Swipe Right: WhatsApp Carousels are the next big thing!
When was the last time swiping through 3 images made you buy something?
Saying just the right things alongside the perfect visual and making quite an ask looked like a win-win to you. You had to give in!
WhatsApp messages boast an impressive open rate of nearly 98%, with a 40-60% response rate, significantly higher than traditional communication channels like email.
And when has “sliding into someone’s DMs to tell them how you were thinking of them and here’s a gift to you because they thought of you” not worked? (Strictly Business)
No wonder businesses — over 5 million of them — lean towards using WhatsApp for Business to maximize their ROI and engagement.
This platform has a bazillion features, and Meta (being Meta!) keeps unrolling more by the minute so businesses can make the most of their spend on WhatsApp for Business.
Talking about unrolling by the minute, one brand that has been getting its brand promise and Meta’s features right is Zepto!
Zepto is known for being this ultra-fast and hyperlocal online grocery store. But they were also ultra-fast in using a WhatsApp business feature and took the internet by storm.
WhatsApp Carousels.
Zepto was one of the few businesses worldwide invited to experiment with a new feature called WhatsApp Carousels.
The rotating effect and swiping through images on Carousel ads were never seen on WhatsApp before.
Isn’t “never seen before” seen so many times before to get the users flocking?
When Zepto rolled out their first-ever carousel on WhatsApp, it led to an uptick — in both sales and curiosity!
How did Zepto get the feature? How did they decide what to add in there?
We invited Amanjeet Singh Malhotra, Sr. Manager Growth @ Zepto, for a sandbox session to take us behind the scenes of the idea and impact.
(P.S. More about the community & our sessions here)
So, how did Zepto do it?
Zepto chose 3 images, all going back to the same link.
They chose a strong hook: Free Delivery Followed by a famous face: Jasprit Bumrah Closed with a CTA: Buy Again
The overarching message worked with all three slides and highlighted a 10-minute delivery. Then, they sent this out to two groups of users based on their Recency, Frequency, and Monetary value (RFM): Low RFM and High RFM.
The result? 32% uptick in user engagement!
Of course, we had to ask Amanjeet what permutation combinations it took to get this right! Here’s a peek into his notes:
Behind the scenes
Zepto, like many other businesses, has always used WhatsApp as a vital user engagement touchpoint. During the Cricket World Cup, Zepto got Jasprit Bumrah on board as a brand ambassador.
Around this time, Meta invited them to use a brand new feature.
For a brand associated with all things speed, they decided to go ahead and experiment. After finding the right vendor, it was time to put the campaign together.
Crafting the perfect campaign
While swiping through a carousel was new to WhatsApp, we’re all used to creating swipeable info posts or photo dumps. Amanjeet’s team carried forward some basic principles of getting a carousel right.
1. No information overload
You can use 8 to 10 images in one carousel, but that doesn’t mean you should. Packaging a lot of information in one message is always a swipe risk.
3 to 5 images is the sweet spot. Keep the copy simple and accessible yet actionable.
2. Create a User Journey
Make your first image the hook and the last image the conclusion with a solid Call To Action. The carousel should make the user swipe all the way from images 1 to 2 to 3 to 4. Build connections across these images for your user to engage with the carousel better.
3. Add context to your carousel
No one loves being led on with no means in sight. The text you send with your carousel slides should blend with and complement all the slides in an overarching manner. Make it general yet engaging. It should tell the user why you are sending it and what you expect them to do after engaging with it.
4. A/B test your carousels
This whole WhatsApp Carousel exercise is a brand new feature, so spend some time testing how the carousel works internally first. Create two groups and send them different carousels to see what action it evokes. Once ready for roll-out, test how your audience responds to carousels by creating two groups being targeted differently.
Measuring Success
Remember the two groups you sent the carousel to? Zepto’s final A/B test was sending the carousel off the one group and letting the others engage with a static they usually share with all their audiences.
In comparison, the carousel performed much better! 32% better. WhatsApp marketing campaigns are tracked using an Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) link. The link essentially tracks five metrics: Content, term, campaign, medium, and source.
This means Zepto could track Clicks, Conversions, Traffic, and Orders from the unique UTM they shared with the carousel. This was the first of its kind rollout, so the insights by Meta and the API providers also supplemented the internal metrics.
Amanjeet’s Pro Tip: Use this with your low RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary value) cohort to revive them and renew the engagement.
More Carousels from Zepto?
This worked for 2 reasons:
It was something the medium had never seen before
It was something the user had never seen before
Users and marketers engaged with this more because they were curious. Zepto made the most of this curiosity. So, if you are looking forward to having your users swipe right on you and swipe through your carousel: Create, Test, Measure, Repeat
Community Questions with Amanjeet
If the carousel has 3 slides, does the provider charge for 3 messages or a single message?
They’re charged as a single message at the same price point.
Did you see incremental business because you used carousels?
The goal with this campaign was branding and engagement, not sales. That said, we saw an uptick of 32% after using carousels.
Do all images in the carousel need to lead to the same CTA Link?
No, you can add different links to different images as well. Multiple CTAs, however, can sometimes overwhelm a user’s decision-making process. Set your CTAs as per your goals.
Do the images auto-download for everyone on WhatsApp?
This depends on the user’s media settings. If they turn off the download media option, it won’t download automatically.
Can we make carousels less effort-intensive for our team?
One way to do that is by adapting your existing in-app creatives, tweaking content, and fixing the carousel's content flow.
Can you use GIFs and Videos in this carousel?
You can only use images in the template we used. There is another template for video, but not for GIFs yet.
Are there any extra charges for implementing Carousels?
No. They should be included in the existing commercials by your service provider, as this is something provided by Meta themselves.
Can you track if the user is scrolling through the whole carousel and if it is making an impact?
You cannot track scrolling, but you can definitely see which slide of the carousel performed better depending on the clicks coming in. Impressions will be reported cumulatively.
Is carousel as a campaign scalable?
You need to find the right vendor and then explore if your audience is responding to this format and if your basic metrics are being met.