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The pet industry has been on a steady rise lately with pet owners paying more attention to how they take care of these family members who cannot speak for themselves. Be it toys, daily necessities, beds, accessories or even health supplements, you can see brands and consumers both making the effort to offer their best to pets.
But amidst this increasing competition, it’s becoming harder for brands to reach their consumers and keep them engaged via traditional channels like social media, SMS, email or even search.
There’s way too much content for consumers to sift through before reaching what the brand has to say. And there’s no guarantee they remember the brand even after they do find it!
That’s where WhatsApp marketing is becoming a more effective strategy for pet brands to hook their audience. In this post we’re going to look at some ways in which brands in the pet industry can use WhatsApp for marketing and to increase sales.
How can pet brands use WhatsApp for marketing
While there are several ways in which pet brands can use WhatsApp to run promotions around their products and services, let’s look at some of the campaign ideas we absolutely recommend trying:
1. Run click to WhatsApp ads to gauge interest and intent
First things first, getting consumers to reach WhatsApp is important. And one tactic we have found especially helpful, is using click to WhatsApp ads - where you leverage social media ad campaigns to encourage buyers to drop you a message on WhatsApp to learn more about a product or avail a deal on the same.
But when running this ad campaign, we do highly recommend setting up an automated greeting message to immediately initiate a conversation. This may include thanking the consumer to click through the message and then asking them about what type of products they’d like to explore - gives you a natural way to also gauge their intent and interest for better retargeting.
For example, you can use list messages to make your greeting message more effective and engaging:
Hey there!
Thank you for showing interest in our range of pet products. What would you like to explore with us today?
- Health supplements
- Pet accessories
- Toys
- Consultation with experts
PS. Don’t forget to take an opt-in from this consumer during the conversation for future marketing campaigns.
2. Promote your ongoing and upcoming sales
Running a sale or discount on a set of products or a specific collection on your Shopify pet store? Upload them to your WhatsApp catalog along with important information like product name, description, pricing, pictures and more. And then set up a WhatsApp broadcast campaign promoting your catalog items!
Remember to include an image or a video in your WhatsApp broadcast message to immediately capture the attention of the recipient. Highlight the discount!
Hey Sara,
There’s a special Barbie sale running in our store right now!
Everything pink - bowls, collars, bandanas, harnesses, bed and more are on 25% off for the next whole week.
Check out the collection today!
3. Promote your lightning deals
Do you have a product of the day? Do you run special deals for 24 hours to promote a service? Help consumers discover these deals almost instantly with the help of WhatsApp broadcasts. You can also set up follow-up campaigns on these broadcasts to serve as strategic countdown timers to create a sense of urgency.
Also ensure these products being promoted are included in your WhatsApp catalog. So that it is easier for the consumer to learn more about them.
Pet beds are 50% off for 24 hours!
Hey Ahmed,
We have a flash sale running in our store right now.
All sizes of pet beds are now available at 50% discount for 24 hours only.
Hurry, get your buddy a comfy bed today!
4. Offer shopping assistance
While the traditional approach to marketing is to usually promote a deal, discount or product, you can also experiment running a WhatsApp broadcast campaign targeted towards starting a conversation. The best way to do so is to offer shopping assistance to consumers to find the best pet products for their family!
We know how tough it can be to address multiple queries at the same time. But to support this type of WhatsApp marketing campaign, you can also set up WhatsApp chatbots with QuickReply.ai - which can answer messages based on specific keywords entered by the consumers.
Need help choosing the right pet food?
Hey Sara,
We know how important nutrition is for your pet to stay healthy.
So we wanted to help you pick the right set of products based on your pet’s information.
Would you like us to assist you with the purchase? Simply hit reply to this message and we will ask you some questions to recommend products.
5. Offer pet consultation on call
The pet industry sees a high cart abandonment rate owing to the lack of information around products that are good for animals. With consumers becoming more and more skeptical, these purchase decisions are often not made instantly. This is where going above an automated chat can come in handy.
Set up a WhatsApp broadcast campaign that promotes pet consultation services wherein the consumer can schedule a call with your team. Using reply button messages, you can let consumers automatically choose a day and time for your team to call them for assistance.
Hey Jane,
We know how much you love your furry friend. Let’s help you get the right set of healthcare products for them, shall we?
We’re offering a free pet consultation call with our in-house vets and experts.
Let us know if you’d like to schedule a call with us.
Yes, give me a call | No, I’d like to continue on messages
6. Create WhatsApp newsletters
Pet product purchases are usually not made on an impulse. Consumers want to do their research before making a purchase - right from the options that are available to them to what goes into the making of even things like toys. This is where creating a WhatsApp newsletter promoting your blogs, expert tips, behind the scenes videos and other formats of content can come in handy.
With consumers seeing how you are focused on helping them make the right purchase, you also get more brownie points for being a pet-friendly brand!
Learn what’s best for your pets!
Hey Sara,
We just wanted to share a few resources from international doctors and pet experts with you today.
After all, we know how important your cat is to you.
- How to avoid stomach infections in cats
- Should you or should you not make cats wear collars
- What are the best health supplements for cats
Want to read more? Head over to our blog now.
Click here.
7. Send personalized product recommendations
Based on what a consumer has purchased or shown interest in with your pet brand’s collection, use WhatsApp broadcasts to follow up with product recommendations. This could include introducing them to similar or complementary products that can further help them provide their pets with the best.
Hey Sophia,
You purchased a pet collar from us last week. We have something you would absolutely love!
We now have custom tags that you can add to your pet collars - available in 25+ colors.
And there’s a 25% discount on them for the next 48 hours.
Explore our collection now.
8. Create custom bundles
Ever walked into a pet store and purchased a few treats, some toys and an absolutely random bandana you saw on your way out? Well, that’s very common in pet parents and can be a strategy by itself for your brand.
If a consumer has added a product to cart, use WhatsApp automated messages to recommend another item from your catalog. Club it with a bundle deal and you have a winner when it comes to also increasing your average order value.
Item added to cart successfully!
We think that you should get these rainboots too.
They don’t just match the pet raincoat in your cart, but will also keep your baby’s paws safe from leeches.
Click here to add to cart.
9. Take preorders
Launching a limited edition collection? Or maybe taking preorders on custom products like personalized tags, bandanas and jackets for pets? Use WhatsApp broadcasts to run a promotion on the preorders and make it even easier by gathering consumer interest on the messaging platform itself.
Automate a series of questions to get order details and use smart WhatsApp checkout links to get paid for the purchase as well. No more having to nudge the buyer from one platform to another.
New Disney collection in our store!
Hey Devi,
We have an all-new special collection of collars coming your way.
Inspired by Disney, they are colorful, happy and are sure to cheer up your pet!
There are harnesses available as well.
Check out our WhatsApp catalog and place a preorder here now.
10. Replenishment and restock reminders
Another WhatsApp marketing campaign we absolutely recommend for pet brands is running retention-focused messages. These include reaching out to your existing customers based on what they have purchased from you in a contextual manner like replenishment and restock reminder.
This is especially helpful for brands that sell pet food and pet health supplements.
It’s time to restock Skipper’s supplements!
Hey Vanhi,
We know how much you care about Skipper.
Let the health regimen keep going.
Restock his calcium supplements today and get 15% off on your next order.
Reply to this message to place an order.
11. Host contests and giveaways
Don’t restrict engagement campaigns to only social media. With the help of automated WhatsApp messages, you can also run contests on the messaging platform.
For example, ask your customers to share a picture of their pet using one of your products with you on WhatsApp. In lieu of the same, give them a chance to win a discount on their next purchase or a free product of their liking from your contest WhatsApp catalog.
This is your chance to win a free pet bed!
Hey Jana,
We’re running a cute contest this week.
Share your pet’s picture with us on WhatsApp and stand a chance to win a free bed for them from our Mickey collection!
12. Send price drop alerts
For some, the value or the price of the product is often the cause for cart abandonment or delaying the purchase. Tackle this by offering to send price drop alerts on WhatsApp to those who subscribe for it on your store.
Alternatively, these price drop alerts can also serve as a WhatsApp broadcast campaign for all customers who have bought from you before - who minds an additional discount.
Price drop alert!
Hey Sara,
Get ready to shop till you drop for your pet!
Our store’s best sellers are now available at 20% price drops for the next one week.
Head over to our store to our catalog to grab your favorites.
Ready to use WhatsApp marketing for your Shopify pet brand?
With a preference for ease of shopping increasing by the day, brands need to catch up with what consumers want. The new commerce features on WhatsApp, are making the messaging platform as good as a storefront that consumers can buy from without having to leave the conversations they are having with friends and family - but only when used strategically.
While most brands can be seen using WhatsApp to run promotions only for deals and discounts, we think you need a more holistic approach to the campaigns you set up. Similar to how emails and SMS marketing have worked before, exploring different features of WhatsApp and running campaigns with different call to actions, can help boost the engagement rate - which positively impacts your conversions and sales.
But to do this, you need more than just a WhatsApp Business profile. You need to leverage the WhatsApp Business API with a solution like QuickReply.ai that lets you build out multiple personalized WhatsApp broadcast campaigns and automate workflows to keep the conversation flowing.
Want to learn more about using WhatsApp marketing for pet brands on Shopify?
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