People are talking to us about B2B WhatsApp and it's helping us spot more uses of the tech all the time
Ever heard of the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon? It’s a cognitive bias that causes you to frequently notice something after seeing it for the first time. And it’s possible that we’re suffering from it at b2b.store.
Our team has been out and about a lot at various events and conferences in recent weeks, but everywhere we go, WhatsApp is never too far from our minds. And it’s not just because our phones keep pinging in our pockets.
First of all, people want to talk to us about our B2B WhatsApp projects and how they could benefit their job role or company; but, secondly, now we’re fully immersed in working with WhatsApp Business API technology, we’re seeing examples of how it could be used all over the place.
One instance of this came before we even got into the Retail Technology Show, where there was a clamour of people around the entrance foyer, sorting out their tickets, grabbing printed programmes, or working out where certain exhibitors were on a map. The same thing had happened at the National Convenience Show a few days earlier.
All we could think was how much easier a secure WhatsApp channel would have made the whole process – with all event information in one, easy-to-find destination, without the need for print or that desperate search for an email. We’ve seen an example of an airline doing something similar previously, sending tickets, check-in reminders and updates directly to customers using WhatsApp Business API. It’s a powerful tool that improves customer experience when done correctly.
WhatsApp could easily be extended into supporting some of the issues and solutions we heard about at both of these events, too. Throughout the events we mentioned, we heard about the need to embrace automation to make operations in the sector more efficient, convenience retailers’ quest to maintain strong engagement with customers, and the move
towards using digital receipts. These could all become WhatsApp Business API use cases with a bit of development and knowledge.
It’s not just us who have grasped the potential, though. As we chat to people about what we’re doing, we’re getting asked about other ways we can adapt the tech for sharing content and if we devise functions tailored to different audiences, with several exploratory meetings already underway.
This shouldn’t detract from the excellent work that’s being done by wholesalers in this space already, with Bestway reporting in a recent Retail Times article that “customers are making a 9% extra spend” through our B2B WhatsApp product (which uses WhatsApp Business API).
Bestway is excelling by sharing marketing collateral with retailers and creating promotion-specific links that go directly to listings on their e-Commerce platform to buy chosen products, although we’re seeing a wide range of uses emerge. Some wholesalers (including Bestway) are introducing personalisation by segmenting their customers by region or previous purchases, while others see WhatsApp’s value in re-engaging with lapsed customers. Add the capability to offer one-tap ordering from within WhatsApp messages, the ability to perform open banking transactions and automated credit control functions, and there are a cocktail of services waiting to be mixed together to create bespoke WhatsApp channels.
It’s an exciting time to be at the epicentre of something that could have a transformative impact on the sector. And as you may have seen in the trade press last week, it’s not just us who are crowing about WhatsApp Business API, with insight experts recommending it as a way to move with recent trends too.
And the way things are shaping up, it won’t just be us that will be seeing WhatsApp everywhere soon – it’ll be on the lips of everybody in the sector as the must-have tool for businesses to make the most of.
At least then we won’t have to worry about suffering from the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon.
