More and more companies are looking to WhatsApp to sell their products. As a WhatsApp Business feature, you can have your own store. But how to create a store on WhatsApp?
If you haven’t done it yet, or think it’s too complicated, we tell you right away that you’re wrong. It’s pretty easy and you just have to follow a few steps. We are going to help you with this so that you can configure it and get it up and running to start receiving orders through the app.
Install WhatsApp Business
The first step you will have to do is download the WhatsApp Business application. Yes, it is a different app than normal WhatsApp, but you won’t have a problem because it works almost the same.
Once you have it on your mobile you will have to create an account. To do this, you will need the phone number to verify it.
Set up your profile
After that, it will ask you to configure the company profile. Specifically, it will ask you for the name of the company, and a description and to upload the logo (so that they identify you as a business).
Take your time writing the description, as even something so small can make people want to look at your catalog and buy from you. And the thing is if in a few lines, you can capture the attention of those people and in addition to gaining their trust, you already have a lot.
Add your clients
This is something that not all companies can do. First, to have the contacts of these people you need to have written consent that they leave you their phone number and that you can include them in a contact list. If not, you may find someone who is not very happy with this and may report you.
So whenever you are going to do something with private data, it is best to ask for permission first and have them give it to you. Obviously, in the case of online purchases, this can be done when formalizing orders.
You must add clients and contacts to the contact list that you will have in the app. It can be quite tedious, especially if you have many, but it will be worth it later.
Communicate with your clients
Once you have them in the WhatsApp Business application, you can communicate with them and even see statistics to know if they read you, if not, if they click on the links you send, etc.
Create a product catalog
One of the advantages that WhatsApp Business offers us, and the reason why you want to create a store on WhatsApp, is the possibility of having a virtual catalog with the products.
To do this, and always within the application, you have to go to the “Catalogs” section. If you don’t have any made (as will be the case), click “Create catalog.”
Next, as if it were a file on your website or eCommerce, you will have to add product by product with its images, description, and price…
Again we tell you the same thing as with the store description: the more you connect with that audience, the more likely they are to buy from you. Therefore, try not to use the typical texts that are repeated everywhere and use copywriting, and even storytelling, to sell the sensation of the product, not the product itself.
Once you finish one, click save and continue with the next. And so on until you finish.
Finally, you will be able to share your entire catalog with customers. Of course, remember to periodically update your catalog, either to remove products that you no longer sell or to add new ones. Likewise, prices are important, especially if you change them.
You will give a bad image if they place orders and it turns out that they are no longer available. And much less will you like it if they buy a product from you at a price you had raised a few months ago (which means you lose money).
Apply strategies
Just because you create a store on WhatsApp does not mean that you are going to sell because of it. It is necessary that clients, both those you have and new ones, know about this. And to encourage sales on WhatsApp you could offer some discounts or promotions to encourage that sales channel.
How is it done? Especially with personalized shipments to customers. But also promoting the store through other channels such as social networks (Facebook and Instagram, being from the same company as WhatsApp, could give more priority to those messages). You can even add small gifts.
, although it may be an expense for you, if you manage to reach a certain percentage of clients, and they repeat, it will be paid off and you will obtain positive results. The bad thing is that it doesn’t work for you.
How to buy in the WhatsApp store
Imagine that you have a store on WhatsApp with the catalog and everything formalized. If you go through the catalog you will see the products and some may interest you. So you put it in the cart.
The store works like any other online store, only, instead of using the browser, or the computer, to place the order, it is carried out through the mobile phone.
When you finish putting all the items you want in the cart, you just have to click on the cart (which appears in the upper right) and it will give you a list of what has been included.
Now, at this time you still cannot pay on WhatsApp. This means that you can only choose the products and these are sent as a message to the store owner so that he can contact you, give you feedback regarding what you have ordered, and offer you several payment methods to formalize the purchase. sale and prepare the order so that it reaches you as soon as possible.
It is not known exactly when payments will arrive at WhatsApp Business (nor if these will involve any commission from the company, which could cause some catalogs to disappear).
But, in the meantime, you now know how to create a store on WhatsApp. Do you dare to try?
