What WhatsApp marketing consent means

Opt-in means the person agreed to receive messages from your business on WhatsApp, for the kind of messages you plan to send. WhatsApp's own business policies expect businesses to have permission before messaging people and to respect requests to stop.

Privacy laws in many countries also apply to marketing messages. Rules differ by country, so check the ones where your customers live; this article is practical guidance, not legal advice.

There are two kinds of messages to keep apart. Service messages, such as order updates, booking confirmations and payment reminders, relate to something the customer started. Marketing messages, such as offers and new arrivals, are something you start. Customers expect the first kind; the second needs a clear yes.

Consent also makes your campaigns work better. People who chose to hear from you open, reply and buy more often, and they rarely report you. A smaller opted-in list beats a large list of people who are surprised to hear from you.

The rest of this guide shows how to ask for consent, what to write, how to record it in a simple sheet and how to handle every kind of stop request.

None of this needs special software. A form field, a spreadsheet column and an opt-out list are enough for most small businesses, and Wassender takes care of the last part automatically.

How to collect opt-in

Ask at the moment you get the number: a checkbox on your order or booking form ("Send me order updates and offers on WhatsApp"), a line at checkout, or a sign at the counter. Keep the wording specific about what they will receive.

Write down when and how each person agreed, for example a column in your spreadsheet with the date and source. It helps you answer questions later and lets you filter your list before each campaign.

Buying lists or scraping numbers from groups is not consent, however the seller describes it.

The first message

Say who you are and why they are hearing from you: "Hi [name], this is Lina from Rose Bakery. You asked for order updates on WhatsApp." Then the content, then how to stop: "Reply STOP to stop these messages."

Honor opt-out automatically

In Wassender, replies such as STOP or إلغاء add the number to an opt-out list, and every future campaign skips it. You can also add a number by hand when someone asks in a call or in person, or remove an entry if they opt back in.

Opt-outs are excluded before a campaign starts, so the prepared count you see at confirmation already leaves them out.

Opt-in wording you can copy

Order form checkbox: "Send me order updates on WhatsApp" and a separate, unticked one: "Also send me offers and new arrivals on WhatsApp (about twice a month). Reply STOP any time to stop." Separating service messages from offers is clearer for customers and lets you filter your sheet properly.

Counter sign or receipt: "Want our weekly specials on WhatsApp? Message JOIN to this number." People who message first have clearly asked, and their number arrives in your chats without typing errors.

Spoken consent at the till: "Can we send you a WhatsApp when your order is ready?" Then note it in your sheet with the date and "in store" as the source.

A consent column in your sheet

Add columns such as consent (service, offers or none), consent_date and consent_source (website, in store, phone). Before each campaign, filter: an order-ready message goes to service and offers; a promotion goes to offers only. Import only the filtered rows into Wassender.

This takes a minute and prevents the most common mistake: sending a promotion to someone who only agreed to order updates. It also makes it easy to answer a customer who asks why they received a message.

Common mistakes: treating a customer who asked a question as subscribed to offers; re-adding opted-out numbers from an old export; and hiding the stop instruction. Wassender skips numbers on the opt-out list even if they reappear in a new sheet, but keep your source list clean too so other tools and staff do not message them.

Handling opt-outs that do not say STOP

Customers rarely use the exact word you suggest. They write "please don't message me", "remove me", "no thanks" or simply block you. Wassender adds the number automatically when the reply matches an opt-out keyword such as STOP or إلغاء. For other wording, read replies after each campaign and add those numbers to the opt-out list by hand in Audience.

Reply politely when someone opts out: "Done, you will not get offers from us again. Order updates will still come if you place an order." A calm reply often turns an annoyed customer back into a neutral one, and it confirms that the request was handled.

If a customer later asks to receive messages again, for example by sending JOIN or asking in store, remove their entry from the opt-out list and update the consent columns in your sheet. Keep the opt-out list as the single source of truth for who must not be messaged, and never import an old list that includes opted-out people without letting Wassender filter it first.

Keep consent fresh

Consent fades. Someone who bought once two years ago may not remember you. Send to recent customers first, and remove people who never reply over several campaigns.

Step by step

  1. Add a WhatsApp opt-in line to your order, booking or signup form.
  2. Record the opt-in date and source in your customer spreadsheet.
  3. Filter the sheet to opted-in customers before importing it into Wassender.
  4. Start each message with who you are and end with how to stop.
  5. Check Audience → Opt-outs regularly and add anyone who asked by phone.

Plan: Every new account gets 1 hour of Unlimited free from its first campaign, no card needed. After that, sending needs a paid plan: US$9.99 a month, US$79 a year or US$99 once for Lifetime. Nothing renews unless you switch on auto-renew for Monthly at checkout, and you can cancel that anytime.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need permission to send WhatsApp marketing messages?

Yes. WhatsApp's business policies expect opt-in, and many countries' privacy laws apply to marketing messages. Check the rules where your customers are.

How do customers opt out in Wassender?

They reply with a word such as STOP or إلغاء. The number is added to the opt-out list and skipped in future campaigns.

Is a customer who messaged me first opted in?

They expect a reply to their question. That is not the same as agreeing to marketing; ask before adding them to offers.

Can I import an opt-out list?

You can add numbers to the opt-out list in Audience, and remove an entry from its row.

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