The Ultimate Guide to Shopify WhatsApp Marketing in 2025

What if your messages could achieve a 98% open rate, and your abandoned carts effortlessly turn into completed purchases? That’s exactly what Shopify WhatsApp marketing delivers.

With conversational commerce with WhatsApp, you can access a messaging app that your customers use almost daily.

Thus, there are no spam filters, promotional tabs, or scrolling past dozens of competitor emails.

In this blog, you can learn everything from basic setup to advanced automation strategies.

By integrating WhatsApp into your Shopify store, you can bring back customers who have abandoned carts, offer better customer satisfaction, and encourage customers to return.

What is WhatsApp Marketing in Shopify?

WhatsApp marketing in Shopify is the way of connecting with your customers through their beloved chat app for promotion, customer support, and re-engagement.

Unlike email or SMS, this can feel more personal. You can send personal messages that reach the customer right when they need them.

As a result, you can focus on lead generation, recover abandoned carts, and create loyalty among customers.

It is possible to use WhatsApp to send any media, like photos, videos, and GIFs. Furthermore, it can be used easily on phones and supports two-way conversations.

How to Implement Shopify WhatsApp Marketing?

You can implement Shopify WhatsApp marketing in two ways:

1. WhatsApp Business App: For small stores just getting started
2. WhatsApp Business API: For stores or enterprises with higher message volumes

Marketing your Shopify store with WhatsApp simply means replacing the channel for your existing efforts. Hence, you don’t have to change your team or content. Instead, you must simply make it WhatsApp-friendly.

For example, newsletters with email have a good impact. However, if you need instant communication like order confirmation, then sending personalized customer communication through WhatsApp is better.

Advantages of Using WhatsApp for Shopify Marketing

The advantages of using WhatsApp for Shopify marketing are:

1. Higher Engagement Rates

Unlike any form of marketing channel, WhatsApp has an almost perfect open rate score (98%). They report having 45-60% reply rates. Thus, a proof for creating genuine two-way conversations

2. More Personalization

With Shopify customer engagement WhatsApp strategies, you can not only address customers by name, but also refer to specific products they viewed or bought. Thus, you can send tailored recommendations based on behavior.

3. Easy Automation

You can set up WhatsApp drip campaigns and trigger them based on certain customer actions. Additionally, you can also easily schedule follow-up messages. By making this response conversational, you can almost make the interaction feel human.

4. Better Abandoned Cart Recovery

The average Shopify store loses 70% of carts to abandonment. However, with WhatsApp, you can answer objections in real-time and recover the carts easily.

5. Quick Customer Support

Apart from marketing for Shopify with WhatsApp, you can resolve customer issues quickly through asynchronous messaging. By building relationships, you can turn one-time buyers into repeat customers and increase customer lifetime value.

6. Global Reach

WhatsApp has its market in over 180 countries with over 3 billion users. Therefore, it’s highly likely that the region you are targeting is easy to capture using customer retention strategies involving WhatsApp.

How to Set Up WhatsApp Marketing for a Shopify Store

For setting up Shopify WhatsApp marketing, follow these steps:

1. Create a WhatsApp Business Account
2. Choose the right app from the Shopify App Store
3. Connect to the WhatsApp Business API (optional for scaling)
4. Add a chat widget to your store
5. Set up automations & message templates

Let’s break down each step.

1. Create a WhatsApp Business Account

As a first step, set up a WhatsApp business account for your Shopify store.

Here are the steps to register a Shopify WhatsApp business account:

1. Download the WhatsApp Business app
2. Register with a business phone number (not your personal one)
3. Enter your business name as you want customers to see it
4. Complete your profile with:
   • Business logo
   • Business description
   • Address and location
   • Business category
   • Operating hours
5. Submit for verification (may take up to 2-3 business days)

Following this, you can set up simple automation.

• Welcome message for new customers
• Away messages for when you’re offline
• Quick replies to frequently asked questions

Then, you can add your product catalog to your WhatsApp account so that anyone can view it.

This WhatsApp Business account is only the foundation of your WhatsApp business marketing for Shopify. However, you have to continue with the next set of steps to enjoy more features and scaling.

2. Choose the Best WhatsApp Marketing App for Shopify

The next step you should concentrate on is finding the best WhatsApp marketing app for Shopify.

In addition to automation, these apps can offer built-in templates and real-time tracking that can make your work easier.

Here are some key features to look for in the best WhatsApp app for Shopify:

1. Abandoned cart recovery: To recover lost sales automatically
2. Broadcast messaging: To send promotions to customer segments
3. Order status updates: To keep customers informed automatically
4. Message templates: To get pre-approval for marketing messages
5. Multiple agent support: To allow team collaboration as you grow
6. Analytics: To track performance and ROI

Furthermore, the best app can bring together multichannel marketing capabilities. Hence, growing by setting a workflow is easier.

Many best WhatsApp marketing apps for Shopify offer free trials, so you can test them before buying.

3. Connect the WhatsApp Business API for Scaling

As your business grows, having only the basic WhatsApp Business app won’t help. Hence, you will need a WhatsApp API Shopify connection.

Upgrade to WhatsApp API if:

1. You’re sending more than 100 messages daily
2. You need multiple team members handling conversations
3. You want deeper integration with your CRM system
4. You’re implementing complex Shopify WhatsApp automation flows

Many Shopify WhatsApp automation apps now include API access as part of their premium plans. Thus, the approval process can become simple.

With API access, you can automate Shopify order updates via WhatsApp at scale. Thus, creating a truly integrated customer experience.

Add a Chat Widget to Your Store

Once you’ve set up your WhatsApp Business account or API and chosen the right app, this is the next step. To make WhatsApp easily accessible, you can add a chat widget to your Shopify store.

For installing the chat widget, you can use the Shopify WhatsApp app. Most of them provide a simple widget installation process.

You can then configure display rules to control when and where the widget appears: For example, you can show on specific pages (product pages, checkout, contact) or set triggers based on user behavior (time spent, pages visited).

In addition, you can also set up automatic welcome messages that trigger when customers click your widget.

The widget can be your 24/7 customer service gateway. Thus, making it easier for customers to reach you instantly while browsing your products.

Set Up Automations & Message Templates

Automation is where WhatsApp marketing truly is useful for Shopify stores. By setting up smart marketing automations and pre-approved message templates, you can provide timely customer service while saving hours of manual work.

Some of the essential automation flows are:

1. Order Confirmation & Updates
2. Abandoned Cart Recovery
3. Customer Support Automation
4. Creating Message Templates

Your WhatsApp also requires pre-approved templates for business-initiated conversations.

For example, here are some template categories

1. Utility templates: Order updates, shipping notifications, appointment reminders
2. Marketing templates: Promotional offers, new product announcements, event invitations
3. Authentication templates: OTP codes, account verification messages

How to Automate Customer Engagement with WhatsApp on Shopify?

To automate customer engagement with WhatsApp on Shopify, you can set up a workflow like the following:

1. Welcome Series for New Customers
2. Order Confirmations & Updates
3. Re-engagement Campaigns
4. Abandoned Cart Recovery

Welcome Series for New Customers

Firstly, as soon as your customers complete the first purchase, send them a welcome message.

Following that, you can send a sequence of post-purchase messages like usage tips, feedback enquiry, request review, and a discount on the next purchase.

Order Confirmations & Updates

Following their purchase, you can send them an order confirmation and shipping updates. Thus, customers can stay informed about their order. As a result, customer support queries will reduce.

Re-engagement Campaigns

If it has been a while since the customer has purchased from you, then you can casually drop a message with offers or exclusive perks to nudge them to buy again.

While other automations can be the result of customer action, this is a pure form of Shopify WhatsApp marketing promotion.

Abandoned Cart Recovery

If a customer leaves products in their cart and is hesitant to complete the purchase, then you can reach out through WhatsApp.

You can offer them special discounts and offers. Furthermore, you can also offer live chat with the team to answer any queries regarding the product. Thus, leading them to complete the order.

Notably, Shopify’s abandoned cart recovery with WhatsApp has higher conversion rates than emails.

Thus, using this e-commerce messaging platform, you can stay in touch with your customers throughout their journey. Thus, you can drive growth while retaining customers.

How to Create WhatsApp Marketing Campaigns for Your Shopify Store?

Here is how you can create a WhatsApp marketing campaign for your Shopify store:

1. Set up your customer segmentation
2. Design your message templates
3. Plan your campaign schedule
4. Set up conversion tracking
5. Launch and monitor in real-time
6. Analyze results and optimize

Set up your customer segmentation

Firstly, define your target audience based on specific factors like purchase history, browsing behavior, geographical location, or customer lifetime value.

Then, create segments for new customers, repeat buyers, high-value customers, and those who abandoned carts.

Following that, craft Shopify WhatsApp marketing campaigns that are relevant to each customer’s behaviour. Consequently, the right people are at the right time.

Download the e-commerce audience segmentation checklist to make your work easier.

Design your message templates.

Secondly, you must create different templates for different campaigns and segments.

Decide if you want it to be promotional, transactional, or educational.

Then, include marketing personalization elements like customer name, product references, and clear calls-to-action.

Tip: Keep messages under 160 characters. Then, get all templates pre-approved before you send promotional messages through WhatsApp on Shopify.

Plan your campaign schedule.

Following that, decide when to send the messages. You must develop a balanced content calendar that mixes promotional content with helpful information.

However, avoid sending more than 1-2 WhatsApp broadcast messages to Shopify weekly. Moreover, respect time zones when scheduling broadcasts. You must create a concise calendar that keeps your brand top-of-mind without overwhelming customers.

Set up conversion tracking.

Before you start your campaign, make provisions to track easily. You can add UTM parameters to your Shopify WhatsApp links to track campaign performance.

Furthermore, conversion goals can be specific actions like completed checkouts, add-to-carts, or signups.

By analyzing them, you can easily calculate the ROI of your direct-to-consumer marketing efforts.

Launch and monitor in real-time.

At the start of your campaign, test with a small group before scaling to your full audience.

You can actively monitor key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates during the first hours of your Shopify WhatsApp marketing campaign.

Once you find out what works, you can scale your campaign.

Analyze results and optimize

Once your Shopify WhatsApp campaign is up and running, conduct a thorough analysis comparing results against your goals.

Firstly, identify which segments, messages, and sending times performed best. Then, use these insights to better your segmentation, content, and timing.

Thus, continuously improve the performance of your direct-to-consumer marketing strategy.

10 Best Practices for WhatsApp Marketing on Shopify

The 10 best practices for WhatsApp marketing on Shopify are:

• Get explicit opt-ins for Shopify WhatsApp chat to receive clear permission before adding customers to your Shopify WhatsApp marketing lists.
• Personalize every message with the customer’s name, order history, and browsing history. Learn behavior segmentation to customize communications.
• Combine automation with a human touch by setting up automations with humans in place to take over when conversations get complex.
• Track key metrics and monitor open rates, response rates, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction scores.
• Keep messages concise and actionable to respect your customers’ time with clear, to-the-point communications.
• Use rich media to effectively include product images, videos, and interactive buttons to drive engagement.
• Avoid spamming with excessive promotions and limit marketing messages to 1-2 per week, maximum for customer journey optimization.
• Refrain from using WhatsApp Business for personal use.
• Don’t let customers wait. For optimizing Shopify customer service with WhatsApp integration, try to respond to inquiries within 24 hours.
• Don’t send messages outside of business hours. Strictly follow time zones and schedule messages appropriately.

Conclusion

Shopify WhatsApp marketing is the most useful way to promote your e-commerce business.

They have high open rates, better engagement options, and strong automation capabilities. Thus, you can easily connect with customers throughout their journey.

Your customers are already on WhatsApp. Reach them there with customer retention strategies to grow your Shopify store.

Further Reading

• 10 Best Shopify Abandoned Cart Apps Comparison
• 50 Proven Ways to Promote Your Shopify Store
• Customer Lifecycle Marketing – Strategies + Examples
• Difference Between Email Segmentation and Personalization

Frequently Asked Question