Emails piling up, soulless SMS, chatbots going in circles: digital marketing is looking for a new breath. WhatsApp is now emerging as the channel that truly changes the game, provided you understand what it is—and what it is not.
WhatsApp Marketing refers to all marketing actions carried out via WhatsApp Business API, from opt-in collection to campaign delivery, including conversational customer service and automation of purchase journeys.
Concretely, it is the use of WhatsApp as a communication channel between a brand and its customers: to inform, engage, sell, and retain. But behind this simple definition lies a radically different approach from anything we have known before.
WhatsApp is not just another channel in the marketing stack. It is a communication space with its own conventions, its own timing, and its own expectations. A WhatsApp message is read on average within 3 minutes of being received. It arrives in an interface where the user manages both professional and personal conversations. This channel has its own codes, and that is precisely what makes it the most powerful channel right now.
This is not a newsletter. This is not an SMS. This is not an email with a green bubble :-)
The question often comes up: WhatsApp, what does it replace? Email? SMS? The website chatbot? The short answer: none of the three. The long answer: each channel occupies a different place in the customer relationship, and WhatsApp occupies one that the others cannot really cover.
| Criteria | 📱 SMS | 🤖 Web chatbot | ||
| Open rate | 15–25% | 70–80% | Depends on site traffic | 80–98% |
| Read delay | Several hours | 5–10 min | Immediate (if on site) | < 3 min |
| Content richness | HTML, images, CTA | Text only | Custom interface | Text, media, buttons, catalogues, flows |
| Native conversation | No | Limited | Yes, on-site only | Bidirectional, asynchronous |
| Portability | Yes | Yes | No | Persistent relationship in-app |
| Opt-in required | Yes | Yes | No | Explicit and documented |
| Cost per message | Very low | Low to medium | Platform investment | Per 24h conversation window |
The right question is not choosing between these channels, it is understanding what each one does best. In a mature marketing stack, WhatsApp complements them: where email informs and SMS alerts, WhatsApp creates the relationship.
Professional WhatsApp Marketing relies on WhatsApp Business API, a technical layer separate from the standard app.
| 80% | 3× | < 3 min | 2B+ |
| Average WhatsApp message open rate | More clicks than standard email marketing | Median message read time |
Active users worldwide |
In Switzerland, WhatsApp penetration exceeds 70% of the active population. In Spain, Portugal, and Brazil, it approaches total adoption. This is no longer a niche channel, it is communication infrastructure.
A well-executed WhatsApp strategy is more than a channel. It is a proprietary asset: a direct, consented, unfiltered communication channel.
Ready to explore WhatsApp Marketing for your brand?
Sandra supports Swiss and European companies in deploying WhatsApp strategies, from technical setup to first campaign:
hello@sandra.ch