WhatsApp vs SMS vs email marketing: a quick comparison
With the rise of WhatsApp marketing for businesses a few years ago, it became clear that this new channel has its own distinct advantages compared to email and SMS. As usual it depends on the type of message and communication which solution fits best, which has led many businesses to use the different platforms for distinct purposes.
Advantages of WhatsApp marketing for e-commerce brands
WhatsApp is a great tool for quick and direct communication. Compared to email, WhatsApp is more interactive and has very high opening rates, typically reaching up to 90%. It converts well, too, due to its direct nature; people are more likely to take immediate action by purchasing something or clicking a CTA.
All this comes with some downsides, namely a 24-hour marketing window (businesses are limited to sending a maximum of two marketing messages within a 24-hour window if no response is received from the customer) and reduced options for design and branding compared to email. As a result, WhatsApp has become an ideal channel for customer service. This is changing, though: more and more brands are starting to see the uses of WhatsApp marketing, and are getting ahead of the competition.
Up to now, WhatsApp marketing has also been more challenging to automate, making it harder to scale. At Code, we are fully expecting this to change now that Klaviyo starts integrating with WhatsApp.
Advantages of SMS marketing for e-commerce brands
Like WhatsApp, SMS has high opening rates and allows for quick, clutter-free communication through a channel people check routinely. Unlike WhatsApp, SMS messaging doesn't require an app.
Of course, SMS has its own typical downsides, such as a character limit and even fewer options for design and branding than WhatsApp. What's more, it requires users to give their consent before you can send them marketing messages. On the positive side, the users who do give their permission are typically promising leads.
Advantages of email marketing for e-commerce brands
In contrast to WhatsApp and SMS, email offers brands a much bigger canvas for brand storytelling, longer-form content, personalization, and detailed information. Even though its opening rates are significantly lower (depending on industry, around 30-40%), the fact that it is still the cheapest channel gives email a high ROI. Combined with email’s extensive possibilities for automation, segmentation and personalization, this makes it the go-to tool for customer retention.
The main drawback of emails is, of course, that they have a lot of competition: your marketing messages easily get overlooked in today's overcrowded inboxes. Additionally, emails are often more formal and don't allow for much conversation or interaction.
Other downsides are click bots, which are distorting click rates, and the iOS 15 update, which is distorting open rates. These two combined make email marketing harder to measure nowadays, but not impossible (especially with a little help from Code).
Advantages of WhatsApp marketing with Klaviyo
Both email and WhatsApp are essential to an omnichannel strategy. However, the efficacy of WhatsApp messaging can be improved significantly if it is combined with the segmentation, automation and personalization offered by Klaviyo.
- Personalize your WhatsApp campaigns by using Klaviyo's advanced segmentation options, and even create individual campaigns
- Offer your customers a WhatsApp touchpoint to diversify your customer journey, and to enable fast customer service
- Reach customers through WhatsApp that don't respond to email, or bypass their cluttered inboxes for more visibility
- Optimize your channels for types of content: instead of emails, generate quick WhatsApp reminders for things like abandoned carts and abandoned checkouts, or back-in-stock notifications that feel exclusive and urgent
- Centralize and enrich your customer data by tracking WhatsApp interactions through Klaviyo
Third-party tools such as Charles and Trengo offer a Klaviyo WhatsApp integration at the moment, with which it becomes possible to exchange data between WhatsApp and Klaviyo. When Klaviyo offers its own native WhatsApp integration, brands can save cost and profit from Klaviyo's constant innovation of their platform.
Klaviyo WhatsApp marketing with Code
Klaviyo is expected to release its native WhatsApp integration later this year. As soon as the date is announced, Code plans to organize a launch event to help merchants get maximum value from the new feature. Want to receive a heads-up? Keep an eye on this blog and subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on future developments.
Are you interested in exploring WhatsApp marketing in combination with your Klaviyo account? Get in touch with our Klaviyo team to see what is possible for your brand.
.png)
