Messenger in e-commerce: nine powerful options for online shops

With our practical tips you can use messengers like WhatsApp in such a way that they bring more success to your online shop.

Messenger marketing meets e-commerce

A very big advantage of WhatsApp, Webchat and Livechat, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Co. is: You can use them in every phase of the customer journey – the “journey” of your customers up to and including the purchase.

For example, it is possible to establish initial contact via Messenger and generate interest in your products. Then one speaks technically of messenger marketing, since the application is in the foreground.

If your company is in contact with prospects or customers, a conversation begins. Then you are in the phase of so-called conversational marketing. If the focus is on the sale of services or products, you are dealing with conversational commerce.

Regardless of the name of the individual activities and measures: In the end, the quick, direct exchange with customers counts. Ideally, this will create a long-lasting, positive business relationship.

Tip: Our contribution “ Messenger Marketing vs. Conversational Commerce vs. Unified Messaging ”Explains the exact differences between the various terms.

How Messenger Marketing is used in the online shop

With the following examples we will show you how you can best use Messenger and its various options for your online shop.

Product Information

Does the offered printer cartridge really fit the XY123 printer? Does the specified shoe size of the Asian manufacturer really correspond to the shoe sizes known in Germany? Is Feature ABC included in the standard version of the software?

Such questions torment potential customers every day. In a retail store, you would seek advice from a salesperson. In an online shop, this function replaces a chat option – for example via a live chat that is integrated directly into your online shop. Or you can exchange ideas with prospective customers via a messenger such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Facebook Messenger.

Tip 1: If you offer a chat function to answer questions from your webshop visitors, speed is the key. If the interested parties do not receive a suitable answer within a very short period of time, their buying mood drops. In the worst case, they will break off the shopping process for your online offer.

Tip 2: If you cannot offer 24/7 service, then rely on automated messages such as “Thank you for your request. Our customer service is currently not manned. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible tomorrow morning. ” Or you can integrate smart chatbots that can answer many common questions.

Tip 3: If you want to offer several messengers, you should bundle them in one interface on your site. That goes over, for example Chatwerk’s inbox .

Newsletter

Despite many prophecies of doom, email is far from dead. Newsletters that trickle into the mailboxes by e-mail also continue to enjoy great popularity. But: The opening and click rates in “digital advertising” are partly subterranean.

You can achieve significantly higher numbers with newsletters and product information via messenger. Why? Because on the one hand there is no spam folder. As a rule, every message reaches your contacts. And on the other hand, your newsletter subscribers receive a push notification on their smartphone when you send them something. This attracts attention – and usually ensures that the message opens immediately.

Tip 1: Your contacts must first have agreed to your newsletter before you can send them such messages. Otherwise you might get into trouble because of a GDPR violation.

Tip 2: Think about a newsletter strategy. This includes the content design. Would you rather like to pass on knowledge, for example by sending out short advice guides? Or is the sale of products in the foreground?

Tip 3: don’t annoy your recipients! Choose a delivery rhythm with large intervals. And if you have nothing new to report, please skip a newsletter instead of desperately sending out a message.

Link to Instagram

Nowadays, companies should be on several messengers in order to be able to address their customers. An increasingly popular marketing messenger is Instagram. Use the photo network to chat with your followers – via WhatsApp, not Instagram itself. This works via so-called Click to WhatsApp Ads.

Tip: The special ads are available on Facebook and Instagram. You can find out more about this in our blog post about the Click to WhatsApp Ads .

Shipping and payment information

At Christmas and Easter in particular, online shoppers want to know exactly whether their orders will arrive on time. You should always communicate such information clearly and bindingly on your product pages. In addition, you can offer your customers an important added value via Messenger: inform them “live” about the status of your orders.

If, for example, an ordered product is packaged and shipped, then send a short message out via messenger. Will the package arrive at the customer soon? Inform him about this too. If the product has arrived successfully, then send the invoice or the request for payment (e.g. when purchasing on account) via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or similar messengers.

Tip: Try to automate this kind of information. For example, ERP and accounting programs can be connected to Chatwerk’s unified messaging solutions via interfaces.

Support

The processing of customer inquiries and complaints eats up a lot of resources in e-commerce. Messenger help you to accelerate the response times of your support.

If, for example, your customers have questions about the use of a product or an alleged error, they can contact your company directly via chat. This offers several advantages:

• Customers not only send you text messages, but also pictures or videos – for example of a damaged product.
• Chatbots independently answer many common inquiries. So your “hotline” can be “manned” around the clock.
• If your customers need product manuals, software updates or the like, you can send them appropriate links.

Tip: In order to improve your customer support, you should publish an FAQ section as soon as possible after starting your online shop and constantly expand it. With the FAQ you answer the most frequently asked questions. You can refer to this in the chat.

Feedback and ratings

Do you want to know how satisfied your customers are with your online shop? Do you love your product choices? Did the ordered goods arrive as requested? Is the support friendly and helpful?

Find out by asking for feedback. Use Messenger to encourage your customers to give you an online rating or review – for example in your online shop or on Google.

Tip: In our blog post “ This is why online reviews are important to your success ”We give you some important pieces of advice for getting customer feedback.

Easy appointments

Do you work in cross or omnichannel commerce? That means: Do you operate other sales channels in addition to your online shop, for example a retail store? Then take care of better interlinking via messenger here too!

For example, advise your customers outside of opening hours or during a lockdown. And implement a so-called Click & Collect: Your customers order the products they want in your online shop, but they pick them up on site. Or they come by to try the goods first before paying. They make a suitable appointment for this via messenger.

Tip: Speed up the choice of appointments using an online appointment calendar. So your customers can see all possible or free appointments at any time and choose the best one for them.

Modern recruiting

Are you looking for new employees who should actively support you in online trading? This is a major challenge in times when there is a shortage of skilled workers. So you have to stand out from the crowd – for example with a brisk, simple application process.

Avoid classic and now outdated application processes and formalities such as the cover letter. Offer interested parties the opportunity to apply via messenger. This speeds up recruiting and gives your e-commerce company a modern image.

Tip: Should applicants be able to send you personal documents via chat? Then be sure to pay attention to data protection! Find out how you can use Messenger to design a GDPR-compliant application process.

Bring advertising and chat together

Do you want your ads to convert better? Then incorporate a call to action. One possibility is to combine Facebook and Instagram ads with a WhatsApp chat.

With the aforementioned Click to WhatsApp Ads, you integrate a button into your ads on Facebook and Instagram. This leads directly to a WhatsApp chat.

Tip: Create advertising motifs that appeal to the viewer immediately. And try to find a suitable call to action in the ad. This must entice you to click on the chat button in the Facebook or Instagram ad.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are numerous ways in which you as an online retailer can use one or more messengers to advance your business. Your customers benefit from this because, for example, they can get the right products faster and receive first-class service even after the purchase. And you get the chance to reduce the bounce rates in your online shop and to build up satisfied regular customers in the long term. A real win-win situation!

Image: Freepik