30 Jan 2024
The Easter Bunny isn’t the only one keeping busy this time of year. All the chocolate eggs and bunnies, decorations, and family gatherings make this a great time for retailers to increase sales.
WhatsApp provides the perfect basket of features to drive sales this Easter. In 2023, retailers expected a 20% lower additional sales value on Easter but still claimed around 30% of additional sales during this period. Let’s explore 10 ways to use WhatsApp this Easter.
Why WhatsApp is perfect for Easter sales
Over 1 billion people worldwide use WhatsApp daily, making it an effective platform to engage with today’s always-connected shoppers, especially during festive holidays. WhatsApp allows retailers to boost sales with targeted broadcasts, personalised chatbots and many other tools.
Here are 4 reasons why retailers need to use WhatsApp to connect with customers during Easter:
Increased brand visibility
Higher customer engagement
Bigger sales opportunities
Increased loyalty and retention
10 ways to boost Easter sales using WhatsApp
1. Spread smiles with WhatsApp templates
Make your shoppers' day by sending engaging ready-to-go Easter templates wishing warm seasonal greetings alongside gift suggestions or savings. You can easily set up marketing WhatsApp templates in Cue.
2. Increase conversions with WhatsApp broadcasts
Retailers can use WhatsApp broadcasts to send and create WhatsApp newsletters highlighting Easter promotions and end dates. It’s important to include dates in your WhatsApp newsletters to create urgency among your customers. An Experian report found that promotions with a sense of urgency had at least 14% higher click-to-open rates.
3. Automate conversations with WhatsApp chatbots
Did you know that by the end of 2024, chatbots are expected to save businesses up to 2.5 billion hours of work? WhatsApp chatbots can automate routine tasks like answering FAQs, collecting feedback, or qualifying leads. Before and during Easter, retailers can use WhatsApp chatbots to handle customer queries and answer common questions about any promotions and delivery updates.
4. Convenient WhatsApp chat menus
Chat menus on WhatsApp are designed to save agents and customers time. They are typically sent at the beginning of a conversation to route customers to agents or web pages efficiently. You can create flows using Cue to direct customers accordingly. Retailers can create an Easter-specific menu with the following items:
Explore Easter promos
Talk to support
Track existing order
5. Reassure customers with WhatsApp auto-replies
Retailers can create WhatsApp auto-reply messages to reassure customers who message them during this period that they’ve received their query and will get back to them. WhatsApp auto-reply messages can include FAQs, links to promo pages, and online catalogues. By setting up automatic WhatsApp messages, you make it easier for customers and create a form of trust.
6. Efficient customer support with WhatsApp for teams
Retailers can add multiple support agents to their official WhatsApp Business account to boost customer support. During this busy time, this allows businesses to route queries efficiently to relevant agents. This can include queries about order issues, product recommendations or general Easter questions.
7. Real-time sales and support with WhatsApp live chat
Compared to email (61%) and phone support (44%), live chat has a 73% satisfaction rate. Using WhatsApp live chat, retailers can provide real-time support to their customers and also upsell existing products. When chatting to customers in real-time, agents can recommend products to customers.
8. Boost engagement with WhatsApp buttons
Customer engagement can be improved by including WhatsApp buttons in your messages. There are three types of WhatsApp buttons: quick reply buttons, link buttons, and call buttons. Customers can ask about stock availability, explore product categories, or get Easter promo recommendations using quick replies. A customer can tap a pre-defined "Show me Easter promos" button to access Easter promotional catalogues.
9. Convenient assistance with WhatsApp web widgets
Website visitors can conveniently start WhatsApp chats via web widgets to check item availability or ask about Easter promos. By adding a free WhatsApp web widget to your website, retailers allow customers to connect with them on WhatsApp without leaving their website. This increases the amount of time spent on your website and could also potentially lead to a sale.
10. Generate leads on WhatsApp using Facebook ads
Retailers can create Facebook ads that click through to WhatsApp. These are called “WhatsApp click-to-chat ads”. These ads bring leads and customers right to a WhatsApp chat with your business and automatically start a chat with your agents or your chatbot.
Tips for effective WhatsApp Easter promos
Here are 5 quick tips for retailers to keep in mind when running Easter promos on WhatsApp:
🐇 Playful tone: Adopt a casual, friendly style with relevant Easter puns.
🐣 Cart abandonment: Set up automated flows to tempt shoppers back who left items unfinished around Easter by spotlighting their forgotten items
🥚 Clear value: Spotlight discounts, promotions and gift ideas right up front.
🐰 Personalisation: Use customer data to tailor promotions around their interests and needs for higher relevance and conversions.
🧺 Urgency: Highlight expiring offers to encourage faster action.
Put your eggs in one basket with WhatsApp
It’s simple to leverage WhatsApp this Easter in creative ways that boost sales. Don’t scramble at the last minute; contact Cue today for a demo!