new and relevant products that can boost your LTV and AOV.

• Photo review collection: You can automate the review collection via WhatsApp. Based on your set-up time interval, customers will receive a message on WhatsApp to share their experience with the product they bought. This campaign also allows you to collect photos and videos of the products from the customers. 

• Abandoned cart recovery campaigns: Almost all D2C brands regularly witness large numbers of abandoned carts, products and checkouts. Out of all your visitors, less than 10% reach the checkout stage. You can set up automated cart recovery messages on WhatsApp for users who’ve not completed the payment. The rest 90% can be retargeted on WhatsApp. You can also offer some additional discounts to make customers complete the purchase. These campaigns can help you increase revenue.

Preventing abandonment is crucial for any D2C business because no one wants to be left holding the bag (or, in this case, the abandoned cart and checkouts).

• Segmented WhatsApp broadcast: You can use WhatsApp broadcasts to send personalized marketing messages to specific groups of customers based on their behaviour, preferences, or interests. This allows you to provide a more relevant and personalized experience, build trust and loyalty, and increase conversions. 

Additionally, segmented broadcasts can be more efficient as they allow you to send messages to specific groups rather than your entire audience. You can also use these campaigns to offer targeted discounts and collect product reviews/feedback from specific segments of customers.

Here is an example of how a D2C business might use segmented WhatsApp broadcasts: 

Let's say you own a clothing store and you want to launch a marketing campaign for a new line of summer dresses. You could segment your audience into two groups: those who have purchased dresses from your store in the past and those who have not. 

For the customers who have purchased dresses from your store in the past, you could send a WhatsApp broadcast with a special discount code and a preview of the new summer dresses. 

This message would be personalized and relevant, as it targets customers who have shown an interest in dresses from your store in the past. 

For the customers who have not purchased dresses from your store in the past, you could send a WhatsApp broadcast with information about the new summer dresses and a special offer to encourage them to make their first purchase. 

Overall, using segmented WhatsApp broadcasts allows you to target your messaging to specific groups of customers and improve the customer experience, which can ultimately increase conversions for your business.

• Convert COD to prepaid & COD confirmation: RTO (return to origin) is a huge problem for D2C brands. COD confirmation and COD to prepaid can help to reduce RTO (return to origin) rates for your store by reducing the risk of fraud and ensuring that orders are fulfilled as intended. 

COD confirmation involves verifying the customer's identity and address before the order is shipped, while COD to prepaid requires the customer to pay upfront before the order is shipped. Both of these processes help to reduce the risk of fraud and improve the overall customer experience by ensuring that orders are fulfilled as intended. 

You can reduce RTO by just asking COD users to complete payment before the delivery date or time. This will not help you generate more revenue but it will reduce the operational cost that occurs for cancelled COD orders. 

• Opt-In tools: Subscriber growth is essential to marketing across industries. For D2C brands, subscribers are even more critical to driving repeat purchases. You can run campaigns to engage, retarget, upsell, and cross-sell, all of which can help you generate more sales & revenue.

BiteSpeed’s opt-in tools include
1. Persistent Discount Widget
2. Visual Pop-up
3. Spin The Wheel Pop-up
4. Checkout Widget. 

Include discounts and coupon codes along with these opt-in tools to sales count for your store while simultaneously getting them subscribed for future communications. 

With all these features, D2C stores are generating 20% more revenue with BiteSpeed. Talk to our team for a demo.

Cons

• BiteSpeed is currently available only for Shopify stores. However, it will soon be available for other ecommerce platforms like WooCommerce, and Magento.

2. DelightChat

DelightChat is an omnichannel customer support platform that enables businesses to communicate with customers on channels including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Email, and Live Chat. 

It also offers some features for WhatsApp marketing such as broadcasts and automated cart recovery campaigns.

Pros

• Like BiteSpeed, DelightChat also provides businesses with multi-channel customer support on its platform. This gives the platform a competitive advantage over WhatsApp-only marketing solutions like WATI and Interakt.

• Other support features like replying to FB comments, transactional reminders and product updates, create orders and automated replies are available on DelightChat. 

• It also offers Shopify integration with a dedicated plugin that helps Shopify stores manage support and set up marketing communication quickly via DelightChat.

• DelightChat does offer a mobile app that can help you support customers on the go.

Cons

• It lacks an advanced chatbot flow builder: Unlike BiteSpeed, DelightChat doesn’t allow you to build and customize an intelligent WhatsApp chatbot on your own. This can be a huge deal breaker for your business if you receive a ton of queries that can be automated or if you want to collect information about your customers via quizzes that can be used in future marketing campaigns.
  
  
• DelightChat remains behind in marketing capabilities: Though it does offer basic marketing features such as broadcasts and automated replies, advanced features such as re-targeting campaigns, growing a subscriber base, upselling, cross-selling, and the ability to adding segments before sending broadcast campaigns are absent. 

In a world where attention spans are falling faster than a new cryptocurrency, these advanced capabilities are proving to be critical. Especially, if you want to stand out in a crowded market and delight your customers at every touch point.

• It lacks D2C-specific features: DelightChat lacks a WhatsApp shop and catalogue, converting COD to prepaid, and opt-in tools like spin the wheel, UTM-based tracking, upsell, and cross-sell campaigns.

• It doesn’t offer pre-approved WhatsApp message templates: This can be a pain especially if you want to start today. You’d be doing a disservice to your customers if you’re telling them about that new offer you’ve got or the new set of collections that you launched.
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LimeChat’s alternatives for WhatsApp Business communication

1. BusinessOnBot (aka BoB)

BusinessOnBot is an end-to-end WhatsApp-based communication platform for businesses. It helps businesses run end-to-end marketing on WhatsApp via chatbots, automated sequences, and bulk messages.

Pros

• Agent Support Dashboard: Business on Bot offers a live chat dashboard that can be used for offering customer support over WhatsApp. Businesses can check each agent’s performance, workload and resolution time.

• Automated notifications & marketing campaigns On WhatsApp: BoB helps businesses set up automated messages such as transactional messages like payment reminders,  abandoned carts and shipping information etc.

• For WhatsApp campaigns, Business on Bot offers a comprehensive report on WhatsApp broadcasts, and cart recovery campaigns.

Cons

• Similar to WATI & Interakt, BusinessonBot is a WhatsApp-only solution. 

• Flow builder is missing: Unlike BiteSpeed, BoB doesn’t allow you to build and customize a WhatsApp chatbot on your own. You’ve to rely on BoB’s team to make any big or small changes to your chatbot. This can be a huge deal breaker for your business if you’d like to tweak and iterate on your campaigns.
  

• A free trial is not available: It doesn’t offer a free trial if you want to explore products and features before making a purchase. 

• D2C-specific features including converting Cash On Delivery to prepaid, and user segmentation for marketing campaigns are not yet available.

• The Shopify plugin is missing: BoB doesn’t offer a dedicated plugin for Shopify and other e-commerce platforms. That means you can not integrate your store seamlessly into WhatsApp. You have to contact their team which may attract additional charges.

• BoB’s base plan doesn’t offer all the essential marketing features including interest-based targeting and acquisition/opt-in tools. If you’re keen to launch personalised WhatsApp marketing campaigns that generate high ROI and revenue, you’ve to buy a high-tier plan that includes acquisition tools, dedicated CSM and onboarding. 

• As a WhatsApp-only solution, competitors like Interakt offers much more affordable plans compared to BusinessOnBot. You shouldn’t care much only if you’re as rich as Batman.

• Unlike BiteSpeed, BoB doesn’t offer you 1000 free WhatsApp conversations each month.
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2. QuickReply

QuickReply.io is a Shopify plugin that offers a WhatsApp Business API-based platform for D2C businesses. It allows D2C brands to set up automated WhatsApp broadcast campaigns, follow-ups for customer engagement and retention, abandoned cart recovery, transactions and order status alerts etc.

Pros

• Agent support dashboard: QuickReply also offers a live chat dashboard that can be used for offering customer support over WhatsApp.
  

• Pre-built WhatsApp chatbot workflows: To handle the complete buyer cycle, QuickReply.ai has more than 40 pre-built WhatsApp chatbot workflows that can be further customised to fit your objectives.

These workflows can save you a lot more time while you set up WhatsApp automation.

Some of these chatbot flows are-

The welcome bot
Product browsing bot
Discount bot
Shipping charges bot
Abandoned cart recovery bot
Order tracking bot‍

• Ready-to-use and editable WhatsApp templates: Pre-approved WhatsApp templates save you time and resources when sending bulk messages to customers. You don’t have to worry much about WhatsApp guidelines & approvals if you’re just starting with WhatsApp campaigns.

• ​​Built-in WhatsApp opt-in tools and widgets: Numerous tools and widgets are provided by QuickReply.ai to collect WhatsApp opt-ins throughout the buyer's journey. Each tool can be further customised, from the live chat widget to acquiring subscribers from the product page or after payment.

• Segmented WhatsApp broadcast: QuickReply lets you use WhatsApp broadcasts to send personalized marketing messages. QuickReply.ai leverages AI to proactively segment the consumers in a WhatsApp list based on their demographics, psychographics, purchase patterns, preferences and other similar parameters that define an individual. This helps with better personalization of campaigns. 

This allows you to provide a more relevant and personalized experience, build trust and loyalty, and increase conversions.

Cons

• WhatsApp only: Similar to BusinessOnBot, QuickReply is a WhatsApp-only solution.
  

• WhatsApp chatbot flow builder is missing: Though QuickReply offers pre-made chatbot templates, it doesn’t allow you to build and customize a WhatsApp chatbot on your own. Your sales and support flows have to rely on these chatbot flows which would limit your ability to experiment and improve your chatbot.

3. Zoko

Zoko is a shared team inbox for WhatsApp. It allows businesses to set up their WhatsApp account and communicate over WhatsApp for either marketing or customer support. 

It offers features like transactional reminders on WhatsApp notifications, broadcasts, multi-agent login on a single WhatsApp number, and shopping on WhatsApp. 

Pros

• Support ticket assignment: Support tickets can be assigned inside the team inbox making support operations more efficient.

• Shopping assistance: Agents can send catalogues to customers and help them choose products for shopping. 

• WhatsApp chatbot: Keyword-based chatbot helps businesses set up 24*7 support on FAQ-based queries.

Cons

• Basic functionalities: Team inbox lacks analytics, WhatsApp catalogue and pre-made templates for broadcasts. These features are fundamental to WhatsApp marketing campaigns and the lack of them makes Zoko fall behind as a complete WhatsApp marketing solution. 

• Available only for WhatsApp: Does not integrate with email for your support inbox. Your support agent will have to switch between tools which lower productivity.

• Manual shopping assistance: Only live agents can assist customers with shopping on WhatsApp. There's no way to push an automated flow or catalogue in a chat. 

• Chatbot functionalities are limited: Zoko provides only a basic chatbot that’s triggered based on keywords. It might help with basic use cases like answering where the order is. However, it can’t automate more intricate queries or run interactive quizzes to collect zero-party data about your customers that you can use in future WhatsApp marketing campaigns.
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BiteSpeed: Multi-Channel Support & WhatsApp marketing For Shopify Stores

BiteSpeed offers everything you’d expect from a WATI alternative to driving more revenue through WhatsApp as a channel and delighting customers with an omnichannel support inbox. 

‍Book a no-strings-attached demo to see how BiteSpeed will drive up to 20% more revenue to your Shopify store.