How a Service Station and a Leading Digital Marketing Agency Transformed Receipt-Based Campaigns Through Automation
Executive Summary
As businesses worldwide strive to enhance customer engagement, WhatsApp for Business chatbots are fast becoming a leading solution for real-time, scalable interaction. A recent collaboration between Cellfind, a leading South African mobile technology provider, and a leading digital marketing agency showcased the transformative power of this technology. By enabling customers at a petrol station to enter competitions via WhatsApp using their receipts, the initiative streamlined participation, increased campaign engagement, and laid the foundation for deeper, data-driven customer interaction.
Background: Conversational Commerce Goes Mainstream
With over 175 million people messaging a business via WhatsApp every day, and Meta positioning WhatsApp as its next growth engine, companies across industries—from Chevrolet and L’Oréal to Samsung—are turning to WhatsApp chatbots to manage inquiries, send updates, and run promotions.
Chatbots on WhatsApp automate customer interactions with AI-driven, human-like conversations, creating a familiar and frictionless engagement experience. These solutions enable 24/7 interaction, reduce support costs, and offer personalisation at scale.
Challenge: Modernising Customer Promotions at the Pump
A busy South African service station, supported by a leading digital marketing agency, faced a common retail dilemma: how to encourage customer participation in promotional campaigns while avoiding outdated, cumbersome entry methods like paper forms, SMS codes, or app downloads.
Key Pain Points:
- Low engagement in traditional receipt-based promotions
- Customer inconvenience and poor UX with legacy competition entry methods
- Limited ability to track, analyse, or personalise promotion participation
- Missed opportunity to build longer-term customer relationships
Solution: Seamless Campaign Entry via WhatsApp Chatbot
To address this, the marketing agency collaborated with Cellfind to develop a custom WhatsApp for Business chatbot. The chatbot allowed customers to:
- Send a WhatsApp message to initiate entry
- Upload a photo of their purchase receipt
- Receive an automated confirmation and potential follow-up offers
“This interactive engagement turns a mundane slip of paper into a brand touchpoint—and a chance to win,” explains the Cellfind product team.
Implementation Strategy
The deployment followed a fast, flexible rollout supported by Cellfind’s proven mobile engagement platform.
Phase 1: Chatbot Design & Integration
- Custom conversation flow designed around the receipt-upload use case
- Seamless integration into the service station’s existing marketing workflow
- Built-in compliance for opt-in communication and data handling
Phase 2: Campaign Launch & Promotion
- Campaign promoted in-store with clear calls to action
- Early adopters engaged through quick, mobile-friendly interaction
Phase 3: Performance Tracking & Optimisation
- Data collected to evaluate engagement rates and drop-off points
- Customer interaction patterns analysed to refine future campaigns
Results: A Simple UX That Delivered Big Returns
Customer Experience Wins:
- Frictionless Interaction: No app download or complex form—just WhatsApp
- High Participation Rates: Customers found it easy and intuitive to enter
- Positive Engagement: Receipt interaction transformed into a fun, rewarding moment
Marketing Impact:
- Increased Promotion Visibility: WhatsApp cut through the noise where posters didn’t
- Data-Driven Insights: Customer preferences and behaviour are now accessible via chatbot analytics
- Campaign Flexibility: Chatbot is now reusable and adaptable for future campaigns
Brand Loyalty Benefits:
- Personalisation Potential: Future campaigns can tailor offers based on previous interactions
- Two-Way Dialogue: WhatsApp enables on-going engagement, not just one-time contact
Why WhatsApp for Business Chatbots Matter
WhatsApp for Business chatbots offer a unique mix of accessibility, automation, and analytics that legacy channels can’t match. Businesses can:
- Reduce customer service costs by up to 30% (Chatbots Magazine)
- Respond instantly to routine queries while escalating complex ones to human agents
- Collect first-party data for tailored marketing
- Maintain brand tone and professionalism with custom chatbot scripts
Conclusion: From Transactional to Transformational
The service station’s partnership with a leading digital marketing agency and Cellfind demonstrates how even a routine customer interaction—like receiving a receipt—can be transformed into a powerful engagement tool.
As the Cellfind product team explains:
“The future of customer engagement begins with WhatsApp for Business chatbots. With the support of creative marketing agencies and robust mobile platforms, businesses of all sizes can now connect with customers in meaningful, scalable ways.”
This case serves as a blueprint for modern retail and promotions: identify friction points, integrate into a platform that customers already use, and build from there. The possibilities—from loyalty programs to product recommendations—are nearly limitless.
About the Technology Partner
Cellfind, a subsidiary of the DNI Group, is one of South Africa’s most established mobile technology providers. As a founding member of WASPA and an accredited partner to all major mobile networks, Cellfind provides secure, compliant, and scalable solutions for industries spanning finance to telecommunications. Their WhatsApp for Business chatbot platform combines AI automation, customer insights, and a frictionless user experience to help businesses lead in the mobile-first economy.
