Sugro UK introduces supplier-focused B2B WhatsApp initiative

Sugro UK claims to have become the first wholesale buying group to launch a supplier-funded B2B WhatsApp initiative to send messages directly to retailers.

The group endorsed b2b.store’s communications solution for its members to use earlier this year and, after witnessing the high engagement it delivers, has identified a further opportunity to send supplier promotions to wholesalers’ customers.

Sugro has secured support from a host of suppliers to fund promotional WhatsApp messages that will be sent to retail customers of members that have opted into the scheme, with the aim of boosting sales.

There will be a further benefit to wholesalers supporting Sugro’s initiative – they will receive a profit share of revenues generated by the WhatsApp messages.

“We’ve been aware of a growing buzz in the wholesale sector about B2B WhatsApp’s potential and decided to explore new ways we could tap into this as a buying group,” said Sugro’s head of commercial & marketing Yulia Pettit.

“There has been a lot of supplier interest in what WhatsApp has to offer, so by launching our own messaging capability that will funnel through to our wholesalers’ retail customers, we’re creating something that will benefit every step of the supply chain.

“We’re now building our audience and scale even further by signing more wholesalers up to receive our messages.”

The backbone of B2B WhatsApp’s success is the high read rate messages can achieve, with figures gathered from the channels run by b2b.store suggesting that WhatsApp is several times more effective than other communication methods, including email and SMS.

In other news, more than 200 people attended Sugro’s recent Networking Event and Business Conference in Newcastle-under-Lyme. A total of 660 member/supplier meetings were held.

The event also included Sugro Member Anniversary Awards, where three members were saluted for reaching key milestones: Nasco (20th anniversary), Rayburn Trading (65th anniversary) and R&I Jones (100th anniversary).