WhatsApp Sales: How to Increase Revenue for Your Iron and Steel Store?

A few years ago, businesses discovered they could use a popular messaging app to market products and maintain close contact with customers. As a result, WhatsApp sales became increasingly popular.

In this article, we'll explore some ways to use the app to generate more sales for your iron and steel store, focusing on WhatsApp Business and its unique features. Check it out!

How important is WhatsApp in the Brazilian market?

For the general population, WhatsApp is simply a messaging app, great for chatting with friends, family, and coworkers. For businesses, however, it's an excellent technology to explore new opportunities to close deals.

Includes, a search A recent survey conducted by the National Confederation of Retail Managers (CNDL) and the Credit Protection Service (SPC Brasil) revealed that approximately 67% of Brazilian companies in the commerce and services sectors have already adopted WhatsApp as their main sales channel.

As the name suggests, WhatsApp Business is a business-focused version that allows direct communication with customers and business partners. It offers several key features to optimize customer service and sales, including:

• automatic responses;
• possibility of creating a business profile;
• labels to classify conversations;
• product catalog display.

What are the main features of WhatsApp Business?

Check out some ways to make the most of WhatsApp Business to optimize customer service at your iron and steel store, increasing your profitability:

• customer service — Because it's a practical app that sits in the palm of your hand, WhatsApp allows you to quickly respond to questions, offering fast support and keeping consumers well-informed;
• labels to organize contacts — with this feature, you can segment your audience more easily;
• product catalog — By displaying your products directly on your WhatsApp Business profile, you connect with customers and prevent them from having to visit your store's website to see what's available;
• automation of responses — by setting up automatic responses for certain situations, such as greetings and unavailability notices, you speed up service;
• broadcast lists — you can quickly set up lists and send bulk messages, in an individual channel with each contact;
• statistical analysis — through this feature, it is possible to obtain data on messages sent, received, read and delivered.

WhatsApp Business API

A WhatsApp Business account is a versatile tool, applicable to businesses across a variety of sectors and with multiple goals. For more advanced features, you can use the WhatsApp Business API (Application Programming Interface).

This feature allows other software in your store (such as management and CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, or marketing automation tools) to connect directly to WhatsApp Business. This opens up a range of possibilities for integrating WhatsApp into your existing workflows.

The API also allows you to automate customer service by building chatbots to respond to simple customer requests and send documents such as invoices. For more complex requests, support is directed to a human employee who will continue the conversation.

Because you can direct the conversation to an automated or human conversation depending on the situation, your store expands its service capacity without compromising quality and accuracy.

How to increase sales through WhatsApp Business?

Below, check out some tips to make the best use of WhatsApp Business in your iron and steel store.

Create a business profile

Through WhatsApp Business, you can create a complete professional profile with a photo, address, hours, business type, description, website, and contact information. This makes it easier for customers to recognize your business.

To enjoy this feature, follow these steps:

• open the app and click on “Settings”;
• then click on “Business Settings”;
• Finally, click on “Profile” to fill in the data and make the final adjustments to your business profile.

Develop a product catalog

Showcase your products with photos, descriptions, prices, and item codes. This way, customers can view the information directly on your profile before contacting you.

To implement this feature, the steps are as follows:

• In the app, click “More options.” Then, click “Settings”;
• then select “Business Tools” and click on “Catalog”;
• To create a catalog, click "Add item," then the plus icon and "Add images." You can upload images from the "Gallery" folder or take a photo by clicking "Camera."
• then you can add details such as name, description, price, link and code;
• to finish, click on “Save”.

Create automatic messages

Set up automatic welcome messages and responses for when you're away. This way, customers will get a quick response and avoid giving up on contact. Follow these steps:

• open WhatsApp Business and tap “Settings”;
• select “Business Settings”.
• choose “Greeting Message” or “Away Message”;
• type your message and tap “Activate”.

You can edit your away message and set the sending time by selecting the following options: “Always send”, “Custom schedule”, or “After business hours”.

Use the tags

Available in different colors, tags allow you to organize your contacts according to your needs, grouping conversations to facilitate searches, communication, and marketing strategies. Therefore, they are a valuable resource for segmenting your iron and steel store's audience more effectively.

To add a label to a new contact:

• in the conversation with the customer, tap the menu button;
• select an existing bookmark and save.

To create a new bookmark:

• tap the menu button;
• select “New Bookmark” and tap “Save”.

Get statistics on sent messages

You can access reports with data on messages sent, delivered, read and contacts received to evaluate communication and optimize your marketing strategies and customer prospecting.

Learn how to do this:

• tap on the “Menu” option;
• select “Settings”;
• tap on “Business Settings”;
• then “Statistics”. The information will be displayed.

WhatsApp Business is one of the technologies that companies have at their disposal to optimize communication with the public and boost sales. Thanks to advanced features, closing sales via WhatsApp is quick and convenient. So, be sure to take advantage of this tool's full potential in your iron and steel store!

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