There comes a point in every growth story when the numbers stop making sense. Acquisition costs climb faster than revenues, campaigns feel louder but less effective, and what once worked begins to fray. We reached that point and, like many others, found ourselves asking the same question: is there another way?

That’s when we noticed something intriguing. A Thai retailer filled a store with a single LINE broadcast. In Indonesia, resellers coordinated entirely through WhatsApp groups. In Vietnam, Zalo messages carried more weight than SMS or email. These weren’t clever hacks at the margins; they were signals of a different playbook, one where messaging wasn’t just another channel but, in some cases, the very backbone of a business.

It was this pattern, repeating across markets, that pulled me down the rabbit hole. Could these everyday chat apps be a scalable, more profitable marketing channel?

This report sets out to explore that question. By the end, we aim to understand not just how businesses in Southeast Asia are using messaging to grow, but also why it works, where it breaks, and what lessons can be drawn for operators who are also interested in messaging-based growth initiatives.

Local Platforms Dictate the Playbook

Platform dominance is country-specific in Southeast Asia, and local chat norms define the boundary conditions for viable acquisition and retention tactics.

In some markets, Facebook’s messaging platforms—chiefly WhatsApp and Messenger—dominate. They function as chat-first, community-driven tools, while still anchoring back to Facebook Pages as the main business hub.

Elsewhere, in countries with mature super-app ecosystems, businesses can deliver an end-to-end customer journey—discovery, payment, fulfillment—within a single app. This radically compresses time-to-purchase by eliminating the drop-offs caused by app switching.

Below, I outline the key platforms and behaviors in four focus markets: Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Indonesia

Indonesia is a WhatsApp-first nation, with roughly 110 million active users—about 60 percent of its online population. The app is woven into daily life: family chats, community groups, micro-business sales, even government services.

For businesses, this ubiquity translates into advantage. Indonesian consumers prefer WhatsApp’s immediacy and personal touch over web forms or standalone apps, making chat commerce feel natural rather than novel. That cultural habit has fueled a wave of social-commerce startups—Evermos, Super, Dagangan, Woobiz—all of which treat WhatsApp not as an add-on but as the primary sales channel.

Telegram, by contrast, holds a smaller, niche role. Its larger group capacity appeals to tech-savvy and crypto communities, and startups in those spaces use it for promotions and community-building. But for mass-market reach, WhatsApp reigns—reinforced by Facebook and Instagram messaging as supporting channels.

Philippines

In the Philippines, Facebook Messenger reigns supreme, with 61.8 million active users—nearly 80 percent penetration, the highest rate globally. Its dominance traces back to a shrewd move: telecom providers partnered with Meta to offer zero-rated access, making Messenger the default channel for online communication. For most startups, that meant defaulting to Messenger for customer engagement.

But the landscape is shifting. Rakuten Viber has carved out a strong business niche, now reaching 71 percent penetration. Its rise accelerated after opening a Manila office in 2024, pairing local presence with integrated payments and SME-focused tools. WhatsApp remains less visible but is gaining ground, particularly in fintech and healthcare, where encrypted communication is a priority.

Sector strategies diverge sharply. Fintech firms lead in automation, using chatbots and messaging workflows to reduce costs and scale support. Food and beverage brands integrate ordering directly into apps, creating seamless, repeatable transactions. Education and healthcare providers also report far higher engagement through messaging than with traditional channels.

Vietnam

Vietnam is a Zalo-first nation. The homegrown app counts around 80 million active users—about 85 percent of the country’s smartphone base—far surpassing global rivals. Its ubiquity reflects how deeply it has been woven into daily life. People use Zalo not only to chat with friends and family but also to follow business accounts, get news, and pay bills through its integrated wallet. In practice, Zalo functions much like China’s WeChat: a super-app that anchors both personal and commercial interactions.

For businesses, Zalo’s official tools are central. Zalo Official Accounts (ZOA) let companies build follower bases and send broadcasts, while the Zalo Notification Service (ZNS) handles transactional updates such as order confirmations and OTP codes. These features enjoy near-universal trust: 95 percent of surveyed users prefer Zalo notifications to SMS or email, largely because Zalo enforces a strict verification system that curbs spam.

Group chats further reinforce Zalo’s role as a community hub. Teachers set up class-specific groups, and accelerators use cohort groups to organize startups—examples of how structured communication has migrated onto the platform.

Given this cultural fit, most local businesses prioritize Zalo over international platforms. Global firms from HubSpot to Salesforce integrate its API into CRM systems, automating onboarding and enabling payments via ZaloPay. WhatsApp and Messenger retain niche roles—useful for expats and overseas outreach—but Zalo remains the default channel for Vietnam’s mass market.

Thailand

Thailand is a LINE-first market, with about 56 million users—roughly 78 percent of the online population. Its dominance rests not only on reach but also on culture: LINE’s sticker ecosystem, localized tools, and social features have embedded it deeply into Thai digital life.

For businesses, LINE doubles as both storefront and CRM. LINE Official Accounts (LINE OA) are the default customer touchpoint, prominently displayed on shop signs, websites, and social media profiles. Once added as a “friend,” brands can message customers directly—via one-to-one chats or mass broadcasts—essentially replacing email. Retailers use broadcasts for flash sales or e-coupons, with read rates of 80–90 percent, far beyond most channels.

The platform also powers community engagement. Fintech apps and SMEs run LINE groups and broadcast lists to manage customer communities. Startups tap into LINE’s viral mechanics, especially branded stickers: offering free packs remains one of the most effective ways to grow a following quickly, which can then be retargeted with product offers.

Chat Commerce Readiness

In Southeast Asia, the maturity of chat commerce falls into three tiers.

In Southeast Asia, three markets are ready for chat commerce: Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam combine (1) a dominant, commerce-capable messenger, (2) native in-chat payments, (3) mass consumer adoption of real-time cashless rails, (4) merchant tooling that keeps the entire journey—browse → order → pay → track—inside the thread, and (5)chat familiarity (habit to buy via chats).

• Singapore: WhatsApp integrates with PayNow and Stripe, enabling card or instant bank payments without leaving the app. WhatsApp is also the country’s most-used social platform.
• Thailand: LINE, paired with LINE Official Accounts and MyShop, lets merchants display catalogs, chat with customers, assemble carts, and accept PromptPay QR, mobile banking, or LINE Pay—all within LINE.
• Vietnam: Zalo, with ~78M MAUs, integrates ZaloPay and QR adoption at scale. A single Zalo OA can manage discovery, conversation, payment, and status updates end to end.

Tier-2 markets—Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and the Philippines—already run discovery, consultation, ordering, and fulfillment updates inside messaging. The main gap is payments: most transactions still finish through QR codes, pay-links, or webviews, rather than native in-chat payment sheets. That extra step matters for conversion, but consumer habits and digital payment rails are in place—suggesting these markets are close to Tier-1 readiness.

Laos, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and Myanmar fall in Tier-3 because they rely heavily on chat for discovery and coordination, but payments and post-purchase reliability remain bottlenecks. These markets are viable in pockets today—especially via QR or wallet pay-links—but scaling in-chat checkout will depend on further platform, payments, and partner ecosystem development.

References to describe tier differences:

1. Vietnam’s homegrown Zalo has parlayed its 77M MAUs into a full-fledged commerce ecosystem. Through Zalo Official Accounts and ZaloShop, businesses can display catalogs, chat, take orders, and process payments via ZaloPay—all without leaving the thread. Orders are confirmed, fulfilled, and tracked in-app, with automated updates delivered in chat. By 2024, more than 155,000 businesses were selling on Zalo, and estimates suggest ~30% of Vietnam’s online transactions now run through chat apps, with Zalo the clear leader. → Tier 1
2. Launched in 2020, ChatGenie gives small businesses a plug-and-play way to sell directly inside Messenger, Instagram, and Viber without building standalone sites. Merchants set up catalogs that live in chat, enabling customers to browse, add to cart, enter delivery details, pay via GCash or card links, and receive courier updates—all within one conversation. By 2023, ChatGenie had onboarded 2,500+ sellers and delivered up to 1.6× higher checkout completion rates than merchant websites, with some seeing a 20% boost in repeat orders. → Tier 2
3. ‍‍In 2022, JioMart turned WhatsApp into a full e-commerce funnel—catalog, cart, delivery confirmation, and UPI payment. Within six months, orders surged 9×, with 500,000+ shoppers onboarded and a 50% higher conversion rate than JioMart’s own app. Penetration was strongest in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, where WhatsApp familiarity and in-chat UPI payments overcame barriers of low app adoption and payment friction. Reliance’s supply chain ensured fulfillment at scale, while Meta’s reach gave them direct access to 500M+ WhatsApp users in India. → Tier 1
4. Piloted in 2021 and launched in 2022, Uber’s WhatsApp channel allows riders to register, enter pickup/drop-off, see fares, confirm trips, and receive updates—all within WhatsApp. Payments default to cash (still common in India) but also support UPI links. The chatbot works in English and Hindi, lowering barriers for older and non-English-speaking riders. In pilot cities, Uber saw +11% higher signup-to-first-trip conversion versus the app and 90%+ ride match rates, with satisfaction scores ~20% higher thanks to the no-install, low-friction experience. → Tier 2
5. Since 2017, WeChat mini programs have evolved into one of China’s most powerful commerce channels. These lightweight sub-apps let users discover products, browse rich catalogs, chat with service reps, and complete one-click purchases via WeChat Pay, all without leaving WeChat. By 2023, mini programs attracted 450M DAUs and generated $360B GMV, with luxury brands reporting 20%+ of online sales through the channel. Conversion rates often doubled or tripled those of mobile web, thanks to ubiquity, embedded payments, and seamless integration of social content and commerce.→ Tier 1
6. Launched in 2022, Instagram’s Shop in DM integrates product discovery, conversation, and payment into a single chat thread. Shoppers find products via posts or Stories, then initiate a DM where sellers answer questions, generate an order summary, and request payment through Meta Pay—all within Instagram. Early results showed ~20% higher conversion rates versus external checkout flows, with some merchants reporting triple the close rate for DM inquiries once in-chat payments were enabled. By 2023, annualized GMV was estimated at ~$500M, with higher average order values than standard Instagram Shop purchases. → Tier 1

Also read:

1. Rakuten Viber offers cashless convenience in the Philippines with Viber Pay. [Link]
2. 2024 Status of Digital Payments in the Philippines. [PDF]
3. Interoperable QR payments in Singapore. [PDF]

Tactics You Can Actually Repeat

1. High-Touch Community Groups Increase Retention And Referrals

High-touch groups turn audiences into memberships. Unlike one-way broadcast CRM, these spaces create ongoing, two-way contact where value is delivered in context—and witnessed by peers. The payoff compounds: members form habits around the group (driving retention), and participation itself becomes a signal of competence and access (fueling referrals).

The specific chat app matters less than the repeatable value the group creates and the social architecture that makes that value contagious. Typically led by a founder or community manager, strong groups blend direct engagement, structured moderation, and peer-to-peer exchange.

Communities thrive when they are interactive and purpose-driven, not just announcement boards. They work best in sectors where the product gains power from peer accountability or emotional support—for example, education, fitness, or health. When a product’s value is tied to human momentum—learning, progress, habit change—a chat community becomes a force multiplier.

But there are risks. Groups can easily become cluttered, off-topic, or unmanageable at scale. Success depends on clear purpose, strong norms, and effective moderation.

Success patterns:

• GHas a clear purpose and goal members can rally around
• Shares only reliable, accurate information flow
• High service quality through responsive admins and smart architecture (segmentation, schedules, support tools)
• Active participation and knowledge-sharing build reciprocity

Case studies:

1. Singapore-based Supermom built one of Southeast Asia’s largest parenting communities by organizing niche WhatsApp groups around stages of parenthood—pregnancy, newborn care, early childhood. Groups were moderated by “Key Opinion Mothers” (KOMs) who shared tips and exclusive deals. Helpful content like expert webinars and Q&As kept engagement high and encouraged organic invitations. By 2020, Supermom had 100,000+ members and 1,000+ KOMs across the region. Tight-knit “due date” cohorts generated strong peer bonds and brand loyalty, turning WhatsApp into a low-cost, high-retention growth channel.
2. WeBuy recruits neighborhood “community leaders” (often homemakers) to manage WhatsApp groups for their apartments or neighborhoods. Leaders aggregate bulk grocery orders from nearby families and place combined orders through the WeBuy app. By 2020, WeBuy had 3,000+ leaders and 100,000 consumers across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Growth is driven by social FOMO—cheap deals (like two tons of durian sold in a day) spread virally in chats. This community-led model helped WeBuy raise a Series A and expand regionally.
3. Indonesia’s e-learning platform Ruangguru launched 50+ WhatsApp subgroups segmented by subject and grade, engaging 5,000+ high school students. Each group, averaging ~100 students, was led by trained volunteers and tutors who posted quizzes, video tips, and motivational content. Links to practice tests tied engagement back to the main platform. Results were striking: lesson completion rose 35%, 80% of students responded to weekly quizzes, and app retention improved 20%. By recreating collaborative learning through peer challenges and praise, Ruangguru turned WhatsApp into a teen-friendly classroom.
4. When Grab and Gojek launched, they aimed to replace the city’s informal motorbike taxi culture with a more anonymous, efficient workforce. Instead, drivers created thousands of grassroots WhatsApp groups and offline hangouts. What began in 2016 as ride-waiting crews evolved into independent driver communities—complete with emblems, elections, uniforms, vocabularies, and even emergency response services. Rooted in Indonesia’s traditions of mutual aid and DIY urbanism, these communities turned WhatsApp into a driver-led ecosystem that platforms themselves never anticipated.
5. Indonesian social-commerce platform Evermos built a vast reseller network of 160,000+ micro-entrepreneurs—mainly housewives in smaller cities—by organizing them into regional WhatsApp groups. New resellers join moderated chats for tips, support, and motivational challenges. High performers become “community leaders,” managing groups and earning bonuses. Evermos supplements group support with one-on-one WhatsApp help and weekly training via video and Zoom. The result: scale from 23,000 to 160,000+ resellers between 2019 and 2022. By addressing resellers’ lack of e-commerce experience, Evermos created confidence and belonging while keeping operations scalable.

2. Run broadcasts that convert, not spam

Broadcasts can be powerful. Messages land inside the chat environment people already trust. Open rates hit ~98% on WhatsApp and 80–90% on LINE, with click-through rates of up to 50% for well-targeted campaigns.

The problem: most brands squander this channel with generic discount blasts. These generate traffic spikes but little long-term engagement. Users value broadcasts only when the content is relevant and the cadence restrained. In Vietnam, for example, Zalo caps ZNS frequency at just a few messages per week to protect user trust.

The step up is segmentation and personalization. On LINE, brands can tailor broadcasts by loyalty tier, embedding images, stickers, and coupon barcodes. According to LINE Business, retail campaigns typically convert at 5–10%, with case studies showing doubled CTR when coupons are personalized and audiences segmented.

Broadcasts perform best when they invite participation, turning one-way blasts into conversations. Two patterns stand out:

• Trendjacking: Give audiences a role in a trend—frame it as a simple mini-game, make the first tap effortless, and keep replies human. (Ex: Absolut Vodka.)
• Pain-point service: Anchor the message on a real user problem, and deliver immediate utility—tips, tools, or tailored offers—to earn repeat interaction. (Ex: Hellmann’s Brazil.)

Success Patterns:

• Voluntary opt-in lists reframe broadcasts as a service rather than spam.
• Syncing with CRM micro-segmentation boosts relevance and conversions.
• Feeding clicks and transcripts back into the CRM sharpens behavioral targeting.
• Broadcasts that drive repeat interaction eventually translate into better retention.

Case studies:

1. To promote a limited-edition bottle, Absolut created a fictional WhatsApp bouncer named “Sven.” Fans had to impress Sven to “gain entry” to an exclusive party, sending memes, voice notes, and videos. Over three days, the team role-played responses, generating 1,000+ pieces of user content and engaging thousands without paid media. The campaign reframed a simple contest as a social game, earning press buzz and boosting brand favorability by positioning Absolut as witty, playful, and culturally in tune. (Argentina 2013)
2. Hellmann’s launched “WhatsCook”, a 10-day WhatsApp campaign where users texted fridge ingredients and received personalized recipes from professional chefs. The chats included step-by-step photos, videos, and doodles, creating a lively one-on-one experience. Within two weeks, 8,000 users signed up, averaging over an hour of engagement per person. The initiative solved a universal pain point—“what do I cook tonight?”—and reframed mayonnaise as a versatile ingredient, driving a 4× lift in usage intent. (Brazil 2014)
3. L’Occitane revamped CRM by shifting loyalty to LINE. Customers added the brand’s account to receive a digital loyalty card, giving L’Occitane first-party data for behavior-based promotions. Campaigns were tailored: frequent buyers received early offers, lapsed customers re-engagement coupons. LINE messaging was synced with email and in-store interactions (e.g. thank-you notes, product suggestions). The result: a 3,000% increase in ROAS, showing the power of segmented, personalized broadcasts across online and offline touchpoints. (Japan 2020)

3. Make referrals effortless and compounding

On messaging apps, trust flows person-to-person. That makes referrals powerful—but only when they feel like personal notes, not ads. A message from a friend on WhatsApp, LINE, or Zalo lands in a private, high-signal space; that intimacy is both the advantage and the constraint. Referral flows should be permission-based, user-initiated, and context-sensitive (is the share meant for one-to-one or small groups?).

Design referrals to be low-friction and valuable. Aim for no more than three taps from intent to send. Keep copy in a human voice. Offer rewards that matter—extra data, meaningful discounts, or cash. In many markets, this combination yields referral uptakes in the mid-teens to ~40%, though performance depends heavily on context.

Measure referrals by incrementality and payback, not just volume. Track what share of conversions would not have happened without a referral. Anchor the program on two numbers:

1. Cost per incremental acquisition (including rewards, fraud, ops)
2. LTV of referred users

Well-structured programs often deliver stickier cohorts, while over-incentivized ones attract churn-prone perk hunters. The goal is a repeatable loop where viral coefficient and payback stay healthy—not a one-time spike.

Success patterns:

• Dual-sided rewards outperform single-sided ones—if guardrails prevent abuse.
• One-tap share with deep links reduces the “copy–paste” tax.
• Reciprocity, status, and FOMO drive social obligation and urgency.
• Unique links, deep-link installers, and event tracking prove ROI and enable rapid iteration.
• Rewards should trigger only after a meaningful action (e.g. first order)

Case studies:

1. To break into Singapore’s mobile market, Circles.Life launched an always-on referral program that turned customers into advocates. Each subscriber received a unique promo code shareable via WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS, or other channels. Rewards—bill credits or bonus data—were tracked through a gamified dashboard that encouraged competitive sharing. Some top referrers amassed over 100 GB of bonus data. The program quickly became the telco’s primary acquisition engine, driving 40%+ of new transactions and helping Circles.Life secure ~5% market share within a few years. (Singapore 2016)
2. During its 12.12 sale, Lazada introduced “Slash It,” a group-buying game where prices dropped as users recruited friends to click their personalized referral links. Share buttons pushed distribution via WhatsApp, Messenger, LINE, and more. Users even formed WhatsApp groups to coordinate clicks for hot deals. The mechanic generated tens of thousands of shares and a spike in sign-ups and app sessions—achieved with minimal paid media. The lesson: referral flows tied to collective rewards and game mechanics create urgency and virality. (SEA 2018)
3. Pinduoduo embedded group buying directly into WeChat via mini programs. Deals unlocked only when enough friends joined, with a live progress bar adding game-like urgency. The model spread virally: 195M MAUs by 2018 and 882M active buyers by 2023, making Pinduoduo China’s second-largest online retailer. Importantly, customers acquired through referrals proved higher-value and longer-retained, validating the economics of trust-based social referrals at massive scale. (China 2015–2023)
4. To drive adoption of its payments service, WhatsApp offered ₹51 cashback to both referrer and referee for completing a first UPI transfer. The flow was fully native: users could invite friends from a chat banner or Status story, and new users could send even ₹1 without leaving the app. Each user could earn the reward up to five times, balancing virality with fraud control. The result: millions of token transactions within weeks and an active base of ~100M by mid-2022, up from near-zero the year before. The campaign showed that peer-to-peer nudges can shift entrenched payment habits. (India 2022)

4. Scale conversations with human-like automation

The promise of chat automation is instant, 24/7 self-service—higher conversion, lower cost-to-serve, and, crucially, a smoother customer experience. But customer satisfaction depends on whether bots can drive action and outcomes, not just small talk.

That requires deep integration with systems of record (CRM, orders, payments, ticketing), so bots have the context to deliver crisp, accurate replies. Full autonomy, however, remains elusive with today’s NLP models. Human handoff should be a design choice: when done seamlessly, with in-thread context, it preserves trust and keeps the experience smooth.

Automated flows should mirror the basics of good sales and support:

• Recognize intent quickly
• Provide accurate guidance and clear next steps
• Escalate gracefully when things get complex

In short: use automation to scale what your best reps already do. People respond to clarity, speed, and competence.

Success patterns:

• Conversational flows mimic best sales/support practices.
• Online communication requires a heightened set of written communication skills.
• Keep tone concise, empathetic, and brand-true.
• Personal relevance shortens chats and raises satisfaction
• Escalation rules must be clear, with full conversation context for handoff

Case studies:

1. Vodafone upgraded its “SuperTOBi” virtual assistant with OpenAI-powered generative AI, delivering real-time, personalized support across the website, MyVodafone app, and channels such as WhatsApp and Apple Business Chat. Integrated with billing, network, and CRM systems, SuperTOBi can activate roaming, explain charges, and troubleshoot issues in natural language—escalating to humans with full context when needed. Trials in Italy and Portugal lifted first-contact resolution from 15% to 60%, boosted NPS by 50 points, and cut call-center traffic, prompting Vodafone to earmark £120M for further AI rollout. (Europe 2024)
2. During lockdowns, health-and-beauty chain DAN+DAN launched “Diva,” a WhatsApp-based beauty assistant built on ADA’s WhatsApp Business API. Diva greets users with friendly advisor-style chats, recommends products, finds nearby stores, and can escalate to live experts—or even trigger a WhatsApp video demo—for complex queries. Within two weeks, Diva attracted 1,500+ users, converted 100+ new account sign-ups, and drove a 25% jump in product interest. Overall, DAN+DAN reported a 200% revenue uplift post-launch, proving chat automation could replace in-store consultations effectively. (Indonesia 2020)
3. Singtel shifted much of its phone-based support to a WhatsApp Business API chatbot, integrated with SleekFlow’s social-CRM platform. The bot offers 24/7 self-service for tasks like balance checks, bill payments, and service activation. It resolves routine issues instantly and routes complex cases to live agents, who join the same WhatsApp thread via a multi-agent dashboard. The result: hotline wait times virtually disappeared, interaction drop-offs fell, and customer satisfaction scores rose significantly. (Singapore 2021)

5. Mobilize grassroots influencers to sell

Influencer marketing began as a novelty in a mass-media world of TV, radio, and print. As attention fragmented across digital platforms, niche creators gained credibility inside subcultures by showing up consistently with useful content. Today, brands tap into that earned trust as a distribution channel.

Two questions largely determine whether influencer programs create real value: fit and credibility. Results improve when the product, customer problem, and creator’s lived experience overlap. Category-native voices—a barber for clippers, a clinician for skincare actives, a mechanic for tools—convert better and erode brand equity less than borrowed reach.

Format and context also matter. A short video is a discovery tool; a live demo, Q&A, or WhatsApp group supports persuasion and objection handling. Brands that treat creators as one-off ad units often see spikes followed by fatigue. Those that invest in ongoing series, community touchpoints, and post-purchase education can turn parasocial trust into retention—so long as cadence respects audience tolerance and disclosures remain clear.

In Southeast Asia, many business models now revolve around grassroots influencer networks. Brands recruit part-time resellers, neighborhood group-buy “captains,” and micro-influencers who sell directly through WhatsApp, LINE, or Zalo. The model thrives because three structural gaps align neatly with the strengths of peer-to-peer messaging:

• Trust: Credit-card penetration is low, and counterfeit fears are common. A recommendation from someone you know inside a closed chat feels safer than buying from a faceless online seller.
• Distribution: National couriers reach remote barangays or kampungs, but often slowly and at high cost. Local agents who live nearby solve the “last hundred metres” by bundling and delivering orders themselves.
• Attention economics: Peer recommendations slash customer-acquisition costs. For cash-constrained startups, this makes grassroots sales networks a way to compete with incumbents that rely on big ad budgets.

Case studies:

1. Evermos has built one of Southeast Asia’s largest social-commerce engines by enlisting 700,000+ mostly female micro-entrepreneurs to sell halal goods via WhatsApp. Resellers pull catalogs from the app, post links or product photos in their groups, and relay orders back to Evermos, which manages payments, fulfillment, and even COD in hard-to-reach towns. The trust embedded in personal networks lets Evermos penetrate smaller cities that conventional e-commerce struggles to serve. Between 2022 and 2023, its reseller base more than doubled, GMV rose 60-fold in two years, and repeat sellers now average ~US $43 a month, with top earners matching the local minimum wage. Tiered commissions, WhatsApp training groups, and logistics partnerships across 1,800+ towns keep the model scalable. (Indonesia 2019–)
2. Super turns village agents and warung owners into bulk-buy coordinators via WhatsApp. Agents post weekly FMCG deals in local groups, aggregate orders, then submit a wholesale purchase through the Super app. Orders are pooled, shipped to micro-warehouses, and delivered within 24–48 hours. Agents earn up to IDR 2.5M (~US $170) a month, while families save 10–20% on staples. By 2022 Super was operating in 30 cities across East Java and Sulawesi, moving millions in goods monthly and attracting US $70M in Series C funding. (Indonesia 2018–)
3. Launched in 2022, Aemi set out to professionalize Vietnam’s fragmented social-commerce scene. The B2B2C platform pools demand from thousands of micro-sellers on Facebook, Instagram, and Zalo, buys directly from brands such as La Roche-Posay and Paula’s Choice, and dropships to end customers—guaranteeing authenticity and margins up to 30% better than retail. Within three months Aemi onboarded 1,000+ sellers, raised US $2M seed funding, and expanded beyond skincare into wellness, positioning itself as the back office for Vietnam’s informal influencer economy. (Vietnam 2022–)
4. Cosmetics brand Perfect Diary scaled by shifting customers into 8,000+ private WeChat groups, each moderated by staff or “Xiaowanzi” micro-influencers. Groups of up to 500 members shared tutorials, selfies, and one-click links to mini-stores, with payments via WeChat Pay. Group data flowed into the CRM, powering targeted offers and product-development insights. By 2020, these communities engaged 1M+ consumers, helping parent Yatsen reach ¥3B (~US $450M) in annual sales and top Tmall’s 11.11 rankings. Lesson: private-domain groups turn parasocial trust into repeatable transactions.
5. Resellee enables ordinary Facebook and Viber users to become micro-entrepreneurs by sharing group-buy deals on groceries, digital load, and staples. Resellers post offers via referral links; once enough buyers join, the discount unlocks. Resellee manages payments, sourcing, and last-mile delivery—often COD—so sellers carry no inventory risk. By late 2020, the platform had 40,000 resellers serving 800,000 customers, with the average seller earning PHP 5,000 (~US $100) a month. Lockdowns drove adoption, with partnerships to channel affordable farm produce directly into households.
6. Pinduoduo rewired Chinese e-commerce by embedding “team purchase” into WeChat mini programs. Shoppers start a deal, share links in groups, and unlock discounts once enough friends join, gamifying shopping. Urgency was stoked by live progress bars, while WeChat Pay handled seamless transactions. Adoption spread fastest in lower-tier cities, where close-knit networks amplified virality. Within three years, Pinduoduo reached 300M buyers; by 2021, ¥1.7T (~US $260B) GMV, overtaking Alibaba in user count. Over 70% of sales came via private shares, giving it ultra-low CAC and sticky cohorts.
7. Meesho built a WhatsApp-first marketplace that turned 15M+ mostly female resellers into commission-based entrepreneurs. Sellers forward catalog posts in chats, set their margins, and rely on Meesho for COD logistics and returns. By 2021, Meesho had 120M shoppers, 3M daily orders, and ~US $5B GMV. Low-cost acquisition through peer networks and COD trust unlocked tier-2 and tier-3 markets. Training, multilingual support, and a lightweight app made the platform accessible to first-time entrepreneurs, forcing incumbents like Flipkart to launch copycat programs.

Failure Cases To Learn From

The upside of messaging-driven growth is clear—but so are the pitfalls. Several companies have stumbled when trying to scale these channels, offering cautionary lessons on the limits of chat as a growth engine. Studying these missteps helps sharpen best practices and reveals where messaging works—and where it breaks.

Spam and Trust Erosion: WhatsApp

In India, WhatsApp’s expansion into business services has blurred the line between private messaging and corporate outreach. As consent rules weakened, promotional traffic surged. Users suddenly found their personal chats flooded with unsolicited offers—and with few effective tools to block or report them, frustration mounted. Yet because WhatsApp is so ubiquitous, most felt they had little choice but to endure the clutter.

What went wrong:

1. Users reported feeling spammed, often noting they “don’t remember giving permission.”
2. Opt-out mechanisms failed—one user sent STOP three times to Croma, yet messages kept coming.
3. Businesses treated WhatsApp like email 1.0, blasting promotions into what users saw as a personal space.
4. Phone numbers were repurposed without explicit consent.
5. WhatsApp’s monetization model—charging per conversation—encouraged outreach volume rather than quality.

Lessons:

1. Enforce true consent, and keep proof for regulatory checks.
2. Include easy opt-out in every message—and honor it within 24 hours.
3. Don’t treat personal chats as mass media. Segment audiences and send customized, relevant broadcasts.
4. Limit frequency (e.g., no more than once a week) and avoid odd-hour sends.
5. Combine promotions with service: a shipping notification could also offer a discount code.
6. Shift from one-way blasts to two-way engagement. Encourage replies (quizzes, questions, confirmations). A user response opens a 24-hour session for freeform follow-up—turning broadcasts into conversations.

Also see Affiliate Incentive Misalignment & Frauds.

Automation & UX Breakdown: AirAsia

AirAsia’s sluggish handling of pandemic-era refunds exposed a widening rift with customers. Thousands of passengers whose flights were cancelled or rescheduled found themselves navigating only an unhelpful chatbot (“AVA”), which often issued travel credits instead of cash refunds.

What went wrong:

1. AirAsia made AVA the sole service channel, effectively sidestepping consumer-protection norms and drawing regulator scrutiny.
2. AVA failed to resolve urgent issues: users were trapped in circular menus and canned replies.
3. The bot lacked smooth human handoff. When escalations did occur, agents were overwhelmed, and “live chat” responses often arrived well past 24 hours.

Lessons:

1. In Southeast Asia, bots can manage basic queries (balances, flight status) but cannot replace humans for complex or emotionally charged issues. In crises, empathy matters.
2. Design flows to route complex queries quickly (e.g., refund requests older than X days) to a human agent within the 24-hour window.
3. Set clear expectations: display wait times, ticket IDs, or callback options rather than forcing customers to repeat themselves to a bot.
4. Define SLAs: any unanswered escalation should trigger proactive human outreach within hours.
5. Use transcripts of failed interactions (keywords like “refund,” “money back”) to train bots across languages and prevent repeat breakdowns.
6. Ensure compliance: secure opt-in for notifications, e.g., a triggered WhatsApp message when a refund is processed—so customers aren’t forced to chase updates.

Also read:

1. Investigating Drivers of Customer Experience with Virtual Conversational Agents. [PDF]

Privacy & Compliance Issues: Eni Gas e Luce

In 2020, Italy’s data-protection authority found that Eni Gas e Luce (EGL) had run a marketing system that ignored user consent, harvested data unlawfully, and even switched customers to new energy contracts without approval. Investigators uncovered “systematic” abuses: telemarketing calls placed despite opt-outs, missing consent checks, and excessive data retention. That earned an €8.5M fine. They also found 7,200 unauthorized contract activations, some sealed with forged signatures—adding another €3M penalty. Together, the findings underscored a central point: EGL’s acquisition playbook violated core GDPR principles, forcing the company to overhaul consent checks, automate blacklists, and pay fines within 30 days.

What went wrong:

1. Customers received unsolicited WhatsApp messages despite opting out.
2. Phone numbers were harvested and reused for campaigns without valid consent.
3. Consent was not channel-specific: WhatsApp was treated like email, ignoring GDPR’s requirement for explicit, per-channel permission.

Lessons:

1. Always secure an explicit opt-in per channel. For WhatsApp, that might mean customers initiate contact themselves or check a box saying, “I agree to receive WhatsApp updates,” separate from SMS/email consent. Double opt-in is safer.
2. Ensure your privacy policy and signup forms clearly list every channel you plan to use.
3. Provide an easy, immediate opt-out (e.g., “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”)—and honor it.
4. Pilot campaigns with a small, explicit opt-in group before scaling. This minimizes risk and builds trust.

Platform Risks: Google RCS

Before 2024, Rich Communication Services (RCS) struggled to deliver reliable, at-scale reach for brands. Two structural gaps made it untenable: (1) no iPhone support, and (2) fragmented carrier and client rollouts on Android. Apple’s refusal to adopt RCS until 2024 excluded roughly half of users in many markets. Marketers were forced to split journeys—RCS to Android, SMS to iPhone—immediately inflating operational complexity and cutting addressable reach. Even on Android, adoption was inconsistent: carriers rolled out GSMA’s Universal Profile unevenly, so delivery and features varied by device and operator.

What went wrong:

1. Despite promising pilots, carrier coverage was patchy.
2. Consumer inertia limited uptake: many treated RCS warily, like SMS spam from short codes.
3. The rollout was slow and buggy; users often needed app or settings updates.
4. Cost structure deterred scale. Carriers charged premiums for RCS, and many brands balked when trials failed to show proportional ROI.
5. Apple’s absence created a single point of failure: without cross-platform ubiquity, RCS couldn’t become the new default standard. (Update)

Lessons:

1. Better features don’t guarantee displacement.
2. Be channel-agnostic. Always have your core messaging via stable channels.
3. Treat new messaging standards as supplements, not replacements.

Affiliate Incentive Misalignment & Frauds: Meesho

In India, households began receiving unsolicited cash-on-delivery (COD) parcels because Meesho’s commission-based resellers exploited lax oversight to inflate sales. Using strangers’ personal data, some placed “ghost orders” for low-value items. The scam flourished because resellers carried no risk—Meesho covered delivery and returns—while incentives like coupons and volume bonuses rewarded higher order counts. The result: inflated growth metrics, privacy breaches for recipients, and denial from Meesho, which claimed no awareness of misuse. The case illustrates how rapid platform expansion can outpace consumer safeguards.

What went wrong:

1. Customers received COD parcels they never ordered.
2. Resellers could still earn commissions even if the customer refused the order, creating a payout even when no true conversion occurred—an incentive to push unsolicited COD shipments.
3. Weak oversight meant misuse of personal data and shipment abuse went unchecked.

Lessons:

1. Tie commissions to completed, kept orders, not attempted shipments.
2. Deploy device/address graphing and shipment-threshold flags (e.g., multiple CODs to one address) to detect abuse.
3. Escalate suspicious orders fast: set SLAs (e.g., human review within 15 minutes of trigger).
4. Use the WhatsApp Business API for utility templates (order confirmations, ship-after-consent) rather than unchecked broadcast flows.

Also read:

1. Non-influencer & influencer affiliate deception. [PDF]
2. Class-action lawsuit forcing rethink on last-click attribution [Link]

Scaling Pain Points

No particular case study to show but this is so prevalent among startups.

Many startups discover that what works at small scale—like a founder personally WhatsApp-ing 50 customers—can collapse at large scale, when the same approach must serve 50,000. One Indonesian e-commerce startup encouraged customers to order via WhatsApp for a personalized touch. It boosted conversions early, but as demand grew, a handful of agents became overwhelmed, response times lagged, and frustrated customers slowed their orders.

What went wrong:

1. Teams relied on personal WhatsApp accounts for outreach, violating policy norms; numbers were repeatedly blocked, forcing rotation that made the business look untrustworthy.
2. Response backlogs grew as agents juggled too many threads, often missing the 24-hour service window.
3. Without queueing or assignment tools, conversations slipped through the cracks, degrading the customer experience.

Lessons:

1. Never market from personal numbers. Begin with a WhatsApp Business API (WABA) account, which includes quality monitoring and formal appeal paths.
2. Staff to the 24-hour window and deploy automation to acknowledge, triage, and collect details so humans can resolve queries on time.
3. Default to utility/service templates, and send promotions only to opt-in cohorts with clear topic preferences.

Resources

The resources below are available in my vault. Become a member to access the files.

1. Go/No-Go Decision Checklist for Messaging Campaigns: A checklist before launching a major messaging-based growth initiative.
2. KPI framework / Core KPIs / Leading Indicators: Tools to prove that messaging efforts genuinely drive growth (not channel cannibalization or re-marketing)

Final Reflections

What surprised me most is that in some markets, messaging platforms serve not just as communication channels but as commerce infrastructure. Equally striking are the companies that have turned them into self-sustaining communities—moats built on participation and trust. This shifts my mindset beyond campaign thinking and how I use messaging to reshape customer impact.

The locally dominant platform typically sets both the feasible playbook and the user norms that make tactics feel natural. Messaging, used daily, lowers the marginal cost of layering on new services—one reason it often becomes the advantaged route to a super-app. But the intimacy of chat raises a sharper question: do people actually want more messages, especially marketing ones? I’m also curious to learn more about super-app pathways that unfold from messaging.

The sharpest lessons came from failures. They reveal the hard limits of chat as a commercial space and define the non-negotiables—inputs that must be treated as first-order design choices. I’ve codified these into checklists and KPIs to help catch operational lapses before they scale.

I hadn’t planned to focus on support, but automation proved too central to ignore. The same ingredients that make automated support work—clear intent capture, deep system integration, fast human handoff—are also what power sales conversations. Most companies should refine their processes first, then automate. Process first, automation second.

Finally, using messaging commercially heightens the premium on written communication skills. Templates can enforce consistency, but judgment—reading context, tuning tone, choosing the next best action—ultimately shapes the experience. Remember, people respond best to clarity, speed, and competence.

"Society not only continues to exist by transmission, by communication, but … exists in transmission, in communication." — John Dewey