In recent years, WhatsApp has evolved from being just a communication channel between people to becoming a relevant space for interaction between brands and consumers. With this shift, new demands emerged: if the customer wants to solve everything there, why not sell in a structured way within the same environment?
The most common response was automation. But what many e-commerce businesses realized — sometimes too late — is that automating is not the same as converting.
Artificial intelligence, when used only to speed up responses, does not necessarily generate sales. It’s necessary to go further: structure an operation that combines context, personalization, and commercial intelligence to turn conversations into real business opportunities.
The transition from a support channel to a sales channel
In Brazil, WhatsApp is the most used app by the population. But most brands still see the channel as an extension of customer service, not as a sales engine.
The major turning point happens when the question changes: instead of ‘how can I serve better?’, we start reflecting on ‘how can I sell better on this channel?’.
This shift in mindset opens space for using artificial intelligence as a tool to support consultative sales, whether done by a human team or autonomous agents.
LIVE!, a well-established brand in the fitness fashion segment, faced a challenging scenario: the WhatsApp channel already represented a significant part of customer communication, but the model didn’t scale with the speed the business demanded.
The company decided to restructure the channel, adopting an AI-centered approach with two main focuses:
- Support the human team (personal shoppers) with intelligence, to respond faster and in a personalized way;
- Automate part of the conversations, maintaining the brand’s language and focus on performance.
With this change, LIVE! managed to significantly increase the productivity of agents, reduce average response time, and keep the customer experience at the center — without sacrificing conversion. The data indicates consistent growth in WhatsApp sales and an improvement in satisfaction rates.
These indicators reinforce the importance of not treating WhatsApp as just another point of contact. It can and should be a structured channel for customer acquisition and retention, as long as it’s supported by data, strategy, and applicable technology.
AI with purpose: neither hype nor miracle
Artificial intelligence in e-commerce is far from being a magical solution. It requires setting clear objectives, language curation, platform integration, and, above all, continuous learning. Success isn’t about ‘having AI,’ but about using AI with purpose.
Brands moving in this direction are managing to scale their operations and build a more consistent and efficient relationship with their consumers.
Today, WhatsApp is already much more than a support channel. For those who know how to structure, test, and measure, it can be one of the main sales channels in Brazilian digital retail.
