WhatsApp is the connective tissue South African businesses can no longer ignore

Customer experience has become one of the most discussed priorities in South African boardrooms, yet for many businesses it remains more theory than practice.

Consumers still navigate multiple websites, call centres, emails, SMSs and in-store visits to make a purchase or resolve an issue.

This fragmented approach frustrates customers, reduces conversion rates and leaves revenue on the table.

Jonathan Elcock, Co-Founder at rather.chat, said the solution is WhatsApp. “WhatsApp is no longer just a chat platform.

It has become infrastructure, woven into the daily lives of the majority of South Africa’s adult population.

A recent study with Dataportal and Statista estimates that between 90% and 96% of South Africa’s internet users, roughly 24 to 29 million people, are on WhatsApp.

It is where we connect with family, manage our social lives and increasingly, where we transact. If businesses are not meeting customers on WhatsApp, they are not meeting them where they already are.

And if WhatsApp is not integrated into an organisation’s omnichannel strategy, that strategy is incomplete.”

The strength of WhatsApp lies in its ability to remove friction.

Research, decision-making, payment, fulfilment and after-sales support can all take place in a single conversation.

This not only reduces customer frustration but also increases visibility across the journey, building trust and improving conversion rates.

Elcock noted that many business leaders still rely on traditional methods.

“They point to a 38% contact rate achieved through traditional channels as evidence of success. But that number masks a more important truth: 62% of customers are telling you they do not want to engage that way. What businesses believe is working and what customers actually want are increasingly at odds.”

He added that true success comes from a seamless end-to-end customer journey. “Without WhatsApp integrated at the core, the journey breaks down. Front-end lead generation operates in isolation from contact centres, and back-end fulfilment often lags behind. Every breakdown represents a lost opportunity. WhatsApp bridges these gaps, acting as the connective tissue that ensures consistency and ease across the entire customer lifecycle.”

Globally, messaging platforms are evolving into full-scale commercial ecosystems. Elcock said, “In China, WeChat evolved from a chat app into an all-in-one marketplace, banking service and customer engagement tool. South Africa is following a similar trajectory, and WhatsApp is the natural platform of choice. Customers are already voting with their thumbs, showing businesses where they prefer to engage. The question is no longer whether consumers are ready for WhatsApp; the question is whether businesses are ready for them.”

South African companies are now being challenged to embrace WhatsApp as the best practice customer engagement channel of 2025. Ignoring it could mean falling behind in a marketplace where convenience, speed and seamless communication define customer loyalty.

BUSINESS REPORT