WhatsApp for ecommerce: everything B2C marketers need to know

With WhatsApp, you can create interactive experiences that guide customers to purchase. Think product quizzes, personalized recommendations, quick replies, and GIFs. It’s all native to the platform.

WhatsApp is also great for sending abandoned cart nudges, spotlighting back-in-stock items, and automating customer support.

WhatsApp shouldn’t replace your existing channels, but it does make a great addition to your omnichannel strategy.

For example, if someone opens an email, taps on a product, but doesn’t buy, you can follow up on WhatsApp with a browse abandonment message. Or, you can create a cross-channel post-purchase flow where customers get order confirmations via email, shipping updates via SMS, and customer support follow-ups on WhatsApp.

When paired with channel affinity, omnichannel campaigns don’t just reach people across channels but also on their preferred channel. And in countries where WhatsApp is the preferred messaging app, it could be the massive omnichannel boost you need to drive a significant amount of revenue.

With WhatsApp, you can see exactly how your messages are performing, segment your audience using real-time insights, and send tailored messages based on what customers do, like browsing a product, abandoning a cart, or making a purchase.

It means every interaction can feel personal and purposeful while giving you the data to keep improving results.

WhatsApp is an ideal channel for customer support queries because of its conversational nature.

With help desk integrations, support becomes part of the conversation, whether it’s a quick, automated reply or a real-time chat with your team. WhatsApp support is fast and informed by customer data, and it leads to a smooth, personal customer experience overall.

WhatsApp is widely used in Latin America, India, and Southeast Asia, but it’s also gaining major ground in Europe and the US, especially among mobile-first shoppers who prefer texting over email.

As global ecommerce grows, so does the expectation for fast, personalized, and helpful communication. WhatsApp is a full-funnel sales and marketing tool, a customer service dream, and a direct line to your customers.

WhatsApp wins when:

• You want to send rich content (images, buttons, carousels).
• You want to engage in two-way conversation after shoppers bounce from your site.
• You want to create more natural, useful, personalized interactions throughout the customer journey.
• You want to create a concierge experience with personalized conversations and chat-based support.
• You want to reach people in countries where WhatsApp is the preferred messaging app.

If email is a megaphone and SMS is a nudge, WhatsApp is more like a friendly, two-way conversation. Here are some real, revenue-driving WhatsApp plays ecommerce brands are making today:

This is where WhatsApp really earns its keep. Through WhatsApp, you can run guided quizzes to help customers find the right product, send back-in-stock alerts when favorites return, and offer personalized style tips after a purchase.

When a customer is hovering over a $200 skincare bundle or a premium pair of shoes, WhatsApp lets you step in with an answer about a question or even a tailored offer. You can even use automated flows to up-sell or offer concierge service through a virtual assistant.

Email is a great starting point for reminding customers about what they’ve left behind. But pairing an email with a short, timely WhatsApp message can take things a step further. With a direct link and quick action button, WhatsApp makes it easy for shoppers to jump back in and complete their purchase, right from the same app they use every day.

WhatsApp can help you treat every customer like a VIP. With WhatsApp, you can answer questions about products that have just arrived, make the returns process easier, and handle inquiries with quick replies—all based on real customer and purchase data. It’s a chance to create thoughtful, 1:1 moments that make customers feel genuinely valued.

With rich formats like product quizzes, carousels, videos, and images, WhatsApp is a curated shopping experience. With WhatsApp, you can guide customers through product options, highlight bestsellers, or send personalized picks based on purchase history.

• Email: Send an abandoned cart reminder with full product details and user-generated content (UGC) that handles objections.
• SMS (day 2): Offer a limited-time discount of 10% off for the next 12 hours.
• WhatsApp (day 3): Send a product carousel with a reply button that asks, “Have questions?” 

• Email: Send a full launch announcement with product details.
• SMS (day of launch): Send an announcement that the product launch is live with urgency-based language such as, “Now live! Shop before it sells out.”
• WhatsApp (post-purchase): Send a thank-you message with a support link and order updates.

• Email: Send an order confirmation with shipping details.
• WhatsApp: Send a message with care instructions.
• Two-way WhatsApp: Make this available if someone clicks through with a question.

• Product launches and promotions: Send news about new collections or time-sensitive sales straight to customers’ phones.
• Personalized recommendations: Send curated product suggestions with shoppable carousels based on previous purchases and browsing data.
• Back-in-stock alerts: Notify customers the moment high-demand products return. 
• Cart recovery: Follow up with interactive nudges, offering support or incentives to complete the purchase.
• Flash sales and exclusive deals: Offer limited-time deals available only to WhatsApp subscribers.

• Order tracking and delivery updates: Keep customers in the loop post-purchase with real-time status updates.
• Proactive issue resolution: Solve common issues like delays or out-of-stock notices with automated messages.
• Pre-sale support: Answer questions about sizing, availability, or product fit with either automated responses or live agents.
• Returns and refunds: Provide clear guidance and quick answers about return policies.
• Multimedia support: Use videos, PDFs, or voice notes to guide customers through troubleshooting steps or how to use a product. 

• Automated thank-you messages: Send instant appreciation notes after a purchase.
• Product usage tips and how-to guides: Share content that helps customers get the most out of their order.
• Loyalty program updates: Keep members informed about new rewards, points earned, or upcoming perks.
• Review and UGC collection: Prompt customers to leave a review, upload a photo, or share feedback.
• Replenishment reminders: Use timing-based flows to prompt re-orders of consumables.

• VIP customer groups: Create campaigns for loyal shoppers, and offer early access or sneak peeks to your best customers.
• Product feedback loops: Share prototypes with a small group of subscribers and collect direct input.
• Real-time events: Invite customers to live shopping sessions, product drops, or behind-the-scenes moments.

Start by choosing the version of WhatsApp that fits your business needs:

• WhatsApp Business App: This app is a good entry point for small or early-stage brands because it’s free and easy to use. You can set up a business profile, send messages manually, and create basic automated responses.
• WhatsApp Business Platform (API): This is designed for growing brands that need scale and automation. Note that if your brand doesn’t have developer support, you’ll need a platform like Klaviyo to connect and use the API. 
• CRM and marketing automation integrations: To truly embed WhatsApp into your omnichannel marketing strategy, you’ll want to connect it to your existing ecommerce tech stack. B2C CRMs like Klaviyo make it possible to send WhatsApp messages with email, SMS, and push, all informed by the same customer data.

WhatsApp is a permissions-based channel, which means you need to get clear, documented consent before you send a single message. You can build your WhatsApp list in a few key ways:

• Add a sign-up form on your website. Be clear about the types of messages you’ll be sending. Keep in mind that you need separate permission for marketing vs. transactional messages (more on this later).
• Create dedicated landing pages for WhatsApp sign-ups.
• Promote sign-ups through social media CTAs.
• Include QR codes on packaging, receipts, or physical inserts that link to opt-in pages.

Promotional content must also follow approved Meta message templates. Note that unsolicited messages can get your number flagged or restricted.

If you’re using the WhatsApp Business Platform (API), you need to use pre-approved message templates for most outbound communications, especially anything that’s not a direct response to a customer enquiry. This is part of Meta’s policy to protect users from spam and ensure conversations are relevant and valuable, so that customers remain engaged. 

WhatsApp messages fall into several categories:

Purpose: Also known as transactional messages, these are shipping updates, appointment reminders, order confirmations, and payment receipts.

Examples

• “Thanks for your order! Your package is on the way. Track it here: [link]”
• “Your return request has been received. We’ll process it within 3 business days.”

Why they’re useful: These messages help you keep customers informed and reduce “where is my order?” queries.

Purpose: These answer customer queries or resolve issues. They can be triggered via integration with a platform like Gorgias when a customer reaches out or as part of a support thread handed off to a live agent.

Examples 

• “Yes, the [product mame] in size M is currently in stock. Would you like me to reserve one for you or help you place an order?”
• “I’m really sorry to hear you received a damaged item. Could you please share a photo of it with me? We’ll review it right away and arrange a replacement or refund—whichever you prefer.”

Why they’re useful: Two-way conversations on WhatsApp elevate the customer support experience because they answer questions where customers already spend a lot of their time.

Purpose: These are any messages that promote offers, products, events, etc.

Examples

• “The item you loved is back in stock—and it won’t last long. Shop now: [link]”
• “Our summer sale is live! Get 20% off sitewide until Sunday.”

Why they’re tricky: This is where most template rejections happen. Meta keeps a close eye on marketing content to make sure it’s relevant, consented to, and not aggressive.

Each type of message has specific requirements, especially for promotional content, which must use pre-approved message templates. Klaviyo makes this easier by:

• Letting you create and submit templates directly in your account
• Guiding you through category selection (e.g., utility vs. marketing)
• Validating message formats and variables before you submit them
• Tracking approval status and helping you troubleshoot rejections
• Segmenting audiences to make sure messages are relevant 
• Personalizing messages with first names, recent purchases, and preferences
• Making it easy for people to unsubscribe

You can also preview how messages will look and set up flows that trigger approved templates based on real-time customer behavior.

The power of WhatsApp is in message relevance. Just like with email marketing, success comes from sending the right message to the right audience at the right time. Here’s how:

• Create smart segments. Use customer data to build segments such as new customers, repeat buyers, VIPs, subscribers who haven’t engaged recently, and more.
• Personalize messages with customer data. Pull in variables like first name, past purchases, or browsing behavior to make each message feel tailored and relevant.
• Build WhatsApp into your automated flows. Add WhatsApp touchpoints to your abandoned cart, post-purchase, and win-back automations to start. 

When you do it right, WhatsApp becomes an extension of your email and SMS efforts, adding a layer of immediacy and interactivity that helps drive stronger engagement across the entire customer lifecycle.

Customers treat WhatsApp as a personal space, so brands need to approach it with care. Here’s how to use it effectively without crossing the line.

WhatsApp works best when you treat it like a conversation. Customers are quick to block or unsubscribe if messages feel spammy or irrelevant, so prioritize messages that add value, like order updates, back-in-stock alerts, or tailored product suggestions.

Images, videos, and product carousels can make your messages more engaging and more useful—but don’t overload messages with media for the sake of it. Keep it simple, like a short video showing how to use a product or a carousel highlighting your top product picks.

According to Klaviyo’s future of consumer marketing report, 81% of consumers expect a response from a brand within 24 hours. If you’re not available 24/7, set an automated message to manage expectations.

Even better, use quick replies or automation to handle common questions straight away, like shipping times, return policies, or size guides

WhatsApp is a chat app, so steer clear of formal, robotic language. Aim for friendly, clear, and human above all else. Even automated messages should feel natural. 

Monitor click rates and conversions to understand what’s resonating, and A/B test messages to compare formats, timing, and CTAs. Klaviyo makes this easier by pulling WhatsApp into your existing reporting dashboards.

Don’t overthink your CTA, but do make it obvious what the next step is. 

A few examples that work well:

• “Tap to shop”
• “Reply YES to claim your discount”
• “View your order”
• “See what’s new”

Klaviyo’s WhatsApp integration lets you plan, personalize, and track WhatsApp campaigns with email, SMS, and push notifications. Everything runs on the same built-in customer data platform, which means every message (no matter the channel) is powered by real-time, zero- and first-party data from one shared customer profile.

It’s now super easy to personalize messages using the same data you already use for email or SMS because WhatsApp is treated as a channel that’s native to Klaviyo. That includes:

• Purchase history
• Browsing behavior
• Engagement patterns
• Loyalty status or VIP tiers

For example, you could send a personalized back-in-stock alert via WhatsApp to high-intent customers who browsed but didn’t buy, then follow up with a relevant product recommendation in the same thread.

Klaviyo flows bring WhatsApp into your automation toolkit. You can trigger WhatsApp messages based on any customer action and sequence them alongside email and SMS.

For example, when a customer adds an item to their cart but doesn’t check out:

• Within 24 hours: They receive an abandoned cart email.
• 12 hours later: If they haven’t acted, they get a WhatsApp message with a carousel of similar products and a quick “Tap to check out” CTA.

24 hours later: If they still haven’t acted, an SMS reminder goes out as a final nudge.

WhatsApp supports rich formats, like image carousels, quick replies, video, and even PDFs, so you can deliver interactive, high-value messages. With Klaviyo, you can set up and manage these rich formats natively, without toggling between platforms.

You can also send both marketing and customer service messages in the same thread. Through Klaviyo’s Gorgias integration (WhatsApp integration launching soon), you can hand off automated flows to live agents when needed.

Klaviyo tracks real-time engagement to learn which channels individual customers prefer. That means you can automate not just what gets sent, but where it gets sent.

If someone tends to ignore SMS but engages with WhatsApp, Klaviyo will adapt. If they’re highly active in the morning and prefer email, your flows will reflect that.

Marketing teams often struggle to measure how their channels work together. Klaviyo’s multi-touch attribution gives you a full view of what actually drives purchases.

Whether a customer taps on a WhatsApp offer, opens a follow-up email, or responds to a post-purchase SMS, Klaviyo ties it all together in a single dashboard.

Klaviyo’s omnichannel campaign builder brings WhatsApp into the bigger picture so you can plan and launch coordinated campaigns across email, SMS, push, and now WhatsApp, from a single visual dashboard. You can:

• Set audience rules and channel logic.
• Manage creative and messaging across all touchpoints.
• Launch campaigns timed to user behavior and channel preference.

Bottom line: Klaviyo gives you a complete, real-time view of your customer and the ability to act on it instantly across all your channels. With WhatsApp now in the mix, you can finally bring conversations, campaigns, and customer service into one thread.

WhatsApp has all the makings of a high-impact channel, but like any marketing tool, success depends on how you use it. 

If you’re just getting started, focus on doing a few things well before going all in:

• Test before you scale. Start with a single flow, like a welcome series or cart recovery, and measure the impact. See how customers respond, refine your approach, and then build out from there.
• Train your team. Whether it’s your marketing or support function (or both), make sure your team knows how to use WhatsApp thoughtfully. Focus on training for compliance, quick response, and personal communication. 
• Use WhatsApp as a complement, not a replacement. WhatsApp can help fill the gaps that other channels can’t reach. But you should still use it alongside email, SMS, and push to create a well-rounded customer journey.
• Stay adaptable. WhatsApp is evolving quickly, with features like catalogs, payments, and channels rolling out globally. Brands that stay agile and continue experimenting will be the ones that get ahead.

And if you’re using Klaviyo, you’re already set up to make the most of it. Unlike legacy platforms or stitched-together point solutions, Klaviyo gives you:

• A built-in CDP for real-time customer insights
• True omnichannel orchestration across email, SMS, push, WhatsApp, and more
• A no-dev setup without the need to rely on tech expertise

Ultimately, you don’t need more tools. You need fewer tools that do more. With WhatsApp now part of Klaviyo, you’ve got everything you need to create better customer conversations, stronger relationships, and more meaningful results.

Now’s the time to start.