How WhatsApp helps small companies

Purchase fish by a chat window — that’s the USP of Parthaa Kundu’s enterprise. Delhi-based Kundu, the founding father of Fishappy, home-delivers fish from chosen distributors. Clients can see movies of dwell fish, choose what they need and sort of their orders — all on WhatsApp’s platform for enterprise.

Kundu, 47, began Fishappy in 2015 and promoted his enterprise by phrase of mouth, an internet site and pamphlets in newspapers. He signed up for WhatsApp Enterprise in June 2019. “The enterprise exploded, as customers have been already accustomed to WhatsApp.

Now 97% of the enterprise comes through the app,” says Kundu, who was within the luxurious journey business earlier than turning into an entrepreneur. He sources fish from choose distributors in Delhi and sells to 500-550 clients a month within the Delhi-NCR area now, from round 300 clients 18 months again.

Many small companies like Kundu’s across the nation are discovering that the enterprise platform of the favored chat app may be probably the most becoming tech platform for his or her scale and nature. Small companies wrestle to be found on bigger ecommerce platforms. And their scale doesn’t allow them to spend money on digital advertising and drive site visitors to their very own web site or Fb web page. They discover Whatsapp Enterprise to be an appropriate substitute for an internet site or app and love that anybody can handle the backend. There is no such thing as a want for devoted customer support workers, as you may reply queries on the go. This helps enhance buyer satisfaction as customers get on the spot replies.

Abhijit Bose, head of WhatsApp India, says the app permits end-to-end communication cycle between small companies and clients. “What began as a P2P (peer-to-peer) service has enabled customers to attach the identical approach in P2B (peer-tobusiness) conversations.”

About a million small companies in India have already signed up on the platform. Globally, that quantity stands at 5 million.

The 2 main drawbacks, nevertheless, are the absence of funds and options designed to assist companies of a comparatively small scale. This implies as soon as a small enterprise scales, the proprietor must discover a extra applicable platform for his or her dimension. As soon as the platform throws opens funds, which the corporate says will occur inside a number of months, it might see fast adoption by extra small companies.

“We will make enterprise house owners’ life simpler and it additionally assist in growing their gross sales,” says Bose. “I feel that may find yourself digitising them extra as they get extra snug. One other distinguishing issue is our scale and we’re capable of contact tier-2 and -Three cities as a result of varied sectors use WhatsApp. For instance, agriculture is a large sector the place lots of companies run on WhatsApp for various wants.”

Companies can obtain the app at no cost and create a profile of their choices. However they need to register a separate cellphone quantity for enterprise use because the quantity used for WhatsApp can’t be used for the enterprise platform. It additionally permits a enterprise to register utilizing a landline quantity, not like within the mom app. Companies can simply type and automate messages.

The flip aspect is that companies must use on-line or offline campaigns to advertise their presence on the messaging app. Nonetheless, regardless of not supporting funds in the intervening time, the app has the potential for companies to transform curiosity right into a sale. Indu Cautious, the founding father of saree and accent vendor Asomkriti, found this in 2018. Bengaluru-based Cautious, 32, a former product supervisor with an IT firm, began the enterprise in 2017 to promote merchandise comparable to mekhela chadar (conventional sarees from Assam), kurtis, jewelry and stoles sourced instantly from 55 weavers in Assam.

Although she was promoting by Asomkriti’s web site, she quickly realised that folks usually add objects to cart however don’t make an precise buy. Ecommerce websites have been overcrowded with massive sellers. So Cautious signed up on WhatsApp Enterprise in mid-2018. “Issues modified virtually instantly, as individuals trusted the app. Our conversion from curiosity to gross sales elevated to 60%.”

The startup sells 600 merchandise a month now and does enterprise value Rs 5.5-6 lakh. The app has a inexperienced verify mark on verified profiles, making it simpler for individuals to know if the enterprise is real or not. Ahmedabad-based Lightspeed Mobility, which makes battery-operated cycles, is one other enterprise that has been capable of shut extra on-line gross sales due to WhatsApp Enterprise.



The corporate, based by Rahil Rupawala, 33, in 2017 has 15 sellers in tier-1 cities however depends on on-line gross sales in smaller cities. “WhatsApp is essential to speak to our clients.

It helps us do personalised customer support,” says Rupawala. Lightspeed handles 250300 queries a day over WhatsApp and sells 100 cycles—costing Rs 31,000-57,000 — a month now. Not simply merchandise, startups are additionally providing companies over WhatsApp Enterprise. For Mumbaiheadquartered Hey Deedee, an all-women courier service, the platform is the linchpin for seamless operations in 10 cities. The 900-women group of Hey Deedee, which delivers couriers for e-commerce firms comparable to Amazon, begins its day by checking updates (variety of couriers, choose up factors, and so forth) on the app. The crew then plans the deliveries and a territory head in every metropolis coordinates with the sphere groups.

“We do all product deliveries besides meals,” says Revathi Roy, managing director & CEO. “Conversations with area workers occur over the enterprise app and so they replace us over it in case of any challenge. I’ve pan-India visibility of the enterprise on the app.” The app has reached the monetary area, too. ScripBox, a Benguluru-based fintech firm, makes use of WhatsApp Enterprise to coach customers on loans, mutual funds and different such merchandise. It’s also gathering know-your-customer paperwork by the app. Manu Prasad, chief advertising officer, ScripBox, says, “Utilization of web is shifting to mobiles. WhatsApp is engaging due to its reputation.”

Chandigarh-based Feetport makes use of the app to confirm buyer particulars for some banks. The startup additionally makes use of the app to handle area groups of shoppers, together with Indraprastha Gasoline Restricted and Jaquar tub fittings. A typical theme amongst all these startups is that they’ve a small group — LightSpeed has 20, Feetport 18, Fishappy has 4 and Asomkriti has seven.

The corporate has a separate resolution for bigger companies as nicely, however is at the moment open solely to a choose few. Such entities pay for the service, get an API (software programming interface) and might customise the app.



For example, customers reserving tickets on the web sites of Makemytrip or PVR Cinemas can decide to obtain reserving notifications on WhatsApp. Customers can get tickets or a QR code on the cellphone and in addition get entry to a seat map to pick their airplane seats or e book in-flight meals.

Makemytrip.com’s Chief Product Officer Anshuman Bapna says, “Majority of India is on WhatsApp already and it helps us simply contact individuals who have opted to make use of this technique. The most important use-case is buyer assist.” Bose says, “An API (software programming interface) model is just not one thing that your typical retailer proprietor would be capable of assist. However it could possibly assist firms that function at a bigger scale and responds to thousands and thousands of request a day.”

Kotak Financial institution, OYO and BookMyShow are a few of the different firms which have signed up for this service. Parikshit Dar, co-founder & director of BookMyShow, says, “The app helps us create a private reference to our clients through on the spot communication updates.” The app is sort of a default communication platform for BookMyShow. Nonetheless, one criticism most small companies have is that WhatsApp Enterprise doesn’t have a fee possibility.

Ankur Pahwa, associate, EY, says, “One huge problem is funds. WeChat’s success (in China) got here with funds. Else it could have simply be a platform for discovery, lead technology and there could be gaps between discovery and conversion.” A fee service will probably be added to the app by the year-end, says WhatsApp India’s Bose. Till then, individuals like Fishappy’s Kundu should depend on different platforms, bank cards or cashon-delivery to gather cash. That’s not but an issue for Kundu as he handles 500-550 orders a month.

“If it scales to 1,000 orders or extra a month, WhatsApp Enterprise will proceed to be an vital half, however I’d want different touchpoints as nicely.” Or he must shift to the paid service. For now, the messaging app fills a void for entrepreneurs who discover e-commerce marketplaces too huge for consolation.