WhatsApp for Automotive: How to Use it to Boost Sales in 2025

Do you remember the first car you bought? Visiting the showroom and discussing available options with a sales representative. Taking a car out for a test drive and coming to a purchase decision used to be the norm. 

Nowadays, things have changed a little. Customers these days are using online channels to select their vehicle and completing the transaction without visiting a dealership. They ask all their questions online and learn about the features of the model using advanced functions like AI rendering and 360-degree views. 

With more and more customers purchasing their vehicles using online mediums, it has become necessary for automotive companies and car dealerships to switch to a real-time communication platform. And WhatsApp fits perfectly with this requirement. 

With WhatsApp Business’s features and capabilities, automotive businesses can effectively interact with interested customers, send them their product catalog, and personalize the entire journey to make it easy for them to complete the purchase. 

So, if you are also running an automotive business, then in this article, I’ll tell you why WhatsApp can be a great choice for your brand, along with how you can leverage WhatsApp to manage various aspects of the customer journey with ease. So, let’s jump straight into it!

What is WhatsApp for automotive?

WhatsApp for automotive is nothing more than the approach of using WhatsApp as a communication channel to engage potential customers and increase sales. 

WhatsApp, being a full-fledged business suite, allows you to handle pretty much all the components of a sales funnel. For example, you can use it to attract new leads by placing Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Facebook and Instagram pages. Or you can nurture prospects with automated WhatsApp workflows across the sales pipeline and convert leads without having to manually manage everything. 

In addition to that, using the real-time updates, you can inform customers about their appointments or notify them about upcoming limited-time offers to generate a sense of urgency.

Moreover, one more reason why WhatsApp is an excellent option for automotive businesses is its high engagement rate. Almost all the messages sent on WhatsApp are being opened by users. Plus, the conversion rate for WhatsApp ranges between 45%-60%, depending on the industry. These stats are way beyond what is delivered by traditional channels.

Why should you use WhatsApp for your automotive business?

There are several reasons why WhatsApp is the right channel for automotive brands. Below, I’ve explained a few of them:

Real-time customer interactions 

One of the biggest benefits that WhatsApp offers is a direct way to interact with your customers seamlessly. With WhatsApp, conversing with your customers is straightforward. You can send real-time responses to customer questions and provide additional information about a vehicle with the help of images or documents. 

Apart from its 1:1 communication capabilities, WhatsApp can be used to send bulk messages to your target audience, informing them about a new model being included in your catalog or a festive deal they should take advantage of.

Sending WhatsApp messages at scale ensures potential customers are aware of the offerings of your dealership, enabling them to take action. Once they reach out to you to learn more, you can tag them as an interested lead and nurture them accordingly based on their needs. 

Tailored communications

Although traditional channels can be personalized to some extent, they cannot match WhatsApp’s level in terms of tailored messages. Personalization plays an important role when it comes to automotive sales, as 74% of buyers rely on the level of personalized experience they had last time to determine which brand they will go for in the future. 

So, if you want to get recurring sales and build a solid customer relationship, personalizing your outreach is critical. Fortunately, WhatsApp supports a wide range of message types that range from simple text messages to highly interactive WhatsApp Catalogs, allowing you to control your conversation on a granular level.

Utilizing custom variables adds another layer of personalization to your WhatsApp messages. When sending these messages, your WhatsApp marketing tool will automatically insert customers’ details stored within the system in relevant places for human-like interactions.

Automated workflows

WhatsApp automation helps you automate your communication with timely messages or reminders that make customers take action. A well-timed notification informing a customer about their upcoming appointment can reduce the no-show rates, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction and increased conversion rate. 

Not just that. Leveraging WhatsApp automation tools, you can create a chatbot that can reply to incoming messages in real-time, significantly lowering the waiting time. These WhatsApp chatbots make it so that you always remain in contact with your customers, no matter the time zones or your business hours. 

Streamlined registration

Unlike the old times, when you had to physically provide a copy of your driver's licence or identity proof, WhatsApp enables you to collect digital copies of these documents efficiently. Your customers can scan their documents and send them to you over WhatsApp. Similarly, you can also share crucial documents such as vehicle paperwork, insurance forms, or payment receipts using WhatsApp. 

Digital paperwork is easier to manage compared to its physical counterparts and can be sent comfortably from anywhere. This way, you can make the process of buying a vehicle contactless, enhancing the overall customer experience. 

Top-notch customer service

How long a customer stays with your business depends on your post-sale customer service. Plus, vehicles require maintenance from time to time to keep running smoothly for a long time. 

WhatsApp lets you streamline customer service by efficiently scheduling repairs or vehicle maintenance using chat messages. In addition to that, you can automate notifications regarding an upcoming service request so customers can drop off their vehicles on time. 

During the servicing period, you can send timely reports of what was wrong with the vehicle and which components need replacement. Post-servicing, you can send detailed invoices along with the date & time of the pickup, making the entire process fluid.

How to set up WhatsApp for automotive?

Having learned about the advantages of using WhatsApp for your automobile business, it’s time to see how to incorporate it into your business. With that said, here are the steps to get started with this process:

Identify your business goals

The automobile business involves managing numerous aspects, which ultimately lead to making a purchase. However, before you start using WhatsApp, you need to figure out what you want to achieve with the platform. 

Being an all-around communication channel, WhatsApp allows you a wide variety of messages, ranging from promotional to timely appointment reminders to notify prospects about their test drives. For this reason, to avoid wasting resources on sending messages that might not drive results, you need to have clear goals in mind. 

For example, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you want to use WhatsApp to attract new customers?
• Can WhatsApp help you streamline your customer communication?
• Are you losing leads due to late replies or long wait times?

These are a few situations where WhatsApp can let you increase your chances of getting a sale by improving your outreach process and making everything move seamlessly. 

Set up the WhatsApp Business Account

After you know what you wish to accomplish by incorporating WhatsApp in your automotive sales, you need to create a WhatsApp Business Account. Although, if you are a small dealership with limited customers, you can make do with the WhatsApp Business App that comes with basic messaging capabilities to interact with your leads.

On the other hand, if you want to engage a larger audience or want to grow your presence using WhatsApp, then you are better off getting the WhatsApp Business API. With the API, you can access the full feature set of WhatsApp Business and control your outreach on a granular level.

If you decide to go for the API, you would require a WhatsApp API provider that acts as a frontend for the API. Zixflow is an official WhatsApp Business Partner that gives you direct access to the WhatsApp API.

Sign up for a free trial to utilize this visual platform without needing any technical know-how. Check out this video on how to integrate WhatsApp API with Zixflow effectively:

Manage consent

Unlike traditional channels, where you can send unsolicited messages without much consequence, WhatsApp makes it compulsory for businesses to obtain permission from users before they can interact with them. 

In order to do that, you need to get content from users via WhatsApp opt-ins to let them know what kinds of messages they can expect from you. Sending unsolicited WhatsApp messages can lead to your account getting temporarily or permanently banned. Also, give users a clear opt-out option should they decide to stop receiving your WhatsApp messages.

Managing customer consent is crucial to ensure your messages remain effective while making sure you follow all of WhatsApp’s Messaging Guidelines. You can keep track of opt-ins by integrating WhatsApp with a CRM platform and update the status of interested contacts effortlessly.

Run outreach campaigns

If you have been following the steps till now, then now it is time to run your outreach campaigns. Based on your requirements, you can design WhatsApp messaging templates for a large variety of scenarios. For example, you can send promotional campaigns for new arrivals, inform clients about upcoming offers, and streamline customer support initiatives. 

Your WhatsApp marketing platform will let you run these campaigns with ease. For instance, Zixflow’s visual campaign editor allows you to design and send bulk WhatsApp messages to your clients.

Some best practices to make the most of WhatsApp for your automotive business

Although WhatsApp may sound like a perfect platform to use for an automotive business due to its features, you must make use of them correctly to maximize the ROI for your efforts. With that said, here are some of the best practices to leverage WhatsApp for your car dealership:

Craft media-rich content

The biggest advantage of using WhatsApp is its support of multimedia messages. With WhatsApp, you can share high-resolution images of the vehicles available for sale. You can attach multiple images to showcase various aspects of the car, such as interior, body work, and other features that you want to highlight.

In addition to that, you can have one of your sales reps record a video explaining the modern features of a vehicle. This way, you grab the interest of potential customers immediately, enabling them to get in touch with you for more details.

Automate your follow-ups

Buying a vehicle is a big decision. You cannot expect leads to purchase just after one interaction. So, sending timely follow-ups with meaningful content and helpful tips will allow them to make an informed decision. 

To do this, you can build WhatsApp workflows that can keep track of your communications and send follow-ups automatically if you don’t hear back from prospects after a specific amount of time has passed. 

You can tailor these follow-ups to learn more about their needs to figure out which type of vehicle best fits their lifestyle. Understanding what a person is looking for provides you with great insight into what they might be interested in purchasing, thereby hastening the entire sales process.

Comply with WhatsApp Guidelines

WhatsApp is strict with its Messaging Guidelines, and failure to comply with them can result in your WhatsApp account being punished with restricted sending limits or a temporary ban for continuous violations. 

Similar to other industries using WhatsApp, automotive businesses also need to comply with data regulation laws such as CCPA and GDPR. Also, WhatsApp includes a native end-to-end encryption for its messages, making sure your conversations are secured from external interference. 

Following these guidelines and implementing a solid security framework is necessary to protect customer data and their details effectively.

Take your automotive business to the next level with WhatsApp

No matter if you are a small automotive business or managing numerous showrooms across the country, WhatsApp’s dynamic, real-time messaging capabilities let you engage with prospects seamlessly. 

WhatsApp Business API and other WhatsApp tools are a great combination to let you streamline communications for your automotive business, optimizing the entire sales journey. 

In addition to nurturing leads with continuous conversations, WhatsApp lets you expand your reach and attract the attention of potential customers to take an interest in your stock. 

So, are you ready to enhance your automotive business with WhatsApp?

Sign up for Zixflow, a WhatsApp automation and marketing platform to handle all your WhatsApp activities from a unified solution without needing technical support or outside assistance.