{"id":195213,"date":"2025-10-17T22:47:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T20:47:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/?post_type=blog&p=195213"},"modified":"2025-10-17T22:47:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T20:47:57","slug":"whatsapp-vs-email-which-channel-connects-with-todays-buyers","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/blog\/whatsapp-vs-email-which-channel-connects-with-todays-buyers","title":{"rendered":"WhatsApp vs Email: which channel really connects with today\u2019s buyers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re anything like me, you run a good chunk of your personal life on WhatsApp. There\u2019s a family chat, your close friends, the school parents\u2019 channel (that never stops pinging!), and all the sub-groups that spin off from each of those, with one or more members of the \u201cmain chat\u201d conspicuously absent.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

So how does this hive of activity sit inside your business\u2019 marketing plans? Let\u2019s compare how WhatsApp works vs that other jewel of mass outreach, the humble email.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Use Cases<\/h2>\n

Scrolling through my own WhatsApp, 3 common use cases overlap with email; lead follow-up, resource delivery, and booking confirmations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Lead follow-up<\/h3>\n

Example of a lead follow-up through WhatsApp:<\/p>\n

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Example of a lead follow-up through email:<\/p>\n

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Resource delivery<\/h3>\n

Example of a resource delivery through WhatsApp:<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

Example of a resource delivery through email:<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

Booking confirmations<\/h3>\n

Example of a booking confirmation through WhatsApp:<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

Example of a booking confirmation through email:<\/p>\n

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For an example of end-to-end customer service via WhatsApp, read what my colleague Andy got up to on holiday<\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Your audience<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Email<\/h3>\n

The best thing about your email audience is that you are in control. Once they\u2019ve entered your orbit, via your website or from a trade show stand, it\u2019s up to you what you send them, when and how often. Of course, you have to respect their wishes when it comes to unsubscribing and updating their preferences!<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

WhatsApp<\/h3>\n

As of 2024, WhatsApp tops the list of most popular social media platforms, far outstripping \u201cflashier\u201d apps like Instagram or TikTok.<\/p>\n

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To put that into context, around 38 million people in the UK use WhatsApp regularly; 2 out of every 3 people. So, if your total audience is 250,000 contacts, then you could potentially reach 165,000 of them on WhatsApp.<\/p>\n

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While the consumer-to-consumer version of WhatsApp is free, there is a small cost per message<\/a> for WhatsApp Business.<\/p>\n

Meta\u2019s announcement of an ad-free paid tier for Facebook and Instagram<\/a> suggests the balance is shifting. Up until this point, Meta\u2019s revenue came entirely from businesses, through targeted advertising. It\u2019s not clear how turning end-users into a revenue stream will play out on WhatsApp, so\u00a0 keep an eye on this.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Consent\/GDPR<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Email<\/h3>\n

When GDPR first arrived in 2018, everybody panicked. Then we took a closer look and realised it could be good for email marketers.<\/p>\n

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\n

Among the 6 \u201clawful bases for processing<\/a>\u201d sits our good friend Legitimate Interest:
processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.<\/em><\/p>\n

– legislation.gov.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In plain English, if you believe that what you\u2019re promoting is relevant to the recipient, you can approach them without prior consent.<\/p>\n

In Spotler\u2019s case, the Head of Marketing at a restaurant chain would be fair game under Legitimate Interest, but the Head Chef wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

WhatsApp<\/h3>\n

One of the most important differences between WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business is GDPR compliance:<\/p>\n

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\n

\u201cUnlike WhatsApp Messenger, which is built for personal communications, the WhatsApp Business app is designed for external business communications. Each app is GDPR-compliant based on its intended purpose.<\/strong> If you’re a small-to-medium sized business, you should use the WhatsApp Business app for business communications with your customers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

– whatsapp.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

There\u2019s an active debate on exactly what level of consent is required for WhatsApp. If a webform to download a resource or register for an event asks for a mobile number, is that enough (soft opt-in)? Or do you need to provide a check box that specifically states, \u201cI am happy for [company] to send me promotional messages on WhatsApp\u201d (hard opt-in)?<\/p>\n

Spotler\u2019s position is that you should always explicitly ask for consent. At the very least, if you have to trick your audience to get your content in front of them, you\u2019ve not got the kind of relationship where they\u2019re going to trust you with their money!<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Content<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Email<\/h3>\n

The sky is the limit! Whether you favour an image-rich newsletter or a single-line plain text sales message, you can design it in email.<\/p>\n

A regular part of our Great British Split Test exercise is to see how different styles of email content are received<\/a>. Every year we test whether fully HTML-rich sends perform better than plain text.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

WhatsApp<\/h3>\n

Any message you want to send in WhatsApp Business needs to be officially approved by Meta<\/a>. Within their guidelines you can include images, videos and attachments.<\/p>\n

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This WhatsApp from Dublin Airport includes the flight code, and the departure and destination airport short codes, just like you would see on your ticket. Along with the Ryanair logo in the message and the airport\u2019s own logo attached to the sender, the message is clear, professional and attractive.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Mobile-first<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Email<\/h3>\n

Optimising email for mobile has been a topic for as long as I\u2019ve worked in marketing!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tricky to pin down exact figures on how many emails are opened on mobile devices, but a Shopify survey in December 2024<\/a> found \u201cNearly half of global internet users with mobile devices say they prefer to receive communications from businesses by email.\u201d Alongside the fact that mobile made up nearly 42% of Opens in 2021, it\u2019s highly likely that mobile is now above desktop for email Opens.<\/p>\n

Spotler\u2019s Mail+ platform shows you how your messages will look on both mobile and desktop, and allows you to edit the mobile version directly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

WhatsApp<\/h3>\n

The big advantage of WhatsApp is that it\u2019s mobile-native. WhatsApp Web does exist, but you can immediately tell it came after the mobile app.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/strong><\/th>\nWhatsApp Web<\/strong><\/th>\nWhatsApp Mobile<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Accessibility<\/td>\nDesktop only<\/td>\nAnywhere, anytime<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Features<\/td>\nLimited<\/td>\nFull range<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Customization<\/td>\nBasic<\/td>\nAdvanced<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Productivity<\/td>\nHigh for typing<\/td>\nLower for typing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Security<\/td>\nRisk on public PCs<\/td>\nGenerally secure<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

Source: www.bot.space<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Trust levels<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, scams still exist in both email and WhatsApp. What\u2019s striking is that for both channels the \u201ctells\u201d that customers reported are very similar. An unknown sender, poorly written content, and \u201ctoo good to be true\u201d offers were the top 3 sources of suspicion in both cases.<\/p>\n

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With this in mind, if you know how to demonstrate your trustworthiness to your email audience, you can easily do the same with WhatsApp content.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

\u201cWhatsApp or email?\u201d is the wrong question. Both have clear pros and cons, so whatever industry you\u2019re in, it\u2019s likely that a balance between the 2 channels is your best play.<\/p>\n

To test WhatsApp, start off with a very specific niche within your audience. Pick a small group who are already very engaged with your content, as they already trust you and are more likely to be open to  WhatsApp approach.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
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Want to get started on WhatsApp?<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re not sure how to get started on WhatsApp, check out Spotler Engage<\/a>. By handling all your messaging channels in one place, you can quickly and easily add WhatsApp to the channels you\u2019re already using.<\/p>\n

Interested to see our software in action?<\/p>\n

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Book a demo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Compare their strengths of these channels, from GDPR to engagement, and see how using both drives better buyer relationships. Read the blog!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":195392,"template":"","cat_industry":[1228,1462],"cat_topic":[1002,1488],"class_list":["post-195213","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cat_industry-b2b-en-gb","cat_industry-b2c-en-gb","cat_topic-email-marketing-en-gb","cat_topic-whatsapp-marketing-en-gb"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/195213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/195213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195569,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/195213\/revisions\/195569"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cat_industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cat_industry?post=195213"},{"taxonomy":"cat_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cat_topic?post=195213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}