Global soft drinks brand

We’re working a global soft drinks supplier that is synonymous the world over for its novel marketing approach – especially its brand affiliations that resonate with target consumers.

The team in the brand’s UK-based B2B operation spotted the opportunity to benefit from WhatsApp’s high message read rates to communicate directly with independent retailers, reaffirm brand messages and to encourage compliance of the full range.

As the first major suppliers in the sector to use WhatsApp Business API messaging, the soft drink brand’s B2B team worked closely with b2b.store to craft a high-performing content strategy and deliver messages that stretched our ProConnect Platform to gather live data, share video and carry out promotional activations.

This approach inspired campaign engagement that saw up to 73% message read rates and 34% product redemptions. Even more tellingly, a comparison of two control groups showed that those retailers receiving the WhatsApp messages had a perfect store rating higher than those that didn’t.

The sustained success of the supplier’s WhatsApp channel led them to merge it with a major B2B initiative, using it as the primary always-on communication channel to help drive higher sales and increased product compliance.

Most of the content shared is non-transactional, but provides more of a narrative around products and ranges to arm retailers with more information to encourage them to stock products and build a stronger brand affiliation.

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Making UK retailers’ sales fly

better compliance among customers receiving WhatsApps

campaign redemption using WhatsApp

average message open rates

How are the soft drinks brand using their channel?

How did the soft drinks brand build its audience?

Its team of sales reps spoke to retailers when they visited stores to collect phone numbers and permissions for them to be added to a supplier WhatsApp channel. Once this database had been created, it was possible to add the relevant numbers and start sending them messages.

How was this level of engagement achieved?

A strong content strategy that combined the most important business messages with retailer-friendly communication built a vibrant channel that was getting consistently high engagement numbers. Redemption campaigns were then timed to run throughout, with smartly worded messages, eye-catching incentives and a plan that reached retailers at the best possible time. Attentions were high and ROI followed.

What is the supplier's approach to content?

The brand has taken a non-transactional approach to content, instead focusing on engagement to have a long-term impact on retailer behaviours and have a positive impact on sales instead. The content they’re sharing is varied and covers an array of different styles and topics, with the aim of retaining high engagement among their audience. The content plan is scheduled several weeks in advance and adapted based on message analytics, making it easier to create and adapt a winning strategy.

Why is WhatsApp so good for suppliers?

There are several possible use cases that could benefit suppliers, but the principal advantage comes if they can create or have a database of customers to send messages to. The unrivalled level of engagement on offer for contacting these customers is huge, with the value of a dedicated channel particularly high if done correctly, which is what the brand is doing.