BFCM WhatsApp strategy [PART 3/3]: HOW TO RETAIN

Retention should be part of any marketing strategy. Black Friday is no different. Here's how to continue engaging your new WhatsApp audience in the long-term.

The WhatsApp strategy we advise customers to adopt for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) consists of three steps:

1. Plan: lay the right foundations for future WhatsApp success
2. Convert: make sales with your Black Friday campaigns
3. Retain: keep reengaging customers long after Black Friday is over

Here we look at number 3: HOW TO RETAIN.

Introduction

For most brands today, Black Week is about forging long-term relationships with customers, not just driving short-term sales. WhatsApp is a great channel to facilitate this goal – as it can be used across the entire journey from awareness to post-purchase engagement.

Your retention strategy should include ways to increase loyalty and sales in the future and carry on seamlessly from your Black Friday actions. The WhatsApp API offers many possibilities to automated actions, from loyalty programs to friend referrals, abandoned carts to birthday greetings.

Be consistent, gather data and stay top of mind.

Key steps

These are three areas of focus for brands looking to retain customers after Black Friday:

1. Order updates and fulfillment tracking

By keeping customers informed at every stage and providing a seamless, convenient service, businesses can:

• Encourage repeat purchases
• Foster loyalty
• Create positive emotional connections with the brand

Provide a more end-to-end shopping experience and enhance customer convenience. Example shown in charles WhatsApp automation feature, Journeys.

2. Reactivation flows

There are many useful ways to reengage customers by sending useful messages in WhatsApp, such as:

• Replenishment reminders – keep customers consistently supplied with essential products to drive repeat purchases, boost customer lifetime value and ensure stable, long-term revenue. Timing of reminders should be according to average repurchase frequency plus some extra days or weeks, depending on the product.
• Review requests – ask customer to rate product. If they give 4/5 stars, send a review request. This enables businesses to automate the collection of positive reviews, while also building customer satisfaction.
• Win-black flows – rekindle relationships with customers who have not purchased in a while or have been inactive with messages. For example, provide an attractive offer to reengage and convert.

Enhance customer retention by automating reorder reminders. This flow also offers back-in-stock notifications if the product is out of stock. Example shown in charles WhatsApp automation feature, Journeys.

3. WhatsApp activity calendar

The Holidays, New Year’s and 2025 come soon after Black Friday. Be ready to reengage. To keep you on track, we recommend creating a WhatsApp activity calendar.

A consistent campaign schedule after BFCM will keep newly won customers engaged. Also think about campaigns that don’t include discounts to get customers used to buying at full price and build your brand.

Create a consistent plan of WhatsApp activities that include a mix of relationship-building brand campaigns and revenue-generating offers and product launches

7 WhatsApp retention message templates

1. 1. Order confirmation

      Thanks for choosing us ❤️ Your order #12345 is confirmed. We'll keep you updated on its progress.

   2. Shipping updates

      Your order is on its way! It should reach you by [date]. Can we help with anything else?

   3. Product tips

      Here are some tips to keep your shoes looking great 🚀

   4. Feedback request

      We'd love to hear about your recent purchase! Your feedback helps us improve 😊

   5. Exclusive offers

      We’re happy you’re here! To say thanks, here’s an exclusive 10% discount for your next purchase! Use code THANKYOU10

   6. Cross-sell opportunity

      You might also like these products based on your last purchases

   7. Birthday wishes

      Happy Birthday 🎂🎉 As a gift, enjoy free shipping on your next order. Use the code BDAY

Remember: for WhatsApp marketing campaigns, take a low frequency, high relevance approach. We recommend sending maximum 2-3 marketing campaigns per month per user, and always using segmentation and personalization.

Brand examples: webinar

WhatsApp automation can create consistency and minimize the resources it takes to run a WhatsApp channel. Our experts show you how it works, with 5 use cases.

Read on

See the other parts of our 3-part strategy for BFCM in WhatsApp:

Download the full WhatsApp BFCM playbook for a shareable, printable guide to our 3-step strategy:

Talk to charles

Partner with charles to find out how WhatsApp can add value to your Black Friday efforts. We're an approved WhatsApp Business Solution Partner and specialize in WhatsApp marketing within the European consumer landscape.

Talk to charles to find out how to get started and learn how to use this opportunity to build your WhatsApp audience – and retain them long-term.