A common question we get when we’re talking about B2B WhatsApp is the difference between our service and the free consumer version several businesses are already using. The simple answer is, we’re using WhatsApp Business Platform.
It’s the lesser-known of the three WhatsApp versions and is the only one that isn’t available to download for free in app stores (the consumer version and WhatsApp Business are), but is souped-up to offer much greater functionality to the user.
In short, WhatsApp Business Platform is aimed at medium- and large-sized businesses, whereas WhatsApp Business is for small businesses and the consumer version is simply for social messaging. While some wholesalers do use the free versions already, they are limited and the lack of functionality can become negative under the wrong circumstances.
A WhatsApp group is a great social tool, but it’s not fit for purpose in a business setting. Creating a group of customers might sound like a good idea initially, but it can quickly become like the wild west, with everyone being able to view and reply to the message – and no control over where the conversation goes.
WhatsApp Business Platform offers the same ability to send one message to customers at scale, but automatically creates a secure one-to-one conversation to ensure any replies are kept private.
There are caps on the other versions of WhatsApp, with broadcasts topped at only 256 and open groups stopping at 1,024 – although as point two highlights, more doesn’t necessarily mean better in that environment.
WhatsApp Business Platform has to be integrated into a system (such as b2b.store’s dashboard) to be used, so pairing with a provider is crucial. The positive of that is it means functionality can be tailored specifically for a sector, with b2b.store’s adaptation currently focused on wholesalers, offering the ability to distribute custom pricing models, segmentation and sharing promotions.
In the free versions of WhatsApp, messages can only be sent to contacts already saved in your phone. But with WhatsApp Business Platform, customers can join the channel themselves by scanning a QR code or following a link to trigger an automated message that opts them in to all future messages. Voila!