Learn how a perfumes brand grew their WhatsApp list and now drives sales from the channel using the WhatsApp Business API with QuickReply.ai.
About the company
Noorson is a Gujarat-based DTC brand in India that aims to create pure and fine quality fragrances. Their range of the best attar, bakhoor, oud, oils, cosmetics and perfumes is made by blending the best complementing notes of fragrances.
Challenges
As a brand that sells authentic fragrances, it is important for Noorson to be able to understand consumer interest, intent and preferences. This helps them recommend the right product from their collections, leading to positive customer experiences.
But getting a consumer to initiate a conversation with them from the website had been a recurring challenge for the brand. This resulted in higher bounce rates from the website and lower conversions, and the traditional approach to live chat became ineffective once a site visitor exited the page they landed on.
After months of research on consumer behavior and the channels they preferred to engage with the brand on, Noorson wanted to explore the potential of WhatsApp Business for communication. On further research, they found that DTC brands actively used a WhatsApp Business API solution provider like QuickReply.ai to be able to do so at scale.
Solution
After the initial discovery call, the QuickReply.ai team understood that the challenge Noorson faced had to be addressed in two steps. It was important for the brand to first capture the intent and interest of the site visitors, and then proactively communicate with them to be able to sell their collection of oud, attar and other products.
1. Implementing a WhatsApp opt-in popup
WhatsApp is proven to deliver high open rates on campaigns owing to the app’s natural use across demographics. This made it crucial for the brand to be able to capture WhatsApp phone numbers of their site visitors.
To be able to do this, we implemented a smart popup on their website with a custom offer on a visitor’s order in lieu of their phone number.
By making the deal sweeter for interested buyers, the WhatsApp opt-in popup strategy resulted in:
- Targeting 33,913 website users
- Adding 5447 phone numbers to WhatsApp list
- Getting 16% conversion rate on popup
2. Following up with an automated WhatsApp campaign
Instead of displaying the discount code on the popup window right after getting an opt-in, we took another approach.
With the help of WhatsApp Business API, we implemented the welcome flow using QuickReply.ai automations. The idea was to trigger a message on WhatsApp as soon as someone entered a verified phone number on the popup window.
We kept the WhatsApp welcome message crisp and to the point, highlighting the offer, the benefit and adding a validity period to the same for creating FOMO.
The ability to set up an automated WhatsApp welcome message and tapping into consumer psychology, led to the following results:
- Total messages sent: 3,815
- Replies received: 346
- CTR: 9%
Overall results
When we combine the results from the above two strategies implemented on Noorson, we saw the brand experienced an increase in their overall customer engagement, conversion on marketing rates and the revenue coming in from the messaging app.
Here’s a glimpse of how well the brand was able to convert WhatsApp opt-ins into sales:
- Conversion rate - Order / Replies: 59.54%
- Orders received: 206
- WhatsApp spend: Rs.2,238/-
- Revenue generated: Rs.145,146/-
- WhatsApp ROI: 6,487%
The way forward
After the first round of success, Noorson is now actively exploring other WhatsApp automations with QuickReply.ai. Our collective goal is to be able to use the phone numbers in the WhatsApp opt-in list to drive more sales and repeat purchases in a recurring, sustainable manner.
To be able to do so, we’re now implementing the following WhatsApp automation campaigns:
1. Abandoned cart recovery
With an increase in site visitors, Noorson is also seeing a steady rise in their average cart abandonment rate. While they have retargeting and remarketing campaigns in place, they are now using WhatsApp to follow-up with buyers who have opted in at some stage in the buying cycle.
As compared to traditional channels like email, QuickReply.ai has helped the brand set up a custom multi-step workflow to follow-up with shoppers. The WhatsApp abandoned cart recovery automation now includes sending out a reminder, followed up with social proof like reviews and testimonials on the product, a discount and a message that creates FOMO.
2. Repeat purchase reminders
The brand now also actively segments its customers based on their level of interaction, engagement, previous purchases and purchase motivations. With their high-intent buyers segmented into a separate WhatsApp list, Noorson has automated a WhatsApp campaign using QuickReply.ai to bring back these shoppers every two months.
From sending out a discount to encourage another purchase to restock reminders and product recommendations, we’re experimenting with different types of campaigns to drive higher repeat sales.
3. New product launches
Noorson is actively building out their product collections based on consumer preferences, feedback and interests. But getting consumers to explore new products can be challenging.
We’re now setting WhatsApp broadcast campaigns to promote their new launches proactively amongst the opt-ins we have received. The idea is to get new products noticed by those who have shown interest towards what the brand has to offer, keeping our messages personalized.
4. Clearance sales
Flash sales tend to see the highest amount of conversions for eCommerce businesses. The combined power of FOMO and scarcity, alongside a discount nudges impulse purchases.
So based on product performance and stock availability, we’re now also setting up monthly Clearance Sales on WhatsApp for consumers who opt-in to their list. The idea is to pave the way for clearing out the last of stocks on existing products, while establishing a channel to promote the new stock as it gets launched.
5. COD to prepaid orders
Another challenge highlighted by the brand was the increasing issues of NDR and RTO on their cash on delivery orders. To tackle this proactively, we’re now using QuickReply.ai workflow for post-purchase WhatsApp automation that encourages COD customers to prepay for the orders placed.
The idea is to follow-up with COD customers, highlighting the benefits of prepaying for their orders, along with a discount code that creates a win-win situation. We also help these customers prepay for orders easily on WhatsApp itself with the help of checkout links, payment gateway integrations and channels like UPI.