Well, folks, if you've been waiting for the green light to actually start conversations with your customers on WhatsApp, here it is.

Until recently, WhatsApp for Business came with a frustrating catch: you had to wait for customers to message you before you could reply. Thankfully, that’s now changed. Retailers can finally send proactive messages — but only if they follow Meta’s new rules.

Let’s break down what’s new, what’s allowed, and how Endear makes it easy to stay compliant (while still driving serious engagement).

Meta now allows brands to initiate conversations on WhatsApp using pre-approved message templates. This means your team can reach out to customers before they reach out to you, similar to the SMS or email experience they already know. Which is perfect for things like:

• New product drops
• Back-in-stock updates
• Appointment reminders
• Time-sensitive promotions
• Order status updates

But here's the key difference between SMS and email: you can’t just write anything and send it. Every proactive WhatsApp message must follow Meta's rules and be built from a template that’s submitted and approved in advance. And that approval process could take weeks, if not longer.

Think of it like a pre-formatted message that follows Meta’s standards for content, structure, and tone. Templates can include personalization fields (like customer name or product info) but need to be approved by Meta before your team can use them to initiate outreach.

Here’s an example of a simple, compliant message template:

“Hi [First Name], your favorite [Product] is back in stock! Want us to set it aside for you?”

With the right setup, these messages feel personal, timely, and helpful, not spammy. But the approval part is non-negotiable.

Meta is focused on protecting the customer experience; that’s why their system only allows proactive outreach through vetted, brand-approved messages. Because let’s be honest, we all want fewer spammy messages in our lives, so it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Plus for retailers operating in the EU or UK, this approach makes GDPR compliance a lot simpler. No more gray areas around associates using personal devices or untracked WhatsApp convos.

With Endear, your WhatsApp outreach is fully GDPR-compliant, Meta-approved, and centrally managed — all in one platform.

Let’s talk results. Compared to email or SMS, WhatsApp consistently delivers higher open rates, more responses, and stronger conversions, especially for appointment booking and product drops.

And when your messaging is integrated with the rest of your customer data (like it is in Endear) every message is hyper-personalized and on-brand, no matter which store team member sends it.