Meta, L’OCCITANE, and Omnichat redefine loyalty experiences on WhatsApp

This post is sponsored by Omnichat.

Omnichat, a leading omnichannel AI platform, hosted its third edition of the Commerce Leadership Forum at Meta Singapore’s office. This event brought together senior leaders from across the region to explore how AI-powered business messaging is transforming the retail, beauty, and lifestyle sectors in APAC.

Industry leaders from Meta and L’OCCITANE discussed the rapid adoption of WhatsApp as a key commercial channel, highlighting its evolution from a mere customer support option to an engaging channel for high-intent customers which drives conversions and fosters long-term loyalty.

L’OCCITANE shared how WhatsApp has become the brand’s primary customer touchpoint across different markets in APAC, now accounting for more than 80% of inbound and outbound customer conversations.

The brand revealed that personalised conversational journeys are already unlocking profitable outcomes compared to traditional channels. This commercial uplift, paired with real-time engagement, has allowed L’OCCITANE to extend relationship-building beyond transactional touchpoints, creating long-lasting brand loyalty.

“For us, loyalty begins the moment a customer chooses to stay connected with the brand,” said Terrence Siu, chief information officer for APAC at L’OCCITANE.

“By using WhatsApp as a unified touchpoint, we can move customers seamlessly from online discovery to in-store engagement without losing context. Customers enjoy a consistent and personalised experience wherever they interact with us, be it on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp.”

L’OCCITANE extends this seamless experience into a complete loyalty journey by also using Omnichat and WhatsApp to deliver its sampling products, VIP privileges, and post-purchase experiences – ensuring customers continue to feel guided and valued long after the first transaction.

“By distributing samples and exclusive VIP offers directly through WhatsApp, we can convert interest into purchase immediately in the same channel the customer already uses. This approach has lifted our coupon redemption rate to 87%, Siu said.

“Once the customer is connected, we continue the journey through personalised refill and replenishment reminders, helping us maintain an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time transaction. WhatsApp has become a loyalty bridge – from sampling to purchase to repeat purchase – all within one seamless customer journey.”

Meta reinforced this shift towards messaging-led commerce by sharing YouGov’s new regional insights, which show that 32% to 43% of APAC shoppers now use business messaging to track orders, complete purchases, and stay connected with brands throughout the sales cycle – especially during high-value moments such as seasonal campaigns and mega sale days.

With business messaging now integrated into the customer life cycle, WhatsApp has effectively become the default loyalty channel for high-intent engagement in Asia.

“We are seeing the shopping journey become more conversational because consumers now want dialogue, not one-way marketing,” said Vicky Yiu, APAC’s strategic partnership manager for business messaging at Meta.

“WhatsApp is increasingly becoming the commerce layer for brand engagement in Asia. Customers don’t just browse – they consult, request support, complete transactions, and revisit brands all within messaging threads. When businesses move to a messaging-led experience, they shift from campaigns to relationships – and that is where long-term loyalty is earned.”

Omnichat, the WhatsApp business solution provider powering these loyalty journeys, highlighted how brands can transform membership from a passive database into an active relationship engine.

Instead of waiting for customers to open an app or remember a loyalty programme, WhatsApp allows brands to remain present in the customer’s daily routine – enabling real-time rewards, VIP benefits, and reactivation triggers at the moment of intent.

By consolidating a multichannel identity into a unified customer profile and using AI to trigger personalised re-engagement flows, Omnichat helps brands convert one-time buyers into loyal members at a significantly lower customer acquisition cost than reacquisition.

“What we are seeing across the region is that loyalty only works when it is active, not passive,” said Alan Chan, CEO and founder of Omnichat.

“Points sitting in an app don’t translate into customer relationships, but loyalty delivered through WhatsApp stays close to the customer’s daily behaviour. By linking QR codes to product samples, in-store touchpoints, and messaging-based rewards, brands can proactively engage members in real time instead of waiting for them to remember the programme.

“This is the difference between a loyalty database and a loyalty journey. When customers are reminded, recognised, and rewarded in the channel they already use every day, loyalty becomes a habit – and unlike (OTHER) apps, no one uninstalls WhatsApp.”

This change marks a broader shift in how APAC brands are approaching customer growth – moving away from one-time campaigns towards relationship-led loyalty that lives inside everyday messaging behaviour.

As more consumers abandon passive loyalty apps and expect real-time interaction, WhatsApp is emerging not just as a service channel, but as the foundation of a modern loyalty ecosystem. By bringing discovery, rewards, education, and re-engagement into a single continuous journey, brands can now build loyalty where it matters most – inside the conversations customers are already having.