When Saurabh Mittal wanted to buy designer 3D wallpaper in and around Delhi, he did not find options that offered the desired quality and design he sought. So he decided to get it custom-printed and imported via AliExpress, a process that took months.

That’s when his wife Khushbu, a chartered accountant, prompted him in 2017 to start Avikalp, a venture that sells wallpaper, murals, decals, and borders. In addition to selling on online marketplaces, Avikalp retails on its own e-commerce platform as well, which contributes 35 percent of the overall business. Currently, Avikalp’s annual revenue has touched Rs 1 crore (approximately USD 140,000).

“We have a number of options to choose from,” says Saurabh. “And they are all affordable.”

To help build a presence, Avikalp has been using the WhatsApp Business app.

“We are yet to become a brand,” says Saurabh. “Hence, having a business account profile on WhatsApp has helped to build trust and credibility, especially for potential and new customers.”

“While WhatsApp Business has helped to increase conversions by building trust and credibility, it has also helped us to handle more customers on the platform"

The quick replies feature helps Saurabh be more efficient — “All we have to do now is to type a few keys and the message is sent,” he says — and greeting messages help welcome customers to his business.

“Be it late in the night or mid-morning, irrespective of the time the customer sends a message, the standard greeting lets the customer know that [the] business is listening to them and helps to build trust,” he says.

As Avikalp works to establish itself, it’s found an ally in the WhatsApp Business app.

“While WhatsApp Business has helped to increase conversions by building trust and credibility, it has also helped us to handle more customers on the platform,” says Saurabh. “Today, we are able to handle four times the customers we used to handle on our regular WhatsApp account, prior to the switch.”