Should I be doing WhatsApp marketing, and which tool, Interakt, WATI or Gupshup?
Yes, for an Indian customer base, WhatsApp beats email and SMS on almost every retention metric: abandoned-cart recovery on WhatsApp runs 25-40% versus low single digits on SMS, and click-through rates are multiples higher than email. Interakt is the default pick for most D2C founders on Shopify, Shopify-native, cheap to start, strong at cart recovery and catalog-to-order flows; WATI is the better call if you need a heavier team inbox/CRM for a support-heavy brand; Gupshup suits you once you're sending serious enterprise volume and want more technical flexibility. Budget roughly ₹5k-25k/month for the BSP platform plus ₹0.30-1.20 per conversation depending on utility vs marketing template (numbers change, verify current rates), and get your opt-in flow airtight, Meta shuts down unapproved broadcast spam fast.
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Lays out WhatsApp as a full commerce channel, catalogue, payments, cart recovery, post-purchase, not just a broadcast tool, with the sequencing (start with cart/order-update automation, build up to full conversational commerce) that matches how Indian founders actually roll it out.
A global ESP's own take on when to use each channel, useful precisely because it's not India-biased, so you can see the universal logic before layering India-specific WhatsApp economics on top.
The most common first WhatsApp tool for Indian D2C founders on Shopify, official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, no-code catalog sync, and purpose-built for abandoned-cart recovery and broadcast campaigns rather than generic CRM.
The better pick once WhatsApp becomes as much a support channel as a marketing one, a genuine shared team inbox with assignment, internal notes and broadcast tooling built on the official WhatsApp API.
