Complete Guide to Set Up and Use a Whatsapp Chat Widget to Increase Conversions

Are you looking for ways to immediately strike a conversation with your website visitors and reduce the bounce rate you experience? It’s time to set up the WhatsApp chat widget on your store. 

In this guide, we’re going to talk all about what a WhatsApp chat widget is, why online businesses are replacing the traditional live chat with it, how doing so helps integrate your marketing, sales and support initiatives, and the types of WhatsApp automation you should set up. 

What is a WhatsApp chat widget? 

A WhatsApp chat widget is similar to what a live chat widget is. It is a chat widget that gets embedded on your online store website and gives visitors an option to start a conversation with you - but in this case, on WhatsApp. 

How does the WhatsApp chat widget work? 

To set up a WhatsApp chat widget on your online store, you will need to have access to a WhatsApp Business API solution like QuickReply.ai. This helps you integrate the website chat with your WhatsApp Business account, enabling you to use all the API features like automations and more to manage conversations. 

The WhatsApp chat widget can appear anywhere you set it on your website. For example, you make the widget appear at a corner-bottom of the website or corner-center to make it visible. 

Once someone clicks on the WhatsApp chat widget, it takes the customer to the mobile or desktop WhatsApp app. This is where they can leave a message to you for starting a conversation - alternatively, this is also an opportunity for you to initiate the conversation to make it more directional, using automations (more on this in the later section). 

What are the benefits of a WhatsApp chat widget? 

In addition to the same benefits as that of a live chat, here are the benefits of a WhatsApp chat widget on your online store: 

• Commonly used platform - WhatsApp is a commonly used channel for day to day conversations, making your store visitors more comfortable with the idea of engaging with your business on the messaging platform. 
• Convert site visitors into contacts - Unlike live chat wherein the visitor is required to enter name, email address and phone number, the widget is able to automatically obtain the customer’s phone number and name saved on their WhatsApp account. This helps build out your WhatsApp list faster. 
• Reconnect with customers - Live chat requires the visitor to remain on the website to keep the conversation going, which often leads to high drop-offs. But on WhatsApp, you get the chance to follow-up with the customer even after they have left the site - infact, it doesn’t require them to remain on the website to talk to your representatives. 

How to set up a WhatsApp chat widget on your online store? 

Setting up a WhatsApp chat widget is easy. All you need to do is follow these steps: 

• Create a WhatsApp Business account - The first thing you need to do is create a WhatsApp Business account and set it up. This includes setting up your profile picture, business description, business contact details, catalog and more. 
• Choose Your WhatsApp Chat Button Integration Tool - A good WhatsApp Business API solution like QuickReply.ai comes with an easy to set up chat widget that requires only copy-pasting a code snippet onto your website. 
• Customize Your WhatsApp Chat Button - Tailor how the WhatsApp chat widget appears, where it shows up, how it works, and the greeting message that appears to visitors. 

How to use the WhatsApp chat widget for your online store? 

A WhatsApp chat widget can be set up and used to serve different business objectives and goals. Let’s take a look at some of the common use cases of the WhatsApp chat widget: 

1. WhatsApp chat widget for customer support

The very first use case of the WhatsApp chat widget is to offer customer support services to your website visitors. Most online shoppers seek easy ways to contact businesses when looking for shopping assistance, and WhatsApp makes for the perfect channel. 

For example, if you display the WhatsApp chat widget across all pages, they can choose to reach out to you for product sizing assistance, probing shipping costs and more. 

2. WhatsApp chat widget for lead generation 

Based on what your business sells online or the complexity of the purchase cycle, you can use the WhatsApp chat widget to generate qualified leads. 

For example, if you sell customized products, you can use the WhatsApp chat widget to strike a conversation with interested buyers and collect the information required on the messaging platform. 

3. WhatsApp chat widget for marketing 

Use the WhatsApp chat widget to bring the visitor’s attention to your new marketing campaigns. For instance, you can use a popup message that talks about messaging you to get more details about an upcoming sale, a new product/ collection launch and similar. 

4. WhatsApp chat widget for sales 

Continuing on your marketing campaign, you can also use WhatsApp to make sales by following up on the conversation triggered from the chat widget. This can include taking pre-orders or orders on products a consumer has shown interest in, using WhatsApp catalog messages and checkout links on the messaging platform. 

Must-have automations to set up for using the WhatsApp chat widget 

Similar to the live chat widget, your online store visitors are going to expect a quick turnaround time and response to their messages on WhatsApp. So before you go live with the WhatsApp chat widget on your website, ensure you set up the following automations using QuickReply.ai: 

1. Automate WhatsApp greeting message 

A visitor may start a conversation from the WhatsApp chat widget but drop off right after opening the chat. Instead of giving them the room to move away, automate a greeting message that gets sent almost immediately. 

For example, when a visitor lands on the WhatsApp chat window, send them a message saying, “Hey, thanks for getting in touch with us! What products would you like to buy?” 

2. Automate responses to FAQs 

The WhatsApp chat widget is definitely going to be used for seeking answers to queries like where an order is, what sizing guide you offer, your shipping, returns, refund, etc policies and more. Since the answers are standardized, ensure you save the workload your support team has to handle by automating the responses. 

For example, when a visitor asks about your shipping costs, you can trigger a message that walks them through how the shipping cost is calculated. An agent only needs to step in when the visitor has specific queries like wanting a discount on the shipping or alternate shipping modes. 

3. Automate your availability messages 

Based on the timings at which your business runs or the agents are available, we recommend automating availability messages. This mostly includes setting a message for the hours you’re not available at. 

But with QuickReply.ai, you can automate the WhatsApp away message to also gather more information from the consumer so that you can get back with a resolution as soon as possible. 

4. Automate follow-up messages 

Despite a proactive turnaround time on WhatsApp, some consumers may drop-off from the conversation. Ensure you follow up with them to seek if their query/ concern was resolved or if they’d like more help. 

For example, if the consumer has not responded in 24 hours, follow up with a message like, “You reached out to us yesterday. We hope you found the product you were looking for!” 

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5. Automate shopping workflows 

If you are using a WhatsApp Business API provider like QuickReply.ai, you can also automate custom workflows that cover before, during and after purchase journeys for consumers. This can include starting by understanding what the consumer is looking for, sending personalized product recommendations, sharing product information, providing a checkout link, transactional messages, shipping notifications and more. 

We recommend reading these articles for WhatsApp automations you must set up to make the most of the WhatsApp chat widget: 

• How to personalize pre-purchase buying journeys on WhatsApp
• WhatsApp automations to set up for personalizing buying path
• Personalize post purchase customer journey with WhatsApp automations

Get ready to make the most of the WhatsApp chat widget with QuickReply.ai! 

QuickReply.ai uses the official WhatsApp Business API to help you turn the messaging platform into a sales channel. With advanced WhatsApp automation workflows, we can help you convert the conversations coming from the WhatsApp chat widget in no time! 

Additionally, we also equip you with the ability to integrate your WhatsApp marketing efforts with a CRM and create a shared inbox to manage conversations better. 

Want to learn more? 

Book a demo of QuickReply.ai today.