• Any concerns about consumer privacy influence their brand attitudes. So reassure them and create a private atmosphere to build trust.
• The use of WhatsApp does not lead to more negative feelings about your brand among consumers.
• WhatsApp Business is the ideal addition to your customer service, as long as you use the app consciously.

WhatsApp is currently one of the most popular apps. In the Netherlands alone, more than 12 million people use WhatsApp, and globally the app has more than 2 billion users. The popularity of the app has also sparked the interest of companies and entrepreneurs. This has led to the launch of WhatsApp Business in 2018, which according to WhatsApp is the perfect app for communication between businesses and consumers.

With WhatsApp Business, you maintain a more social, personal, and direct contact with consumers. The app also offers strategic advantages. Not only can your business name, address details, and opening hours be displayed, but as a business, you can set up standard responses, input out-of-office messages, and reach new, younger target audiences. Nowadays, you can even insert a link on various social media platforms, allowing consumers to send you a message directly. There are plenty of reasons for a brand to be present on WhatsApp!

Previous research has already shown that a brand communicating via WhatsApp must pay attention to three factors: the social character of the app, data security, and privacy protection. By not only talking informally with customers but also reassuring them and creating a private atmosphere, consumers will trust brands more.

Recently, more concerns have arisen regarding the privacy of the application acquired by Facebook. Do consumers still want to talk to companies via WhatsApp? This was investigated with an experiment among a Dutch sample, measuring the influence of WhatsApp customer contact on privacy concerns and brand attitudes of consumers.

It turns out that WhatsApp as a contact option does not raise more concerns among consumers compared to standard options such as calling and emailing. There is no difference between young and older consumers in this regard. The use of the app also has no negative effects on the brand attitudes of consumers.

When you, as a company or marketer, take into account the social nature of WhatsApp, data security, and the private environment, you can start using the app for your customer communication. Think of customer support, but also asking for feedback or sending updates and reminders. The app is promising and has many possibilities. Combined with the results of scientific research, which showed that using the app has no negative consequences for brand attitudes, it can be concluded that the app deserves a place within your communication strategy!

In short:

• WhatsApp is easy to use and is a good addition to your customer service;
• With the right approach, you can have positive contact with your customers via the app;
• The app, according to research, does not lead to negative feelings towards your brand.