AI Content Is Everywhere. Organic Reach Is Falling. So What Actually Works in 2026? The content world has never been louder. AI-generated …
A conversation with Farida Chan, Associate Director of Partnerships and Innovation at WATI.
Host: Elly Chen, The Eber Show.
Across Asia, one channel dominates daily communication. It is where we text our families, share memes, follow up with colleagues, make bookings, and even file complaints. That channel is WhatsApp.
In this episode of The Eber Show, we sat down with Farida Chen from WATI, Hong Kong’s only premium WhatsApp Business partner, to uncover how WhatsApp is reshaping loyalty, customer experience, and marketing across Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.
According to Farida, the shift to WhatsApp is driven by two core forces:
Consumers no longer tolerate slow responses and long forms. Email feels heavy. WhatsApp feels instant. A message delivered is usually opened within the first three minutes.
Customers also expect their entire journey to happen inside one chat thread. Discover. Ask. Pay. Track. Resolve issues. All in one place.
Surprisingly, WhatsApp usage is consistent across age groups, although with slightly different patterns.
The overall trend is clear. Personal and business messaging are merging into one unified channel.
Farida highlighted three categories that see the strongest performance.
WhatsApp outperforms email dramatically in abandoned cart recovery, new product drops, and fast re-engagement.
One brand saw 11 percent recovery on WhatsApp versus 0.2 percent via email.
WhatsApp becomes a digital consultant.
Customers ask questions, complete intake forms, receive reminders, and get personalised guidance.
Not as broad in use cases but highly effective for:
The common mistake brands make: relying 100 percent on bots.
Farida emphasises a balanced approach.
What automation should handle
When humans must take over
Customers do not mind AI. They mind being stuck with AI.
WhatsApp is one of the strongest retention engines because it supports a full lifecycle loop.
Personalised welcomes and instant explanations of benefits.
A simple “We miss you” message with relevant incentive often brings users back faster than email or push notifications.
Brands worry about getting blocked. Customers worry about being bombarded.
Farida shared two principles.
1. Do not talk too much
Seasonal bursts like Double Eleven or Christmas are fine.
Off season should focus on value not sales.
Mix in education, updates, and community content.
2. Message quality matters
WATI gives brands a messaging health score.
If the quality dips, the brand should pause campaigns and focus on inbound conversations until it recovers.
While WhatsApp Channels help build awareness, loyalty is still built in private chat rooms.
Channels are one way.
Chats are two way.
Customers want to talk, ask, and interact. Not just read updates.
Brands using WhatsApp should track:
These signals help shape better journeys and protect account health.
Her answer was simple and powerful.
“The best marketers of the chat era will be the ones who write like a friend but think like an AI.”
This means:
Every chat becomes a moment that matters.
WhatsApp is not just a communication channel anymore. It is a journey.
Customers discover, decide, buy, ask, repeat, and re-engage all in one place.
Brands that master conversational loyalty will not just gain customers.
They will keep them.
If you enjoyed this episode and want deeper insights on loyalty, AI, and the future of customer engagement, join our community on YouTube.
👉 Subscribe to The Eber Channel on YouTube
Your next breakthrough idea might be in the next episode.
Or if you have a story to share and want to join us as a guest, reach out at marketing@eber.co. We would love to feature more voices shaping the future of customer connection.
AI Content Is Everywhere. Organic Reach Is Falling. So What Actually Works in 2026? The content world has never been louder. AI-generated …
Payments Are No Longer Just Transactions. They’re Signals of Loyalty. Across Southeast Asia, the way customers pay is changing fast. QR codes, …
Eber Partners with SleekFlow to Bridge Loyalty Programs and Conversational Commerce In today’s competitive retail landscape, delivering personalized customer experiences at scale …
