A Tamil proverb, 'Aal Paadhi Aadai Paadhi,' which roughly translates into 'the dress creates the first impression,' served as the inspiration for Vilva Clothings, which creates apparel based on Tamil language, architecture, and culture under the brand name Tamiltshirts.in.

“Our motto is to spread 'Tamil pride' across the globe,” say founder Gopinathan Ravirajan and CEO Rajasundaram Thangam.

The Chennai-based outfit was started in 2015 by Gopinathan, and Rajasundaram came on board in 2016. Today, they have over 50 designs with more than 7,000 customers from India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, the U.A.E., and U.K.

“The biggest challenge was following up with customers on time to respond to queries. But now, with WhatsApp Business, we label customers into categories and make follow-up calls to convert the sale. Secondly, it was time-consuming to copy paste content to share the same set of replies. Now, quick replies helps make us more productive,” says the duo.

“Earlier, we struggled to keep track of orders and payment status. WhatsApp Business app has solved the issue”

In addition to an online presence, they also have a brick-and-mortar store in Kodungaiyur, Chennai.

Since they began using the WhatsApp Business app, they say sales have increased by 30 percent, customer interaction by 70 percent, and leads getting converted to new business by 20 percent.

“Earlier, we struggled to keep track of orders and payment status. [The] WhatsApp Business app has solved the issue,” says Rajasundaram. “The auto response option has helped boost our CRM quotient, and customers assume we are like big e-tailers such as Amazon or Flipkart.”

That's the impact the app is having for Tamiltshirts.in: helping this small business be as powerful as a big one.