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WhatsApp Business Tips & Tricks: How to use WhatsApp Business

1.3 billion people currently use WhatsApp to stay connected with each other. As of February 2017, WhatsApp attracted 200 million monthly users in India alone. Hence, It comes as no surprise that businesses are increasingly using WhatsApp to interact with their customers.

“Over 80% of small businesses in India say WhatsApp helps them both communicate with customers and grow their business today.”

(Source: Morning Consult study)

With the aim to improve the business experience, WhatsApp recently launched a free-to-download separate application, WhatsApp Business. The brand new app is set to help small and medium-sized businesses bring their business online and run it off of their mobile phones.

How to make the most out of WhatsApp Business?

The application pretty much looks the same until you go to settings which has a new section called Business settings. Business settings contain 3 important features.

Business Profile

Think of business profiles as a visiting card for your business. It plays a crucial role in creating the right first impression in customer’s mind. The profile menu lets you add a business address, category, description, business hours, email address and most importantly, a website.

“70.7 percent of internet users in India will have purchased products online by 2020.”

(Source: Statista study)

With the rise of online shopping, adding a business website to your WhatsApp Business profile will make a tremendous difference. But a lot of Indian businesses do not have an e-commerce ready website due to lack of exposure, finances, or technical expertise.

Messaging Tools

Away messages are a great way to maintain a communication with customers even when you’re not available to attend to them. You can set up an away message when you’re busy and cannot directly communicate with the customers.

Greeting messages are sent to customers who message you for the first time. You can craft an introductory message about your business.

Quick replies, another great feature. Business owners always get a set of similar inquiries/ questions from customers. With quick replies, you get to make keyboard shortcuts for answers to such inquiries, so you don’t have to re-type the same message to every customer.

Statistics

The third feature in the business setting will give you the power to decide if your marketing is working or not. If you regularly send multiple messages to customers and are sometimes confused which message appeals more to them, then Statistics can help you. See how many of your messages to your customers are sent, delivered and read.

Labels

It allows you to label every chat or customer and there are different options to choose from. For example,

  1. New Order – Tag customers who have placed new orders
  2. Pending payment – Tag customers who still have not made payment
  3. New customer – Tag customers who need your special attention
  4. And you know what’s even better? You can create labels of your own.

WhatsApp Web

Just like in normal WhatsApp app, you get to manage your chats on a desktop, you can do the same with WhatsApp Business. Attend to your customers separately and efficiently on WhatsApp Business Web. So much power now in your hand!

How to get started with WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business app is now available to download from Google Play store. Both Business app and the messenger app can run on the same device but will need two different phone numbers. WhatsApp Business app just adds new features to your existing WhatsApp messenger app, so if you wish, you can migrate to the business app with your existing phone number.

Use WhatsApp Business to stay close to your customers in a much better way and grow faster. We will come back later with more tricks and tips.

Till then, happy selling!

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GST classification in 3 easy steps using the Shop101 app

Update your Shop101 app and follow these 3 steps to set GST classification-

Step 1: Go to a product or a category you want to classify

Step2: Set GST classification from the options available for GST category

Step3: That’s it…..there is no Step 3!

Remember: GST classification does not mean that GST will be applied right away. You will get to decide when to start collecting GST above your prices. So go ahead and classify now!

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Answers to common questions sellers have on GST

Q. Will Shop101 cut taxes from my sales?

No. Shop101 will not cut taxes from your sales. The GST taxes are applied only after your GSTIN is verified and you choose to increase your prices to accommodate taxes in the app. When you do that, taxes will come to you to deposit to the government.

E-commerce seller.

Q. Who will pay GST to the Government?

You, the seller, will be paying GST to the Government. Shop101 enables you to collect GST taxes from the customers. The taxes will be transferred to you in the weekly payout. You will have full and complete responsibility of paying taxes.

E-commerce seller.

Q. Will Shop101 help sellers with GST filings?

Yes. Shop101 will launch a package to help you with GST filings at nominal charges. Start with getting a GSTIN today and Shop101 will be there to help you with the entire process of filings.

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What documents are required for GST Registration?

As an individual seller, the registration for GST is very simple. You just need the following documents-

  1. Your PAN Card
  2. Your Aadhar Card
  3. Your Bank Details- both saving and current accounts are accepted
  4. Your Address Proof- if you operate your business from home then address proof of your home will work
  5. Your Photo

You will need to submit these documents at the GST portal. You will get your GSTIN within 10 days of submitting a valid application to the government.

Still have doubts? Shop101 team will assist you end to end in getting your GSTIN. Click on Get assistance to obtain GSTIN to find more.

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Will GSTIN be mandatory to sell using Shop101?

 

Yes! GSTIN will be made mandatory to sell using Shop101. 

Why?

Simply because without a GSTIN, you cannot ship to another state. In fact, shipping companies are already asking for GSTIN invoices for all shipments to avoid any hassles. For example, BlueDart has already made it compulsory!

“Without a GSTIN, you cannot ship to another state”

But what if, “I am a small seller and my turnover is less than Rs. 20 lakhs annually. Do I also need GSTIN?”. Sure, if you want to ship even a single package inter-state, you need a GSTIN irrespective of the turnover.

“To ship even a single package inter-state, you need a GSTIN irrespective of the turnover”

If you are worried about how to apply for GSTIN or how would you manage once you have the GSTIN? Don’t worry! Shop101 will have a solution for everything. We will ensure that you can run your business smoothly.

If you ask us in-person, we would advice you to get a GSTIN right away as it is the right thing to do to build a sustainable business. This is an opportunity to build a white business, don’t miss this chance!

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How to collect GST tax from customers using Shop101 App?

Are you unsure of the right GST tax rate or HSN code every time you make a sale?

Here’s how Shop101 has made the process simple:

    1. Choose the GST classification for your products in the Shop101 app – right HSN code and GST tax rate are automatically applied.
    2. Every time a consumer buys from your website, GST is automatically calculated and applied on the product prices
    3. The amount paid by the customer includes product price + shipping & COD(as specified by you) + GST. This is transferred to your bank account every Tuesday
    4. You will deposit the taxes collected at the end of every month with the Government.
Remember, Shop101 system will only collect GST from your customers once your GSTIN (GST Identification Number) has been approved. So start GST classification as soon as the updated app is live even if you don’t have a GSTIN yet.
Simple. Isn’t it?
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How does GST work?

If you read our last post, you know that it’s crucial to register your business for GST. On registration, you would be assigned a GST number also referred to as GSTIN.

Now what do you do? How to charge taxes? Who pays the taxes? Does it impact profits?

Don’t worry! We will help you understand:

  • Remember that GST does not change your profit margin.
  • The tax rate is decided based on the product. This could be any of 0%, 3%, 5%, 12%, 18% or 28%. Shop101 app will automatically apply the right tax rate for you.
  • The taxes are added to the price and collected from the customer.
  • Finally, you as the merchant deposit the taxes with the government at the end of every month.

Let’s see an example:

  • You procure a product from the wholesaler at Rs.600. You now want to sell it for Rs.1000. Your profit is Rs.400.
  • Let’s say a tax rate of 18% is added to the price you charge your customer. This means if the sale price is Rs.1000, the GST charged on that price is Rs.180.
  • You will receive the sale price + GST= Rs.1180 from the customer.
  • At the end of every month you need to file your taxes with the government and pay the Rs.180 that is owed to them for this transaction.

Isn’t that simple and easy?

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GST: Next Steps for Online Sellers

In light of the recent announcement  from the Government, there is a lot of confusion amongst online sellers. We have received hundreds of queries regarding what needs to be done now.

If you are an online seller, here is what we would advise you to do:

  1. Given that almost everyone we have spoken to wants to build a long-term business, apply for GST right away to avoid any hassles later on
  2. Classify the products according to GST, once the GST-compliant Shop101 app update goes live
  3. Check the prices of your products to ensure that appropriate prices and taxes are being shown to your customers

Shop101 is prepared to support you fully in this journey. We will:

  1. Help you file for GST registration. Please find the details of registration here
  2. Release an app update to classify the products for GST. This ensures that the right taxes are applied to your products.
  3. File returns on your behalf (at a nominal fee), if you need help with that.

At Shop101, we will go all out to ensure that you have no issues in transitioning to this historic tax reform and are able to build a sustainable long-term online business.

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Relief for Online Sellers under GST

Yesterday, Government of India announced that the special requirement for online sellers to be compulsorily registered under GST has been deferred until further notice. So as of now, there is no difference between selling offline and selling online. All exemptions available to offline sellers are available to online sellers as well.

In simple words, you can continue doing business as you were doing before GST. You have more time to get your GST registration and learn how to file GST Tax.

We recommend that you apply for your GST ID right away to be ready when government announces a date for implementation of GST for online sellers.