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WhatsApp Business offers tools that can change how businesses engage with their customers. In this article, we’ll break down the key differences, explore the benefits of WhatsApp Business, and show how advanced tools like charles can help you unlock its full potential.
WhatsApp: the messaging app everyone knows
WhatsApp is the go-to messaging app for billions of people worldwide. It’s simple, reliable, and perfect for personal communication. From sending texts and multimedia to making voice and video calls, it’s a staple in everyday life.
Key features of WhatsApp
- Text and multimedia messaging: Send messages, photos, videos, and documents.
- Voice and video calls: High-quality calls for personal communication.
- Group chats: Connect with multiple people in one conversation.
- End-to-end encryption: Ensures privacy and security for all messages.
What is WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp Business is a messaging app specifically designed for businesses. It offers features that help companies connect with customers, showcase products, and automate responses.
WhatsApp Business is a free-to-download app. It’s available on Android and iPhone, and was built with the small business owner in mind. WhatsApp Business makes interacting with customers easy by providing tools to automate, sort, and quickly respond to incoming communications.
Key features of WhatsApp Business
- Business profiles: Include essential details like address, website, and contact information.
- Automated messaging: Set up greeting messages, quick replies, and away messages.
- Product catalogs: Showcase products and services directly within the app.
- Basic analytics: Track message delivery, read rates, and engagement.
- WhatsApp Business Calling API: Initiate and receive calls with users on WhatsApp using voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP).
WhatsApp Business is ideal for small businesses looking to improve customer communication. You can use it via the mobile app, web browser, or desktop app. Getting started with the WhatsApp Business app is quick and straightforward; here’s how to set it up for your brand.
Pro tip
Core differences between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business
Benefits of WhatsApp Business for marketers and CRM leads
🙋♂️ Enhanced customer engagement
WhatsApp Business enables personalized, two-way communication with customers.
Features like greeting messages and quick replies help businesses stay responsive.
For businesses looking to take engagement to the next level, charles offers AI-powered chatbots and 24/7 automated support. With intelligent product recommendations and conversational flows, charles ensures every customer interaction feels personal and efficient.
🤝 Sell products directly in chat
The platform’s product catalog feature enables businesses to showcase their offerings directly within the app.
To fully automate and scale CRM & shop efforts, charles integrates seamlessly with most tools. This enables businesses to create data-driven workflows, manage campaigns, and deliver personalized experiences at scale; all from one centralized platform.
Every integration you need, powering seamless cross-channel marketing without data silos.
👋 Improved customer support
WhatsApp Business simplifies customer support with quick replies and templates for frequently asked questions. It’s ideal for small-scale operations, but scaling support requires more advanced tools.
charles helps businesses handle high volumes of inquiries efficiently by offering AI-powered FAQ agents and advanced ticketing systems. These features ensure faster response times while maintaining a personalized touch for every customer. Additionally, charles integrates with other tools like Klaviyo, ensuring that contact data is synced seamlessly across platforms. This eliminates data silos and allows businesses to manage customer interactions holistically.
⚙️ First steps towards performance-driven WhatsApp marketing
WhatsApp Business provides basic analytics, such as message delivery and read rates, to help businesses track performance.
For deeper insights into customer behavior, charles provides robust analytics and advanced segmentation tools.
By unifying customer data and offering actionable insights, charles helps businesses optimize their marketing strategies and drive better results.
For example, charles offers advanced analytics for click-to-WhatsApp ads, allowing businesses to track ad performance and conversion rates directly within the platform. This ensures that marketing efforts are not only measurable but also highly effective.
This is what people often ask about WhatsApp Business
Is the WhatsApp Business catalog free?
Yes, the WhatsApp Business catalog is completely free to use. Businesses can upload and showcase their products or services directly within the app without any additional charges. However, if you use the WhatsApp Business API or integrate with third-party tools for advanced features, there may be associated costs depending on the service provider.
How to view a business catalog on WhatsApp?
To view a business catalog on WhatsApp:
- Open the chat with the business you’re interested in.
- Tap on the business name at the top of the chat to open their profile.
- Scroll down and tap on "View Catalog" to browse their products or services.
If the business has set up a catalog, you’ll see a list of items with descriptions, prices, and images. You can tap on an item to learn more or inquire directly with the business.
WhatsApp Business API: a game-changer for enterprises
For medium and large businesses, the WhatsApp Business API offers advanced capabilities that go beyond the standard app.
The Cloud API, hosted by Meta, allows you to implement WhatsApp Business APIs without the cost of hosting of your own servers and also allows you to more easily scale your business messaging.
Key features of WhatsApp Business API
- Scalability: Handle high volumes of messages with ease.
- Automation: Enable advanced workflows and AI-powered interactions.
- CRM integration: Seamlessly connect with tools like charles for unified customer management.
- Custom messaging: Personalize messages at scale using customer data.
The API is ideal for enterprises looking to deliver exceptional customer experiences while maintaining operational efficiency.
📌 New pricing effective July 1, 2025 — read our WhatsApp pricing guide to see how it impacts your business.
Use cases of WhatsApp Business (API)
1. Lead generation
With the WhatsApp Business API, companies can capture leads directly through chat-based interactions. Instead of relying on long forms or delayed follow-ups, AI-powered agents qualify leads in real time, guiding potential customers smoothly through the sales process. This not only increases conversion rates but also creates a more engaging customer experience on WhatsApp.
The WhatsApp Business API also makes referral marketing highly effective. Brands can send personalized referral codes directly in chat, gain GDPR-compliant opt-ins, and even retarget customers who haven’t used their codes yet.
By combining conversational AI with referral campaigns, businesses can drive new customer acquisition while maintaining a seamless, personal connection through WhatsApp.
2. Retargeting and re-engagement
Recover abandoned carts with high-converting WhatsApp campaigns.
Two automations consistently move the needle: abandoned cart recovery that reminds shoppers to complete purchases, and back-in-stock alerts that instantly notify subscribers when favorites return, creating urgency and capturing intent the moment inventory is available. In short, effective WhatsApp retargeting and re-engagement requires API-level integrations to personalize at scale, automate intelligently, and convert more of the demand you already have.
3. Customer retention
Loyalty doesn’t happen overnight; it’s the result of consistent, meaningful communication that makes customers feel valued beyond the initial purchase.
WhatsApp is the perfect channel to nurture this relationship, as it combines reach, intimacy, and personalization in a way few other platforms can. By sharing exclusive offers, updates, and promotions directly in chat, brands create a VIP experience that keeps customers engaged and coming back.
Reward loyal customers with automated WhatsApp journeys that keep them coming back.
With the WhatsApp Business API, this loyalty-building can be taken to the next level. Automated birthday campaigns let you celebrate each customer personally, sending tailored greetings along with a special offer or gift, making the interaction feel both personal and rewarding.
On the service side, AI-powered WhatsApp agents can answer customer questions instantly by drawing from your knowledge base, ensuring accurate responses every time, while features like user intent guarantee conversations remain secure and aligned with your brand voice.
This blend of personalized marketing and reliable service builds trust, strengthens brand affinity, and turns one-time buyers into long-term advocates.
Choosing the right platform for your business
When deciding between WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Business + software, consider the following factors:
- Business size: Small businesses may find the WhatsApp Business app sufficient, while larger enterprises will benefit from the API.
- Goals: Determine whether you need basic messaging or advanced automation and analytics.
- Customer base: Evaluate the volume and complexity of customer interactions.
For businesses looking to scale, transitioning to the WhatsApp Business API with tools like charles is a strategic move.
How charles enhances WhatsApp Business for marketing automation
charles is a conversational AI and CRM platform that helps brands unlock the full potential of WhatsApp and two-way communication.
Key features of charles
- AI-powered agents: Automate customer interactions with intelligent, context-aware agents.
- Marketing automation: Create and manage automated campaigns directly within charles. See Journeys for example.
- Analytics and insights: Gain actionable data to optimize marketing strategies.
- CRM integration: Unify customer data for personalized communication. See all integrations + custom ones.
🤝 By leveraging charles, businesses can unlock the full potential of WhatsApp Business, driving engagement, retention, and sales.
Future trends in WhatsApp Business for marketing
- AI and automation: The rise of AI-powered agents will continue to transform customer interactions.
- Omnichannel integration: Expect deeper integration with platforms like Instagram Direct and Facebook Messenger.
- Enhanced personalization: Advanced analytics will enable hyper-personalized customer experiences.
- WhatsApp Ads: WhatsApp ads eliminate the friction between seeing an ad and starting a conversation.
- Centralized Campaigns, AI Support and More for Businesses on WhatsApp: Meta is streamlining how businesses can create and manage their marketing strategy across WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram – all in Ads Manager.
Quick takeaways
- WhatsApp is a personal messaging app, while WhatsApp Business offers tools tailored for businesses.
- Advanced features like chatbots and marketing automation require integration with platforms like charles.
- The WhatsApp Business API is ideal for enterprises looking to scale their operations.
- Tools like charles amplify the capabilities of WhatsApp Business, driving engagement and sales.
Conclusion
Almost everyone uses WhatsApp, but for businesses, the WhatsApp Business app is only the first step towards more effective, conversational marketing.
It allows companies to connect with customers in a familiar space, but its features remain limited.
To truly unlock the potential of conversational marketing on WhatsApp, brands need the advanced capabilities of the WhatsApp Business API combined with a platform like charles.
With charles, businesses can go beyond basic messaging and transform WhatsApp into a performance marketing channel: automating abandoned cart recovery, sending personalized broadcasts, running referral campaigns, and delivering data-driven insights. This evolution turns WhatsApp into more than just a communication tool; it becomes a measurable, scalable channel for customer acquisition, retention, and long-term loyalty.
If your brand is ready to take the next step, charles offers everything you need to attract, convert, and retain customers through truly conversational marketing on WhatsApp.
