WhatsApp chatbot

A WhatsApp chatbot is software connected to a business’s WhatsApp number that reads customers’ messages and replies automatically, from simple menus to full conversations that look up orders and take payment.

What it means in practice

A customer messages your store’s WhatsApp number at 10pm: “Is the blue one still available?”. Without a chatbot, the message waits until someone picks up the phone. With one, a reply arrives straight away. What that reply can do depends on the kind of chatbot.

• Menu bot. Replies with numbered options or buttons, such as “1 Track order, 2 Delivery info, 3 Talk to us”. Predictable, and stuck the moment the customer types a sentence it was not given.
• AI chatbot. Reads the message in the customer’s own words and writes a reply, usually from your content. See WhatsApp AI chatbot.
• AI agent on WhatsApp. Reads the message and carries out the request in your systems: checks the stock, reads the order, sends the payment link. See chatbot vs AI agent.

What WhatsApp requires

• The WhatsApp Business Platform. A chatbot connects to your number through Meta’s API, not through the phone app. See WhatsApp Business API.
• Templates outside the customer service window. Free-text replies are allowed within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. To start a conversation after that, such as a delivery update or an offer, the business sends an approved message template. See WhatsApp message templates.
• Opt-in for marketing. Promotional messages go only to customers who agreed to receive them.
• Per-message costs. Meta charges by message category and country. See conversation-based pricing.

Why it matters for an online store

• Customers already message you there. For many shoppers, WhatsApp is where they ask a store about a product or an order, and they expect the reply in the same chat.
• Most questions need your store data. “Is it in stock?”, “how much is delivery?” and “where is my order?” all need a lookup. A menu bot cannot do it. See WISMO.
• The sale can finish in the chat. A shopper who is ready to buy can get a payment link without opening your website. See conversational commerce.
• Ads can open the chat. Click-to-WhatsApp ads drop the shopper into your chat, so the reply has to be ready. See click-to-WhatsApp ads.

How it works in chat

• Your number connects once. In AeroChat you connect your number through Meta’s embedded signup, inside AeroChat. Your number can keep running on the WhatsApp Business app on your phone while the same number runs through AeroChat.
• Answers come from your store. Products, stock and shipping come from your store platform, such as Shopify. Orders are read live after the customer’s email or phone is verified.
• Voice notes count. A spoken question is transcribed and answered like a typed one.
• Payment happens in the thread. An Airwallex payment link arrives in the chat, and the order is confirmed once it is paid.
• Your team can step in. Anyone on your team can take over a conversation from the shared inbox. See live chat handover.

An example exchange

Related terms

• WhatsApp AI chatbot
• WhatsApp Business API
• WhatsApp message templates
• Click-to-WhatsApp ads
• Ecommerce chatbot

Read next

• WhatsApp workflows library
• WhatsApp order tracking that answers from your store data
• WhatsApp abandoned cart recovery that answers the question

Back to the glossary

Answer your WhatsApp from your store data

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On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.