From Chat to Checkout: Catalogs, Quotes, and Payments in WhatsApp

Turning product questions into paid orders without leaving the thread.

If your buyers are already comparing products in WhatsApp, don’t force them back to a website form or a long email chain. A WhatsApp-first commerce flow lets customers browse your catalog, request a quote, and pay—all in the same conversation—while your team gets clean data and audit trails inside InOne CRM.

Why WhatsApp wins for checkout

• Fewer drop-offs: People make decisions in conversation; tasks like selecting variants, approving quotes, and paying are a tap away.

• Higher trust: WhatsApp threads are personal and persistent—receipts, links, and delivery updates stay findable.

• Full visibility: Every message, template ID, quote revision, and payment status can be attached to the contact in your CRM.

Start the chat where intent is highest by adding a launcher with WhatsApp Website Integration on product and pricing pages, or send buyers from ads to your WhatsApp flows directly.

The conversion flow (copy this)

1. Discover → Catalog in chat
   A user taps “Message us” on a product card and lands in WhatsApp. Your AI WhatsApp Chatbots greet them, capture basics (use case, quantity, variant), and surface a mini-catalog: quick-reply chips for colours/sizes, availability, and ETA.
   Interesting AI fact: product-entity models can recognise SKU codes or casual names (“the graphite 256GB one”) and map them to your catalog automatically.

2. Decide → Instant, itemised quote
   When the buyer selects items, your bot assembles a line-item quote (price, tax, shipping, discounts). It posts a summary in-thread with buttons: Approve, Edit, Add another item. The PDF (or hosted quote) is stored and linked in InOne CRM for sales team visibility and reporting.

3. Pay → Secure link without leaving WhatsApp
   On Approve, send a payment link (card/instant EFT/Pay-in-4 if you offer it). Keep the message utility-first and POPIA-safe. After payment, return a receipt, invoice, and order number in the same thread.
   Interesting AI fact: fraud-risk signals (mismatch of shipping vs IP region, unusually large order, new number) can trigger human review before the link is issued.

4. After-sales → Confirmations & delivery updates

   • Automatic order confirmation and T-24h shipping reminder (use approved templates if outside the service window).

   • “Track order” and “Need help?” buttons jump the buyer back into the thread.

   • Post-delivery, request a review in WhatsApp to close the loop.

Guardrails that protect trust (and compliance)

• POPIA & templates: Keep consent visible, minimise data collection, and use business-initiated templates for quotes, payment reminders, and delivery updates after 24 hours. Your FAQ covers template and compliance basics.

• Human-in-the-loop: Escalate when the order is high-value, custom, or sentiment dips. The agent sees the conversation + quote history in InOne CRM—no “please repeat that” moments.

• Refunds & changes: Expose a one-tap “Edit order” link; the bot regenerates the quote and updates the invoice trail.

UX details that raise conversion

• Quick replies > free text: Variant and quantity chips reduce errors.

• Inline visuals: Small product thumbnails reassure buyers before they pay.

• Anchored CTAs: “Approve quote” and “Pay now” should remain visible—don’t bury them under long messages.

• Payment reassurance: One short line about security and support reduces abandonment: “Secure payment—receipt issued instantly in WhatsApp.”

What to measure (and improve weekly)

Track these in InOne CRM dashboards:

• Conversation → quote rate and quote → paid rate

• Payment link abandonment (tune copy, methods, and expiry)

• Time to first reply and time to paid

• Refund/adjustment rate (spot catalog or expectation issues)

• Revenue per conversation (the north-star for conversational commerce)

Implementation checklist

• Add Click-to-WhatsApp buttons on product pages with WhatsApp Website Integration

• Train AI WhatsApp Chatbots to recognise SKUs, variants, and bundles

• Generate itemised quotes and store them against deals in InOne CRM

• Enable secure payment links + instant receipts in WhatsApp

• Create value-first templates for quotes, reminders, and delivery updates via your WhatsApp hub

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