Automated WhatsApp Reorder Reminders Keep Your Retail Customers Coming Back

Below is a step‑by‑step walkthrough that shows exactly what you would see on the screen, from the moment a sale is made to the moment the reminder reaches the customer. The example uses a fictional shop, Anand’s General Store in Bhopal, selling groceries and household staples.

1. Record the sale in Billing

1. Log in to the Ferbz dashboard.
2. Click the Billing tab on the left navigation pane.
3. Press New Sale.
4. Search for the existing Customer “Ramesh Patel” (mobile +91 98765 43210). If he is a first‑time buyer, click Add New Customer and fill in name, phone, and address.
5. Add items:
   • 5 kg Rice – ₹210 (0 % GST, unbranded)
   • 2 L Cooking Oil – ₹240 (5 % GST, branded)
   • 1 kg Sugar – ₹45 (0 % GST)
6. The system automatically calculates GST per item, totals the invoice, and shows the final amount ₹495.
7. Click Checkout. Ferbz instantly generates a PDF receipt with a shareable link and marks the order as Completed.

Result: The order completion fires the automation trigger “order completes”.

2. Create the automation rule for reorder reminders

1. Navigate to the Automation tab.

2. Click Create New Journey.

3. In the plain‑English prompt box type:

   “Send a WhatsApp reminder to reorder rice and cooking oil 7 days after the last purchase, using our template ‘Reorder Reminder – Staples’.”

4. Ferbz’s AI suggests a flow:

   • Trigger: Days since last order ≥ 7
   • Wait: 0 days (immediate after trigger)
   • Message: WhatsApp template “Reorder Reminder – Staples”
   • Branch (optional): If reply contains “out of stock”, send “Apology – Stock Update” template.

5. Click Edit on Canvas. Drag the blocks to adjust timing if needed (e.g., change wait to 1 day).

6. Select the WhatsApp template you have already created under Templates (e.g., “Hi Ramesh, it’s time to restock your rice and oil. Reply ‘YES’ to place the order instantly”).

7. Save the journey and give it a name: 7‑Day Staples Reorder.

Result: The journey is now live and will enroll any customer whose order meets the trigger.

3. Enrol the customer automatically

Because the order just completed, Ferbz checks all active journeys. It sees that Ramesh Patel bought rice and oil, matches the “7‑Day Staples Reorder” trigger, and enrolls him. On the Reminders board you will see a new entry:

Customer	Reminder	Status	Scheduled for
Ramesh Patel	7‑Day Staples Reorder	Scheduled	2024‑09‑10 10:00 IST

4. Monitor the reminder delivery

1. Open the Reminders board (left‑hand menu).
2. The entry changes from Scheduled to Sent at the exact time the system pushes the WhatsApp message via the Gupshup API.
3. Two minutes later, the status updates to Delivered; once Ramesh reads it, the status becomes Read.
4. If the message fails (e.g., number blocked), the board shows Failed and you can click Retry or edit the customer’s contact.

5. Review performance in Reports

1. Go to Reports → Messaging Effectiveness.

2. Filter by date range “01‑Sep‑2024 to 30‑Sep‑2024” and by journey “7‑Day Staples Reorder”.

3. The table shows:

   • Reminders Sent: 128
   • Delivered: 124 (96.9 %)
   • Read: 112 (87.5 %)
   • Orders Generated: 34 (26.6 % conversion)
   • Revenue Recovered: ₹15,870

These numbers let Anand see exactly how many repeat sales the automation rescued from competitors.

6. Top up credits for continued use

If the wallet balance falls below the required credits for the next month’s reminders, click Wallet on the top bar, choose a package (e.g., ₹299 for 350 credits), and pay via Razorpay. Each reminder costs 1 credit, each broadcast 2 credits, so the 128 reminders in September used 128 credits, leaving enough for the next cycle.

7. Optional: Fine‑tune the journey

After the first month, Anand notices that many customers reply “YES” after 2 days. He returns to Automation, adds a Wait 2 days after the first message, then a Second Message “Your order is ready to be placed – just click the link”. This small tweak raises the conversion from 26.6 % to 31.2 % in the next month, as shown in the updated Reports.

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Time saved

Before Ferbz, Anand’s staff spent roughly 12 minutes per customer manually noting purchase dates in a ledger, checking stock, and calling or texting reminders. With 150 repeat customers a month, that equals 30 hours of labor. The automation eliminates the manual ledger and the outbound call, reducing the effort to under 2 minutes (just to verify the reminder on the board). That is a saving of 28 hours per month, which can be re‑allocated to stocking shelves or serving walk‑ins.

Revenue recovered

In the baseline scenario, about 15 % of customers who bought staples drifted to a nearby quick‑commerce app after 7‑10 days. With the WhatsApp reorder reminder, Anand captured 34 extra orders in September, each averaging ₹465 (including GST). That is ₹15,870 of additional turnover, a 23 % increase over the prior month’s repeat‑sale revenue of ₹68,500.

Fewer manual steps and errors

Paper‑based stock logs often missed expiry dates, leading to ₹2,300 of waste per quarter. By linking the reminder to the exact items sold, Ferbz ensures the message references only items that are still in stock, reducing the “out of stock” complaints by 78 % (from 45 complaints in August to 10 in September). The Reminders board gives instant visibility into any failed delivery, so Anand can act immediately rather than discovering a missed reminder days later.

Cost‑effective messaging

Each reminder consumes 1 credit. For September, 128 reminders cost 128 credits. At ₹99 per 100 credits, the total cost is ₹127 (plus Razorpay fees). Compared with hiring a part‑time staff member at ₹8,000 per month for reminder calls, the credit‑based model saves ₹7,873 while delivering higher conversion.

Overall, the WhatsApp reorder reminder aligns directly with the shop’s pain points: it stops customers from drifting, eliminates paper‑based tracking, and automates the only communication channel that customers actually read – WhatsApp.

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Ready to stop losing repeat customers to the competition? Set up your first WhatsApp reorder reminder in minutes and watch the sales board fill up again. Sign up for a free trial, import your customer list via CSV, create a simple 7‑day staple reminder, and top up credits instantly through Razorpay.

Start now: https://dashboard.ferbz.com/

Need help? Email us at support@ferbz.com – our onboarding team will walk you through the Automation canvas, the Reminders board, and the credit wallet so you can get back to serving shoppers in your store.