Local shops
«Do you have it in a size 40?», answered right away.
The question that decides whether somebody walks to your shop or not. A button makes it easy, and lets you set the item aside.
The WhatsApp button opens a conversation with the shop’s number and with the product already mentioned in the message, so questions about size, colour or availability get settled at once and the item can be held until the customer comes in.
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The question that saves the trip
Going to a shop and not finding what you wanted is the worst experience in local retail, and the one that most pushes people towards buying online. The question beforehand — whether the size is there, whether it comes in blue, whether it has arrived yet — is exactly what saves that wasted trip, and nobody asks it by phone today if they can write it.
Holding an item is selling it
The second half is what really closes the sale: «I will keep it for you until Saturday». That is something an online store cannot do and you can, and it is a real advantage. With the message already begun from the product listing, the conversation starts knowing what it is about.
Letting people know when it arrives
The third use, the most profitable: «let me know when the size comes in». Keeping that list and getting in touch when the stock lands is pure loyalty and costs nothing. That said, letting somebody know about that specific product is one thing; sending promotions to everybody is another, and the second needs separate permission.
With hours and without giving out your mobile
The shop’s number gets published and the answering hours get stated. The number of whoever writes is personal data and is there to deal with that enquiry; for a broadcast list it has to be asked for with an easy way to opt out, on top of what the WhatsApp Business messaging policy already limits.
The same thing, explained in general: WhatsApp button
What we do about it
Part of the maintenance: you never have to ask, and it is never billed apart.
- A button on the site and on each product With the product already named in the message.
- Size and colour enquiries Settled without anyone picking up the phone.
- Holding stock What an online store cannot do and you can.
- A message when the item arrives For the customer who was waiting for it.
- Visible answering hours So as not to promise a reply at midnight.
- The shop’s number Never a personal mobile unless you decide it.
And this you change with one sentence
You write what you want changed and we publish it.
Put WhatsApp on every product listing
Added, with the product name in the message.
Change the answering hours in August
Changed on the button and in the note.
Hide WhatsApp on Sundays
Hidden on Sundays and back on Monday.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need WhatsApp Business?
Not compulsory, but it helps a great deal in retail: hours, quick replies and a catalogue that links to your window.
Can I take payment over WhatsApp?
You can agree and take payment on collection, which is the usual way. Online payment is another conversation.
Can I send offers to somebody who wrote to me?
Not on the strength of that enquiry. Commercial messaging has to be asked for separately with an easy way to opt out.
What if twenty people write at once?
It happens during campaigns. It is worth having quick replies ready and clear hours, and stating when you answer.
Where all this comes from
Every figure and every rule quoted above, linked to the official text.
The rest of what a website for local shops includes
A window for your products
What you sell, with photos and by category. Without running an online shop you then cannot staff.
Google profile
Hours, photos and directions, updated where people actually look for you.
Hours and campaigns
Bank holidays, sales and summer hours, changed with a sentence and never left stale.
Reviews worked on
We ask the happy customer for the review and warn you about bad ones in time to reply.
Neighbourhood SEO
So it is you who comes up when someone searches for what you sell near your street.
Your own domain and email
Your name on the internet, registered to you, and an address that is not a free account.
Legal and backups
Legal notice, privacy and cookies reviewed, and a daily copy of your whole site.
How many people stay away for not knowing you have it?
It cannot be counted, but it can be prevented. A button and a fast reply eat that doubt.
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