SINGAPORE, Dec. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Omnichat, a leading omnichannel AI platform, recently hosted the 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 mere customer support to an engaging channel for high-intent customers, driving conversions and fostering 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 a long-lasting brand loyalty.

“For us, loyalty begins the moment a customer chooses to stay connected with the brand. 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,” said Terrence Siu, Chief Information Officer, APAC at L’OCCITANE.

L’OCCITANE extends this seamless experience into a complete loyalty journey by also using Omnichat and WhatsApp to deliver their sampling products, VIP privileges, and post-purchase experience — 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%. 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,” he added.

Meta reinforced this shift toward 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 lifecycle, 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 Strategic Partnership Manager, 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 multi-channel 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 significantly lower Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) than reacquisition.

“What we are seeing across the region is that loyalty only works when it is active, not passive. 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 program. 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 apps, no one uninstalls WhatsApp,” said Alan Chan, CEO & Founder of Omnichat.

This forum marks a broader shift in how APAC brands are approaching customer growth — moving away from one-time campaigns toward 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.

About Omnichat

Omnichat is a leading provider of AI-powered conversational commerce solutions for the Asia-Pacific region. Uniquely positioned as both the sole Meta Business Partner and LINE Biz-Solutions Tech Partner in APAC with integrated WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, LINE, WeChat capabilities, Omnichat empowers brands to centralise communications, deliver personalised experiences, and drive digital transformation across their operations. Over 5,000 brands, including international retailers and enterprises, leverage Omnichat to optimise their customer journeys.

Website: https://www.omnichat.ai/sg
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/6586288791/?text=EnquiryForWhatsApp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/omnichat-easychat/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OmnichatAI

Media contacts:
(1) Maheswari Ganga
Marketing Manager, Omnichat
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +6016 660 4254

(2) Lily Yeung
Regional Vice President, Marketing & Communications (GC & SEA), Omnichat
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +852 9803 5977