1. Exclusive WhatsApp sale pre-access
Your WhatsApp channel should feel exclusive. Giving your WhatsApp subscribers pre-access to your sales will do just that. Positioning the channel as “exclusive” means these subscribers feel special, increasing their engagement and ongoing loyalty to your brand.
Not only that, but the exclusive pre-access will create a sense of urgency so subscribers will be encourage to grab their favourite products before they potentially sell out.
How SNOCKS did it
SNOCKS offered exclusive pre-access to the sale by:
Sending a Campaigns to their WhatsApp audience encouraging them to actively register to the pre-sale
When the registration is confirmed, they encourage word-of-mouth by giving subscribers a referral URL
Don’t forget
Advertise the exclusive pre-access at both online and offline touchpoints – the more people are aware, the more likely they are to sign up!
2. Pre-launch products on WhatsApp
Launch products exclusively to your WhatsApp audience first. Like sale pre-access, it’ll position your WhatsApp channel as exclusive (exclusivity=sales). Not only that, it allows you to gather product reviews which will help the public launch.
How Bears with Benefits did it
Bears with Benefits offered early access to 2 new products to their WhatsApp subscribers by:
Collecting more opt-ins by changing the website Chat-ins from offering “30% off” to “exclusive pre-access”
All WhatsApp subscribers were sent a campaign letting them know there were 500 unites available for 1 day only and they could order exclusively until midnight
When the product sold out, they send a second campaign encouraging subscribers to sign-up for a preorder
THE RESULTS
💸 - 10x Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
📦 - sold-out products (and many more preorders)
🚛 - the second “back-in-stock” campaign sent to 8k subscribers made €18 revenue per recipient (RPR)
Read the Bears with Benefits client story here: https://www.hello-charles.com/success/bears-with-benefits
3. Offer tiered discounts
Implementing tiered discounts based on the order value encourages customers to add more items to their cart to unlock better deals. More items, higher order value 😉 Your highest discounts serve as a powerful hook, capturing their attention on your campaign message.
Automate your campaign using Journeys like Bears with Benefits 👇
Don’t forget
Stay transparent about the thresholds and corresponding discounts
Make sure the redemption process is straightforward and easy – and that the discount codes work
4. Send campaigns to smaller segments
This probably seems counterintuitive if you’re used to email. But in WhatsApp, think quality over quantity.
It’s important to reach out to your engaged subscribers at least once a month (hint: use Audiences to to build a dynamic segment with rules like “has read campaign in the last 30 days”) but if you identify a higher purchase intent (using rules like “has clicked campaign”) you should reach out 2-3 times until your subscriber has made a purchase.
Check out our segmentation guide for more ideas: Segmentation guide
5. Locked shop with password
Generate hype by locking your shop and giving the password exclusively to your WhatsApp subscribers. This not only reinforces the value of being a part of your WhatsApp community (again: exclusive 👀), but it encourages active participation to get the reward.
Take it one step further by granting access via a raffle or early sign-up. The scarcity amplifies the perceived value of your sale by heightening anticipation. Securing an exclusive entry to the shop will give them a sense of accomplishment which can significantly increase their likelihood of purchasing.
How Leevje did it
One day before their Black Friday sale started, Leevje locked its website so only customers with a code sent via WhatsApp could see the offers. To do so they:
Collected around 1.5k additional opt-ins with social ads, website popups, and through its own channels
Closed shop and gated presale with a password shared with WhatsApp subscribers for one day
Sent out the campaign to around 4k contacts
THE IMPACT 👥 - Grew WhatsApp subscriber base by +38% 💶 - Generated €100K revenue from 4K contacts 💬 - €24.77 Revenue per conversation
Don’t forget
Communicate the exclusive access through all your channels to build anticipation within your entire audience.
Make sure the process of logging into the locked shop is seamless, technically works, and don’t forget to provide clear instructions.
Finally, build an opt-in flow to learn more about subscribers
By asking questions and storing answers, you can send more relevant messages later on. The more segmented the audience, the better your revenue per conversation.