Ecommerce.co.za

Cashing in on the chat trend

by Veruschka Diest: Director at Clickatell.
Local merchants face a Catch-22 situation. They have a unique chance to ride the ecommerce wave in South Africa but face higher operational costs as inflation ticks upwards. But there is an opportunity to win in this situation; Chat Commerce will allow merchants to address both issues quickly and effectively – and compete with even the largest local and international stores.

To begin to understand the benefits of Chat Commerce – the use of mobile messaging channels to engage and transact with customers – let’s explore why using WhatsApp as a key part of your omni-channel offering makes sense for your business.

WhatsApp is used daily by 95% of internet users in South Africa, and therefore should be considered the largest and most important channel for local merchants to engage with their customers where they are. WhatsApp can also drive bottom-line value for the business through resource and cost efficiencies.

For example, rather than have dedicated call centre agents handle individual customer queries, the WhatsApp Business Platform allows businesses to deploy a chatbot that can automate customer service requests. While the bot can handle a high-volume of repeated requests, customers can easily choose to switch over and chat with a human agent who can take care of a complex issue, ensuring customers are delighted by your brand. Message automation with a chatbot can greatly reduce call volumes and speed time to resolution, keeping customers off ‘hold’ and happy.

And WhatsApp is much more than a communication channel. Merchants can also easily tap into the power of in-chat payments. For example, once your customer has placed an order, a payment request is triggered by your business, and it is sent to the customer as a link in a WhatsApp message. The customer clicks on the link, directing them to a secure checkout page where they fill in their payment details and submits it, receiving confirmation of their order as well as the receipt in WhatsApp.

Your customer is now in control of their customer journey, and they can track delivery; update their order; manage any return deliveries; chat to a live agent; and rate their experience when they are done, all within a branded WhatsApp channel that lives on as one of the customer’s contacts. This trusted channel can also be used for future promotions and offers.

What do you need to do to get going?

The first and most important step is for ecommerce merchants to understand how they should be engaging with their customers. Understanding the full customer journey and where they can automate simple processes that require no human intervention while boosting the overall customer experience.

One of the most effective ways to get started with Chat Commerce is to get one or two functions up and running. Even just a simple FAQ page will enable self-help options and customers can begin to engage with the channel and build trust in it.

While companies can apply for the WhatsApp Business Platform directly, the WhatsApp parent company, Meta, has strict requirements. It really helps to work with a trusted Business Solutions Provider (BSP) who understands your needs and who will ensure you get the right solution quickly and effortlessly. The ideal BSP can also help you shape your WhatsApp strategy and roadmap, while also providing key technology solutions to enable messaging automation, call center integration, and payments.

Many local businesses have already successfully made the move

The power of WhatsApp as a primary means of customer engagement can best be demonstrated by one of South Africa’s fastest-growing ISPs, Webafrica. The company now manages all levels of customer engagement over their WhatsApp channel, including queries regarding billing, sales, upgrades and technical support. This is one of the most effective case studies for how a company in one of the most competitive industries can effectively service more than 250 000 customers in a high volume, high-stress environment, across the country, 24/7.

One of the most exciting aspects of using WhatsApp in your business is the constant opportunity for innovation that the channel brings with it. Rich media such as video and voice can be used to better engage with customers and customer data can be added to your existing CRM systems to deliver better data insights. There’s no doubt, enabling Chat Commerce on WhatsApp is the winning strategy you’ve been looking for. 
Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook
Share via Email
©2025 SURREAL. All rights reserved.
Follow us on Twitter Follow us on LinkedIn Join us on Facebook