What changes when your ecommerce moves up a level?

WhatsApp: a channel you can't ignore anymore

Renata Raya · Revie

Renata Raya from Revie brought a very concrete comparison. A brand that measures the return and conversion of its email campaigns can put them side by side with WhatsApp, and the gap is significant. For abandoned cart recovery, email recovers around 7% of carts, while WhatsApp has shown between 20% and 23%.

The channel changes the experience as well as the response rate. When a brand owns the conversation, it can make stronger, more personal promises, like telling customers exactly how and when their order will arrive, or including a note from the founder in every package. Her takeaway was clear: brands that aren't on WhatsApp today are missing a customer connection that converts extremely well.

Integrating operations around the customer

Christian Faraoni · Caffettino

Christian Faraoni from Caffettino explained how they approach full integration of their operation with a single compass: the user experience. That experience starts at the first touchpoint, when someone is still just a potential customer, and continues until the product arrives at their door.

He made two points worth highlighting. First, the way people shop keeps changing, and operations have to change with it. Second, the customers who are least forgiving of mistakes are usually the closest ones, the loyal buyers. That's why he warned against a common mistake: automating 100% of the process and losing the warmth that makes the experience stand out. Technology should serve that relationship, not replace it.

Technology that lets sales teams add value

Carlos Chimeno · Grupo Mendizábal

Carlos Chimeno from Grupo Mendizábal shared how they work with dedicated sales representatives for each of their brands. In the past, growing meant hiring more people to go out and visit customers. Today the question is different: how do you keep sales reps from sitting around waiting for customers to send in orders, and help them focus on adding value instead?

The answer came from an integrated ecosystem, where technology handles the operational side and the sales team can focus on its role. Together with Ricardo and Pablo from VNS, they designed a digital alternative to channel those sales.

Advice for anyone about to make the leap

Antonio Martínez Bretón · Shopify

Toward the end, Antonio Martínez Bretón from Shopify answered what he'd tell someone about to take the leap. His answer was a very human one: having doubts and fears before a big decision is completely normal. The key is to look around and know you're not alone.

That means being on the world's leading commerce platform, one that invests more than a billion dollars a year in its own technology. It also means working with an agency that will support you with whatever you need, whenever you need it, and that shares Shopify's mission of making commerce better for everyone.

Our takeaways

One thread ran through every conversation. Growing for real isn't just about selling more. It's about getting your operation in order, choosing the right channels, and using technology to get closer to your customers, not further away. WhatsApp, integrations and automation are powerful tools, and they work best when they're designed around people's experience.

Thank you to Antonio, Renata, Christian and Carlos for sharing their experience. Thanks also to Shopify, Revie, Caffettino and UAI for joining us, and to everyone who came that morning.