Guide to Using WhatsApp Quick Replies for Your eCommerce Business

The speed at which you respond to consumer queries, concerns and questions, can make or break a sale. The same holds true for when you’re marketing on WhatsApp or running click to WhatsApp ads to drive more sales for your business. That’s where using WhatsApp Quick Replies comes in! 

In this post, we’re going to tell you everything about what WhatsApp quick replies are, the benefits of setting quick replies, how to set them up and templates you can customize to get started. 

What are WhatsApp Quick Replies? 

WhatsApp Quick Reply is a feature that allows businesses to respond to common queries, questions and concerns sent by customers quickly and easily. These are pre-written messages that work like templates. 

For example, a WhatsApp Quick Reply can be used to answer questions about product size guides, service details, refund, return and exchange policies, and more. 

What are the benefits of WhatsApp Quick Replies? 

Some of the benefits of setting up WhatsApp Quick Replies include: 

• Improve response time - With responses ready, you can automate sending replies to common queries. The faster your turnaround time, the better is the customer experience you offer, leading to more sales. 
• Improve team productivity - By templatising the responses, the team managing responses can focus on queries that require manual intervention to offer shopping assistance. This doubles the productivity and the rate at which the team can respond to customers. 
• Consistent brand tone of voice - Having a set of WhatsApp quick replies, also ensures that you respond to queries in a certain way; this includes the tone of voice in which you respond to questions, which can positively or negatively impact customer experience. 

How to set up and send WhatsApp Quick Replies on the WhatsApp Business App? 

If you’re just getting started with WhatsApp for marketing, you can set up Quick Replies using the WhatsApp Business App. Here are the steps you need to follow: 

• Launch the WhatsApp Business app 
• Go to Business tools 
• Select Quick replies 
• Tap the Add quick reply button 
• Enter a shortcut for your quick reply 
• Enter a reply message (you can also add images) 
• Tap save once done 
• You can come back and edit the WhatsApp quick reply any time 

Once you have the WhatsApp quick replies set up, here’s how you can send them from the WhatsApp Business App: 

• Open any conversation on WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp Business Web 
• Tap on the paperclip icon and select Quick Reply; alternatively, type ‘/’ in the text box to view your quick replies 
• Select the quick reply you want to use or use the shortcut to select it
• Edit the message if required 
• Click send 

How many WhatsApp quick replies can you set up on WhatsApp Business app? 

The maximum number of quick replies that you can set up on the WhatsApp Business app is 50. Your quick replies can have a maximum length of 25 characters. This limit is good enough for individual or very small businesses that are just getting started with WhatsApp marketing. 

But what if you’re a business with a larger customer base and thousands of incoming customer queries? 

Then you need to set up Quick Replies using the WhatsApp Business API. 

How to set up WhatsApp quick replies using the WhatsApp Business API? 

Using the WhatsApp Business API, you can set up almost 5,000 quick replies to use across marketing, sales and support conversations. You can categorize these quick replies for better organization and easy search, and include dynamic variables to make them more engaging. 

But to set up quick replies using the WhatsApp Business API, you need to: 

• Register your phone number for WhatsApp Business API 
• Sign up for a WhatsApp Business API solution provider like QuickReply.ai 
• Click settings > Add quick replies > Categorize quick replies 
• You can also set up triggers to automate sending these quick replies based on customer input/ selection 

Recommended read: How to set up WhatsApp quick replies to boost customer engagement

Must-have WhatsApp quick reply messages for eCommerce businesses 

While the quick replies you set up must be based on the type of products you sell, who you sell too and the queries you receive frequently, here are some we recommend having in place: 

1. Greeting messages 

These are WhatsApp quick replies that get sent when a consumer reaches out to your brand seeking information or support. 

• Hey {name}, thank you for reaching out to us! Our team will get in touch with you soon. 
• Hey {name}, thank you for contacting us. How can we help you? 
• Hello {name}, we’re glad you reached out to us! What can we help you with today? 
• Hey {name}, thanks for reaching out to us. Tell us a little about the products you’re looking for? 

2. Availability hours 

No matter how big or small your business is, you need to communicate your availability clearly to customers to set the right expectations. 

• Hey {name}, our support team is available from 9 am to 5 pm on all week days. But please feel free to tell us how we can help you! 
• Our customer support team is available from 9 am to 5 pm on week days. Please reach out to us later! 
• Hey {name}, thank you for reaching out to us. Our team is available from 9 am to 5 pm on all week days. We’ll get back to you shortly! 

3. Delayed replies 

There will be times when it takes longer for your team to reach out and respond to customers - especially during the festive or the sale season. Instead of keeping them waiting, use WhatsApp quick replies. 

• Hey {name}, sorry we were out of office for the holidays. Is there something we can help you with now? 
• Hey {name}, we have had an overwhelming response on our best-sellers the last couple of days and missed your message. How can we help you today?

4. Refunds and returns 

Before customers make a purchase, they may want to probe the return and refund policy of your brand to secure themselves. This is where you can use WhatsApp Quick Replies to respond with information or process requests. 

• Hey {name}, we accept returns on all products within 15 days from delivery. You can learn more about the return policy here {link} 
• Hey {name}, we have received your refund/ return request. Please send us pictures of the product with tags intact for processing the request! 
• Hey {name}, we have received your refund request. The refund will be processed in 3 business days! 

5. No more discounts 

Many times online shoppers may reach out to you seeking additional discounts, offers or benefits. Set up WhatsApp quick replies to respond to these queries if you don’t have anything additional to offer. 

• Hey {name}, thank you for reaching out! But we don’t have any additional discounts available on products. All our ongoing discounts are present on the website. 
• Hey {name}, thanks for reaching out to us! We currently don’t have any discounts running but can assure you that you will love the quality of our products. 

6. Technical glitches and downtime 

There will be times when your website is not working properly or faces a down time due to recent updates. You can use Quick Replies to notify your customers of the same when the complaints start to pour in! 

• Hey {name}, thanks for reaching out to us! Our site is facing some technical issues and our team is working hard to fix them. Can we take your order on WhatsApp? 
• Hey {name}, thank you for contacting us. We’re currently working on our website; but you can shop from our WhatsApp catalog! 

7. Seek customer feedback 

Once you have conversed with a customer, you can use WhatsApp quick replies to seek feedback on the interaction. 

• Did we answer all your questions? Feel free to leave a review of your experience with us here {link} 
• Did we help you find the products you were looking for? Please share your feedback with us so we can serve you better {link}
• You recently purchased {product name} from our store. We’d love to know more about your experience. Got 2 minutes to leave us a review? {link} 

8. Product notifications 

Whether it’s a new product launch or a bestseller that has been restocked, you can make use of WhatsApp quick replies to notify customers. 

• Hey {name}, {product name} is back in stock! You can even get a 15% discount on it before it runs out {link} 
• Hey {name}, we’re launching our new {collection name} today at 5 pm. Would you like to get early access and place a preorder? Simply reply to this message. 
• Hey {name}, our range of {collection name} has run out of stock. While we’re working on bringing it back soon, you can preorder your favorites with us here! 

9. Closing conversations 

Once you have concluded a conversation with customers, you can also use WhatsApp quick replies to let them know of the same. This can also help your team see that the conversation has been brought to a close. 

• Hope we were able to answer all your questions. Is there anything else we can help you with? 
• Thank you again, {customer name} for reaching out to us! We are always happy to help you find the best of products. 

Do you have your WhatsApp quick replies set up? 

WhatsApp quick replies are a must-have for businesses that want to use WhatsApp for marketing, sales and support. 

They ensure you can keep the conversation going in a meaningful way, ensuring the consumer remains engaged throughout the lifecycle. 

In addition to helping you set up more WhatsApp quick replies, QuickReply.ai also comes with 40+ pre-built and customizable automation workflows to further enhance how your team makes use of quick replies. From following up with messages sent after a quick reply to nudging the buyer towards the next steps of making the purchase, we help you close the loop! 

Ready to make the most of WhatsApp quick replies and marketing automation? 

Book a demo of QuickReply.ai today.