Bestway Wholesale has become the first national wholesaler in the UK to roll out our B2B WhatsApp technology across its entire business.
The cash and carry giant did a soft launch of the service in each of its 57 depots earlier this year and has already opted in several thousand retail customers to its channel.
The new service has been customised to provide their retailers with personalised deals, promotions, video advertising, brochures and new product updates, making it highly relevant to the audience.
All members of Bestway's new WhatsApp channel have to opt-in before any messages are sent to them and a tailored personalisation message will segment customers by their local depots.
B2B WhatsApp uses WhatsApp Business API technology, which is a more powerful version of the consumer-messaging app most people are familiar with and can be adapted to carry out several business functions specific to wholesalers.
"We continue to lead through digital and are at the forefront of investments in digital and innovative technology in the sector and this will revolutionise how we target, engage and share information with our customers," said Bestway Managing Director Dawood Pervez.
"The B2B WhatsApp integration allows us to communicate directly with our customers to share personalised offers and promotions. This allows us to strengthen visibility on products, promotions, and services we offer.
"More businesses are relying on innovative technology, such as WhatsApp, to communicate with their customers and Bestway believes that communicating to customers directly strengthens our relationship to provide tailored messages that they can easily access for the latest updates of the business.”
Since the launch of b2b.store's B2B WhatsApp technology, there have already been some promising signs to suggest how successful Bestway's channel will be.
“The use of WhatsApp Business API technology is a game changer for wholesalers – and we’re delighted to work with Bestway on the first national roll out of the technology in the sector," said b2b.store CEO Rob Mannion.
"Early numbers of Bestway’s soft launch indicates what a powerful tool B2B WhatsApp can be in their armoury, with 32% of messages read done so within the first 10 minutes of being sent and rising to 55% within the first hour. The retention rate of customers is also really strong, with more than 99.5% since the first message was sent, showing that retailers are happy to receive promotions from Bestway in this way.
"By unlocking the power of WhatsApp Business API rather than the free consumer or business versions of WhatsApp, Bestway can add further personalisation and functionality as their channel develops in the future to become a central point for all their customer communications."
