WhatsApp

Tap into the world's most popular messaging channel, using native WhatsApp integration

Why use this integration?

WhatsApp is a leading mobile messaging platform used across the world that allows conversation-based messaging for businesses. With over 2 billion global users and high engagement rates, WhatsApp provides a significant opportunity for businesses to directly reach customers. As of H2 2021, WhatsApp allows both transactional and non-transactional marketing messages.

This native integration with WhatsApp allows you to tap into this powerful messaging channel to build, test, and track WhatsApp messages at scale and reach customers on their mobile devices. Communicate with customers on the WhatsApp messaging channel using personalized and automated messaging to drive incremental sales, retention, and engagement across their journey.

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WhatsApp integration access is only available in select Engagement packages. Reach out to your CSM/CS team to start using WhatsApp.

How the integration works

With a native connection to WhatsApp, this integration brings a full suite of channel capabilities to create rich and engaging experiences for customers without needing multiple third-party integrations.

The integration supports sending the following WhatsApp message types:

  • WhatsApp Text Message
  • WhatsApp Media Message: image, video, audio, documents
  • WhatsApp Template Messages
WhatsApp message types supported: Text message, Media message, Template message

WhatsApp message types supported: Text message, Media message, Template message

WhatsApp messages are created via Scenarios using the Mobile messaging action node. As with any other channel, messages can be personalized and connected to a workflow or a customer journey.

WhatsApp messages are sent via our Sinch WhatsApp and Infobip WhatsApp messaging providers. These integrations also allow for WhatsApp Two-Way Messaging.

  • For conversations you initiate – you can send a paid Template message using our WhatsApp Template Message Scenario action. WhatsApp requires the Template message be pre-approved by the WhatsApp provider and that the customer has given consent.

  • For customer-initiated conversations you can reply to the customer for free (no fee) within a 24-hour window from the time the message was received. You can use our WhatsApp Text Message or Media Message Scenario actions for this type of message. The content of the message can be fully customized and does not require pre-approval.

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Advantage

Customers' replies within WhatsApp are free of charge, so you are more likely to garner their response as compared to SMS.

Use Case examples

  • Combine WhatsApp with other channels - WhatsApp is effective, but you first need to collect phone numbers, consent, and inform customers about the possibility of communicating using WhatsApp. All this is possible using other built-in Bloomreach Engagement channels like email, website overlays, SMS, or in-app messaging.
  • Product Back-in-Stock Reminders - Inform customers when a product is back in stock or send a triggered alert when the price of a product drops.
  • Convert Abandoned Carts - Send cart abandonment messages with product images and a link to the cart. Combine with Predictions to target audiences with high purchase probability.
  • Relevant Offers & Product Launches - Add images and rich media to create buzz around a product launch or seasonal promotion. Identify your best customers using our granular segmentation and send them exciting offers on mobile before announcing them via email or other channels to everyone else.
  • Product Recommendations - Recommend products to your customer they might be interested in based on their activities, such as headphones for a newly purchased cell phone.
  • Track Delivery Updates - Keep your customers informed about their order statuses throughout the fulfillment process.
  • Top-up & Plan Renewal Reminders (Telco) - Proactively reach out to customers for top-ups before minutes run out or send reminders to renew a plan before it expires.
  • Price Alerts on Flights (Travel) - Send price drop alerts on flights that a customer is tracking instantly on their phone.
  • Related Product/Service Upsell (Travel) - Once a trip is booked, send upsell offers like car rental or hotels.

WhatsApp Setup

1. Prerequisites

Before proceeding with integration setup, the following prerequisites need to be met:

  • Engagement Project access – You need a Bloomreach Engagement project with role access to Scenarios and Integrations
  • WhatsApp business account – You need a WhatsApp business account (WABA). If you already have a Meta business account, we recommend you nest your WABA within your primary Meta business account.
  • Sinch or Infobip account – You need a Sinch or Infobip account established. Reach out to your CSM to help get your account created.
  • WhatsApp phone number – Your WABA must have a valid, dedicated phone number that meets WhatsApp's requirements. This number must not be connected to any other WhatsApp Account. If you need a phone number, reach out to your CSM for help getting a phone number registered.
  • Compliance – You must comply with all WhatsApp Messaging policies and WhatsApp Terms of Use
  • WhatsApp content policies – Your messaging contents must adhere to WhatsApp content rules

2. Customer Profile Requirements

It is critical you use the correct phone number formatting within customer profiles to use the WhatsApp integration effectively. Any customer phone number with invalid formats will fail to receive WhatsApp messages.

Ensure customer phone numbers meet the following:

  • Phone numbers must be in one of the two standard international MSISDN formats, including the "+" and country code (e.g. +441234556789, or without, e.g. 44123456789)
  • If you use a different phone number format (e.g. with leading zeros 00), you will need to modify the format using Jinja
  • To use WhatsApp Two-way messaging, you must have phone_id set as an additional Soft ID for customers. Phone numbers must be in one of the two standard international MSISDN formats, including the "+" and country code (e.g. +441234556789, or without, e.g. 44123456789)

3. Add a Provider Integration

In order to use WhatsApp native integration, you must have either the Sinch WhatsApp provider integration OR Infobip WhatsApp provider integration set up on the Engagement Project level.

Follow these steps to configure one of these two provider integrations:

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The setup of a WhatsApp provider integration—either Sinch WhatApp OR Infobip WhatsApp—needs to be requested from your CSM/CS team, who will provide you with all the required details.

WhatsApp Provider Setup - Sinch

Follow these steps to set up your Sinch WhatsApp provider integration:

  1. Open your Bloomreach Engagement project and go to Data & Assets > Integrations > + Add new integration and search for "Sinch WhatsApp". Next, click + Add integration.

  2. On the next screen, you will need to populate the fields shown using the account details provided by our WhatsApp specialist. This will integrate your WhatsApp account with your Sinch account.

    Brief explanation of these fields:

    • Project ID - The unique ID associated with your Sinch project
    • App ID - This represents the ID of the application that initiates the message
    • Access Key - Your unique Sinch Access Key ID. This can be found in the Sinch Access Keys page.
    • Access Secret - Your unique Sinch Access Key Secret. It is only displayed once when you create a new key.
    • Endpoint region - Choose your region based on your domain location and data protection requirements. Options are EU and US.
  3. Click the Save integration button to complete your registration.

  4. You can begin using WhatsApp native integration, and configure any project level settings.

WhatsApp Provider Setup - Infobip

Follow these steps to set up your Infobip WhatsApp provider integration:

  1. Open your Bloomreach Engagement project and go to Data & Assets > Integrations > + Add new integration and search for "Infobip WhatsApp". Next, click + Add integration.

  2. On the next screen, you will need to populate the fields shown using the account details provided by our WhatsApp specialist. This will integrate your WhatsApp account with your Infobip account

    Brief explanation of these fields:

    • API Key - Your authentication key, provided for each service plan. You can find it in the Infobip console.
    • Entity ID(optional) - Used as your unique identifier for each service plan, and used to validate API call requests.
    • Endpoint region- Choose your region based on your domain location and data protection requirements. Options are EU and US.
    • Sender - Sender name or number to use for sending messages. You must use one of your predefined senders in the Infobip portal: https://portal.infobip.com/apps/whatsapp/senders

    .

  3. Click the Save integration button to complete your registration.

  4. You can begin using WhatsApp native integration, and configure any project level settings.

(Optional) Set Default WhatsApp Integration

If your project has multiple WhatsApp provider integrations configured, you can optionally set a default provider.

If you would like to set your default WhatsApp provider, go to Project settings > Channels > Mobile messaging and select your integration of choice from the Default Mobile messaging integration drop-down field. Your user role must have admin rights to do so.

Consent Management

Make sure your use of the WhatsApp communication channel complies with all applicable WhatsApp policies.

You can define your consent categories for your WhatsApp communications, from which customers can unsubscribe separately, by using our Consent Management.

If you would like to add a WhatsApp consent category, go to Settings > Project settings > Campaigns> Privacy management > Consents. You can add a new consent category by clicking the + Add consent button.

Once your WhatsApp consent categories are established, you can then configure the desired consent category for each WhatsApp campaign under the Settings tab within the WhatsApp visual editor (accessed via the Mobile messaging node).

Obtaining Consents

Contacting customers on WhatsApp is permissible under the following conditions:

  1. Permission Granted:
    You can only reach out to individuals on WhatsApp if they have shared their mobile phone numbers with you and have explicitly provided consent to be contacted via the platform.
  2. Honest Communication:
    Your communications should steer clear of: confusion, deception, fraud, misleading content, spam, or unexpected messages. Transparency is key!

Before sending a WhatsApp message to anyone, it's crucial to obtain opt-in permission. This confirmation should include:

  1. Clear Opt-In Statement:
    The opt-in communication should unmistakably convey that the person is opting in to receive messages from your business through WhatsApp.
  2. Business Identification:
    Your business name must be clearly stated in the opt-in message, establishing your identity.

Your team is solely responsible for determining your method(s) of opt-in, that you have obtained opt-ins in a manner that complies with laws applicable to your communications, and that you have otherwise provided notices and obtained permissions that are required under applicable law.

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Opt-in Best Practices

For additional guidance on obtaining opt-in permissions, we recommend reviewing WhatsApp's Best Practices for Opt-in resources.

Sending WhatsApp messages

WhatsApp native integration enables you to quickly create and send a variety of WhatsApp message types that allow for one-to-one communication with customers. These steps will walk you through how to create and send these types of WhatsApp messages.

Message Types

WhatsApp messages are sent via our Sinch/Infobip WhatsApp providers by using Scenariosand selecting the Mobile messaging action node. You can access this by going to Campaigns > Scenarios > Designtab > Mobile Messaging action node.

You can send the following WhatsApp message types by using the Mobile messaging node:

  • WhatsApp Text Message – Basic text-based message for clear, universal communication
  • WhatsApp Media Message – Includes media like images, videos, audio clips, and PDFs
  • WhatsApp Template Message – Template-based messages used to initiate marketing conversations
Each of these WhatsApp message types is described below in more detail

Each of these WhatsApp message types is described below in more detail

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Text messages or Media messages (i.e. any non-template messages) can only be delivered within the first 24 hours after the customer last contacted your business. Template messages do not have this restriction and can be used if you need to contact customers outside of this 24-hour messaging window.

WhatsApp Text Message

When the customer replies to a message or initiates the conversation themselves, you can send a free-form message in the form of text.

WhatsApp Text messages can contain up to 4096 characters per message. You can also include Jinja personalization and emojis in Text messages.

To create and send a WhatsApp Text message, use the following steps to set up such a campaign using the Mobile messaging action node.

  1. Create a Scenario - First, you need to create a Scenario to build a WhatsApp campaign. Learn how to work with Scenarios here.

  2. Insert the Mobile messaging action node - Add the Mobile messaging action node to your Scenario.

    Mobile messaging action node used for WhatsApp messages

    Mobile messaging action node used for WhatsApp messages

  3. Choose the WhatsApp Text message type - Double-click the Mobile messaging node you added to trigger the Message type prompt. Click the Text message option to choose this specific WhatsApp message type.

  4. Select Sender in WhatsApp visual editor - Select the WhatsApp provider you configured previously from the Sender drop-down

  5. Customize message in WhatsApp visual editor - Once you've chosen the WhatsApp message type, you can customize the message content to your needs and personalize it.

    Customize the contents of your message by typing in the Message text field of the WhatsApp visual editor. You may optionally include Jinja personalization. The editor also displays a dynamic 'character counter'.

The customer phone attribute will be used as the phone number to send the message to.

WhatsApp Media Message

When the customer replies to a message or initiates the conversation themselves, you can send a free-form message in the form of Media messages.

To create and send a WhatsApp Media message, use the following steps to set up such a campaign using the Mobile messaging action node.

  1. Create a Scenario - First, you need to create a Scenario to build a WhatsApp campaign. Learn how to work with Scenarios here.

  2. Insert the Mobile messaging action node - Add the Mobile messaging action node to your Scenario.

    Mobile messaging action node used for WhatsApp

    Mobile messaging action node used for WhatsApp

  3. Choose the WhatsApp Media message type - Double-click the Mobile messaging node you added to trigger the Message type prompt. Click the Media message option to choose this specific WhatsApp message type.

  4. Select Sender in WhatsApp visual editor - Select the WhatsApp provider you configured previously from the Sender drop-down

  5. Customize message in WhatsApp visual editor - Once you've chosen the WhatsApp message type, you can customize the message content to your needs and personalize it.
    Customize the contents of your media message by editing the Your media field of the WhatsApp visual editor. You can also include Jinja personalization.

  • Your media - Public URL of the media file. Supported media include images, videos, audio, and documents:
    • Accepted formats for images are JPEG and PNG with a maximum size of 5MB.
    • Accepted formats for videos are MP4 and 3GPP with a maximum size of 16MB.
    • Accepted formats for documents are any valid document MIME type with a maximum size of 100MB.

The customer phone attribute will be used as the phone number to send the message to.

WhatsApp Template messages

Template messages ensure that conversations you (the business) initiate with customers follows WhatsApp guidelines. Message templates contain predefined text and are pre-formatted. Templates can be reused when there is a need to send the same message multiple times.

To create and send a WhatsApp Media message, use the following steps to set up such a campaign using the Mobile messaging action node.

  1. Create a Scenario - First, you need to create a Scenario to build a WhatsApp campaign. Learn how to work with Scenarios here.

  2. Insert the Mobile messaging action node - Add the Mobile messaging action node to your Scenario.

  3. Choose the WhatsApp Media message type - Double-click the Mobile messaging node you added to trigger the Message type prompt. Click the Template message option to choose this specific WhatsApp message type.

  4. Select Sender in WhatsApp visual editor - Select the WhatsApp provider you configured previously from the Sender drop-down

  5. Select template in WhatsApp visual editor - Use the Selected template drop-down field to choose your desired Template from the list of predefined, pre-approved Templates associated with your Sinch/Infobip account.

  6. Customize message in WhatsApp visual editor - Once you've chosen the WhatsApp message type, you can customize the message content to your needs and personalize it.

The customer phone attribute will be used as the phone number to send the message to.

Creating WhatsApp Templates

To create a new template, please contact your CSM, as it is not done in the Bloomreach Engagement app currently.

The template must be from one of the following categories:

  • Transactional messages: - Personal Finance update, Account update, Alert update, Appointment Update, Issue Resolution, Payment Update, Reservation Update, Shipping Update, Ticket Update, Transportation Update.
  • Non-transactional messages - (no predefined categories)

Examples:

"Dear {{1}}, You have items in your shopping cart and have not finished your purchase. If you want us to take you to your shopping cart, type CART as a response to this message."

"We’re down to the last 3 pieces of an item you have saved in your favorites! Get in there before it’s gone. Check it out at bloomreach.com/favorites"

WhatsApp Two-Way messaging

To receive messages from your customers, an integration for receiving messages (WhatsApp Two-Way Messaging) must be set up. WhatsApp will forward customer replies to Engagement, where they will be processed as campaign events in real-time. For this to work, the callback URL must be configured with the provider (Sinch/Infobip) to receive replies.

To track messages received from your customers, you must set up WhatsApp integration.

Navigate to Data & Assets > Integrations and add new WhatsApp integration.

If you want WhatsApp Two-Way Messaging, customers need to have a phone number as an additional ID. The ID must be in one of the two standard international MSISDN formats either with the leading "+" sign (e.g. +44123456789, or without, e.g. 44123456789). Configure the customer ID containing the customer phone number and select the format in which the numbers are saved so Bloomreach Engagement can match the incoming message to a profile.

After you save the integration, a callback URL will be generated. The URL needs to be set up in your Sinch/Infobip account to receive the incoming messages; your CSM will help set this up on the provider side.

Once you have the integration set up, you will start receiving messages from your customers in the form of a campaign event with the following properties:

AttributeValueExample
statusinboundN/A
action_typewhatsappN/A
message_idGenerated message id for the inbound message123456
messageContent of the message body"SUBSCRIBE"
typetextN/A

Limitations

  • To send WhatsApp Template messages, all parameters must match otherwise templates will not render correctly on devices:
    • Number of placeholders in templates must match the number of parameters in template data
    • Number of parameters in templates must match number of parameters specified in API call
  • WhatsApp Compliance & Guidelines
    • You must comply with all WhatsApp Business Messaging Policies and WhatsApp Terms of Use while using WhatsApp as a communication channel
    • You must ensure CTIA's SHAFT compliance in the US and other relevant regions. Examples of restricted content include sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, or tobacco
    • All messages on the WhatsApp channel must start with an "Opt-in" by the customer. Opt-ins can be collected through any third-party channel, for example in an SMS message, web form, or email. You must also provide a method by which customers may opt-out of receiving future messages.
  • Sinch WhatsApp provider integration limits