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FMCG and beverage brands · WhatsApp marketing

Use WhatsApp for the order, the scheme and the claim, not for forwards.

WhatsApp marketing for an FMCG or beverage brand means using chat to reach distributors, retailers and bulk buyers with schemes, price lists, order confirmations and claim updates. The distributor's staff and the shopkeeper already read it more readily than an email. GullySales sets up the groups, the catalogue and the message rules, and keeps the use within what the platform and the law allow.

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Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

A brand owner reviews beverage and snack packaging

What WhatsApp marketing means

WhatsApp marketing is sending updates, offers and reminders to customers on the app most Indian buyers already check daily. GullySales sets up business WhatsApp, writes the message templates and keeps the list consented and current.

Also for FMCG and beverage brands

Sales and marketing for FMCG and beverage brands, the overview.

Last updated 6 Oct 2026. Rules for this trade differ by state and professional body, and they change. We describe restrictions in general terms, so check the current position with your own council or adviser before you publish anything.

For FMCG and beverage brands

Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.

  • “Retailers read chat, not circulars”

    A shopkeeper on a busy counter will not open a PDF scheme sheet but will look at a picture of the pack with the offer written beside it. A clear image and two lines in the local language reach the retailer faster than a printed circular.

  • “A broadcast group turns into noise”

    A group of every distributor, salesman and officer fills up with greetings and forwarded jokes, and the scheme message is buried. Separate groups by purpose, with one rule on what is posted, keep the scheme visible.

  • “Orders arrive on chat whether or not the system is ready”

    A retailer sends an order on WhatsApp to the salesman, who writes it in a notebook. If the order is not entered into billing the same day, the delivery is late and the shop calls a rival. The chat needs a step that moves it into the record.

  • “Bulk buyers want a number to message”

    A caterer comparing water suppliers for a wedding wants a case rate, a delivery date and a reply. A business catalogue with the pack sizes and a named contact answers the first message and keeps the enquiry.

What we do

What we deliver for FMCG and beverage brands.

Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.

  1. Group structure and posting rules

    Separate groups for distributors, salesmen and key retailers, with what is posted in each and who can post.

    Result: A scheme message is not lost under greetings.

  2. Business catalogue

    Pack sizes, case counts and prices for drinks or home care, with images, set up on the business app.

    Result: A bulk buyer sees the range before the first call.

  3. Scheme and price message templates

    Short messages in English and the local language announcing a scheme, a price change or a new SKU, each with a clear end date.

    Result: Every scheme is announced the same way.

  4. Order capture routine

    A routine for moving a chat order into billing the same day, with a confirmation sent back to the retailer.

    Result: No order lives only on a salesman's phone.

  5. Consent and opt-out list

    A record of who agreed to receive messages, a way to stop them and a rule against adding people to groups without asking.

    Result: Your list holds only people who said yes.

How the result is measured

  • Messages delivered
  • Reply rate
  • Enquiries from WhatsApp

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

Read the full WhatsApp marketing and automation page

What to capture or send

The messages that work on a distributor and retailer chat.

Scheme picture with an end date
One image of the pack and the offer in the local language, sent to the retailer group. The end date stops arguments over claims later.
Price change notice to distributors
State the old and new rate and the date it applies from. Keep it in the distributor group only, so retailers do not see wholesale rates.
Order confirmation to a caterer
Reply with case count, sizes, delivery date and the contact name, so the caterer has a written record before the function.
Claim received acknowledgement
Confirm to the distributor that a damage or scheme claim has been logged, with the claim number. It cuts the repeat calls asking for status.
New SKU launch card
A short card with the pack image, case size and the district it reaches first, sent to the salesman group before the retailers.

Who it is for

This is written for these FMCG and beverage brands.

  • Packaged drinking water and 20-litre can brands
  • Regional soft drink, soda and goli soda bottlers
  • Juice, fruit drink and nectar brands
  • Energy, sports and electrolyte drink brands
  • Packaged tea and coffee powder brands
  • Flavoured milk, buttermilk and lassi brands
  • Home care brands: detergent, dishwash, floor cleaner and phenyl
  • Personal care and pooja brands: soap, hair oil and agarbatti

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • You have no consent record for your retailers, so a broadcast would reach people who never agreed to receive it.
  • Your distributors rely on phone calls and will not read chat, so the groups would stay silent.
  • No one can reply to an order on chat within the day, so a retailer who sent one would go elsewhere.

How it works

How the whatsapp marketing work runs

The work itself, in order. How an engagement starts, from your brief to a written scope, is set out on our method page.

  1. 1

    Read the chats you already have

    We read how customers write to you, which questions repeat and where a chat goes quiet. The repeated questions decide what gets automated first.

  2. 2

    Sort the list and the permission

    Contacts who asked to hear from you are separated from numbers that only sit in a phone book. We agree the wording new contacts will see before they say yes.

  3. 3

    Choose the app or the API

    One phone and a small team can stay on the ordinary app. Several people on one number, templates or a CRM link need the API through a provider, which is its own piece of setup work.

  4. 4

    Write the replies and the plan

    The greeting, away message, saved replies and handover rule are written in your words and approved by you. The message plan and its templates follow.

  5. 5

    Connect the record and test

    Each link carries its source line and each chat lands in the CRM. We test on real phones, including a customer who asks for a person.

  6. 6

    Read the unanswered questions

    A question the first reply could not answer becomes a new saved reply or a fixed handover. Stop requests are watched too, with the number's quality rating where the API is used, since both show a message plan that has gone too far.

Where this fits

Three pieces of sales work, in this order.

This work sits inside sales process design, at stage 0, foundation. The audit comes before it, and sales management keeps it running.

  1. Step 1

    Sales audit

    Find where deals are being lost and what to fix first.

    Start here if you cannot say where orders are lost.

  2. Step 2 · you are here

    Sales process design

    One written way to sell, from first enquiry to repeat order.

    Start here if every salesperson sells differently.

  3. Step 3

    Sales management

    A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.

    Start here if the team has targets and no routine.

Tell us what you need Your brief is read before we call. Scope, fee and term in writing.

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Tell us what you need
Can we send scheme messages to all retailers at once?
Message only the people who have agreed to hear from you, and give a way to opt out. The platform's current rules for business messaging apply, and they change, so check them before a large send rather than relying on an older broadcast habit.
Should the salesman use a personal number or a company number?
A company number or the business app, so that the history stays with the brand when the salesman leaves. A personal number takes the retailer relationship with the person. Decide this before the groups are built, not after.
Can we promote a drink's health benefits on chat?
Treat a chat message as advertising. Rules on food and drink claims differ by product and change, so have your regulatory adviser check wording before it is sent. Stick to the pack, the price, the scheme and where to buy.
Can we send a message about a drink's contents to retailers?
State only what is printed on the label. Rules on food and beverage claims are set by the regulator and differ by product, so keep health wording out of chat and check any claim with your own quality or legal adviser before it goes to a group.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
It depends on the trade, the channel and what is already in place. After we have read your brief and spoken to you, we say what we would expect to move first and how it will be measured against the baseline. Nothing here is guaranteed.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.
What do you need from us?
Your brief, and a conversation. After that, access to whatever this work touches, such as your website, your accounts or your enquiry record, and time with the people who handle your enquiries.
What if we are not happy with the work?
Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

From the blog

Further reading for FMCG and beverage brands.

All articles

More for FMCG and beverage brands

Everything else we would do for you.

Or start from the overview: sales and marketing for FMCG and beverage brands.

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