By Parvathy Pillai
Technology for MSMEs: Reliance Jio-backed Haptik’s Interakt, which helps small and medium businesses (SMBs) manage their sales and customer interactions on WhatsApp, has launched an exclusive ‘WhatsApp Sales Channel’ app on the e-commerce platform Shopify’s App Store to help latter’s over 1,000 SMB merchants increase their store sales and boost revenue, according to a company statement.
Interakt currently serves more than 3,000 businesses including over 2,500 SMBs and over 500 direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands using WhatsApp as a cognitive sales channel. With Shopify integration, the company is targetting its merchants as well in India.
A number of Shopify merchants already using Interakt, according to the company, have seen a 65 per cent increase in the abandoned cart recoveries and an 80 per cent dip in marketing and CRM expenditures. The new integration allows merchants to auto-sync their Shopify store with WhatsApp and share product catalogues with customers automatically via WhatsApp, Interakt said.
“The Shopify-Interakt integration has helped over 1000 merchants leverage the simplicity and reach of WhatsApp to build strong relations with their buyers. Our clients have also reported up to 20 per cent of their business coming via WhatsApp and our goal is to empower 10,000 more businesses through our platform in the financial year 2022-23,” Ahshad Jussawalla, VP & Business Head, Interakt told TheSpuzz Online.
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WhatsApp’s recent feature — automated product catalog messages — launched for its business API users is leveraged by businesses to boost sales, said company. It enables businesses to promote their goods by incorporating up to 30 products into a single message along with photographs, descriptions, prices, and more, and allows customers to find, choose, and purchase goods.
“Indian consumers are increasingly engaging in deep conversations with brands on WhatsApp and other messenger apps before committing to a purchase. They could be looking to know more about the size or color of a new Kurti, or want to know which washing machine has the latest features and long warranty,” said Bharati Balakrishnan, Country Head, and Director, Shopify India.
“Shopify aims to help Indian merchants succeed in meeting these needs by working with partners like WhatsApp and Interakt to deliver innovative new products that help Indian brands build real, long-term connections with their customers,” she added.