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Best Practices for Growth
Practical growth best practices for businesses on how to grow sales using a website, WhatsApp Business, and/or social media.
Published August 26, 2026
Whether you sell online, offline, on WhatsApp, or on Instagram, Pi-Square can help you get more value from your sales channel.
This guide covers practical ways to improve four growth areas:
1. Increase sales on WhatsApp orders
For businesses that already sell through conversation, Pi-Square can help increase sales through WhatsApp upsells.
Use WhatsApp upsells when products are bought together
WhatsApp upsells work best when the business has a broad catalog and customers can act on a recommendation quickly.
Good examples include:
- daily groceries with many products
- clothing with matching accessories
- food orders with beverages, sides, or desserts
- event passes with premium seating or add-on experiences
In these cases, the suggestion helps complete the purchase.
WhatsApp upsells are less useful when:
- the catalog has too few products
- all products fall into a single category
- customers typically need a conversation before buying
See WhatsApp Upsells for more on connecting WhatsApp Business for upsells.
2. Use offline selling to establish a WhatsApp communication channel
Offline selling is often treated as a one-time transaction. A customer buys at a flea market, pop-up, exhibition, or business expo, and may never return.
Pi-Square billing can turn that sale into a WhatsApp communication channel. The customer gets a professional purchase record, and the business gets a practical way to continue the relationship.
Do: Send bills over WhatsApp after offline purchases
WhatsApp Business marketing works when you receive a message from customer on WhatsApp. A bill gives the customer a reason to keep the business in chat history, creates room for feedback, and gives the business a natural starting point for future communication.
This can help with:
- confirm what was purchased
- make repeat ordering easier
- follow up for feedback
- send relevant promotions later through WhatsApp Business
Don’t: Treat WhatsApp as unlimited permission
A bill should not turn a customer into a target for endless messages. Keep communication useful and relevant.
Avoid:
- sending daily promotions without context
- adding customers to groups without permission
- sharing unrelated offers
- messaging too late at night
- making opt-out difficult
Trust is easier to keep than to rebuild.
3. Create regular social media content that leads to action
Social media creates discovery, but growth needs consistency. Regular content keeps products, offers, events, and seasonal collections visible.
The goal is not likes alone. Each product or offer post should help the customer move to an item link, booking link, catalog link, or WhatsApp order flow.
Do: Post image or video with a direct item link
A strong social media post usually has three parts:
- a clear image or short video
- descriptive text
- a direct link to the item, catalog, booking, or order flow
The image gets attention, the text explains the offer, and the link makes ordering easy. For example, a bakery posting a cake should include the cake link, size options, price or starting price, order deadline, delivery or pickup details, and a clear call to action.
Do: Write descriptive captions
Good captions answer buying questions.
Include:
- what the item is
- who it is for
- price or starting price, where possible
- size, quantity, or variant information
- availability
- delivery or pickup details
- ordering deadline, if relevant
- item link or catalog link
Descriptive text also helps when customers forward or revisit the post.
Do: Create content regularly
Regular content does not mean every post must be a discount. A useful mix can include:
- new arrivals
- bestsellers
- behind-the-scenes preparation
- customer orders
- event or stall updates
- festive collections
- limited stock alerts
- use cases or styling ideas
- reorder reminders
This keeps the business visible without making every post feel repetitive.
Do: Match posts to the buying journey
Different posts serve different purposes: introduction, proof, new items, event updates, or direct orders. For growth, publish posts that make buying easy:
- new arrival with item link
- festive hamper with booking deadline
- limited stock product with order link
- event pass with booking link
- service package with enquiry link
- repeat purchase reminder with catalog link
Specific posts are easier to act on.
Don’t: Make customers search after they are interested
Many businesses lose sales because the next step is unclear.
Avoid:
- posting without a link
- sending customers only to the homepage when a specific item or catalog link would work better
- using unclear captions
- hiding price when price clarity would help
- posting low-quality images
- using too much text inside the image
- promoting items that are out of stock
- asking customers to message for every small detail
If customers must search, ask, wait, and follow up for a simple order, many will drop off.
4. Build a website that creates trust before it tries to sell
A Pi-Square website gives a business a structured place to show products, services, bookings, events, payments, and policies. It is where many customers decide whether the business looks reliable enough to order from.
This matters more when the customer discovers the business through social media, a forwarded link, a stall, or WhatsApp. Before paying, they often check product information, policies, contact details, and the buying process.
Trust signals matter differently by seller type. Local sellers usually rely more on known customers and repeat orders. Pan India sellers depend more on new customers who need confidence before ordering remotely.
| Website readiness item | Local seller trust impact | Pan India seller trust impact |
|---|---|---|
| Enough products or services | High trust: customers can understand what the business offers before calling or messaging. | High trust: distant customers need enough catalog depth before placing an order with an unfamiliar seller. |
| Cash on delivery | Not significant for businesses that sell mostly to known local customers. | High trust: COD can reduce hesitation for first-time buyers ordering from another city. |
| Payment gateway | Not significant for businesses that sell mostly to known local customers. | High trust: online payment options make the business look more ready for remote orders. |
| Custom domain | Not significant for businesses that sell mostly through known local networks. | High trust: a branded domain makes the business look more established to new remote buyers. |
| Policy pages | High trust: customers can check delivery, pickup, cancellation, and contact details before ordering. | High trust: remote buyers depend more on written policies because they cannot verify the seller locally. |
| Product details | High trust: customers can decide faster without asking basic questions. | High trust: complete details reduce uncertainty for customers who cannot inspect the product in person. |
| Unfinished website | Low trust: local buyers may abandon the link and return to manual WhatsApp questions. | Low trust: remote buyers are more likely to drop off completely if the website looks incomplete. |
Do: Add enough products or services before promoting the website
A website with only one or two incomplete items may look unfinished unless the business is intentionally selling a narrow offer. A useful starting catalog should include enough items for the customer to understand the business.
For example:
- a bakery should show a meaningful range of cakes, desserts, hampers, or custom options
- a boutique should show enough designs, sizes, or collections to help customers choose
- a grocery seller should list fast-moving essentials and common repeat items
- an event seller should show ticket types, packages, add-ons, or booking options
- a service business should explain the main services, pricing structure, and booking flow
If the business has few items, make the offer look intentional rather than empty. Add relevant static content to explain the business, service, collection, or use case.
Do: Offer cash on delivery when it can increase confidence
Cash on delivery can increase trust for customers who are not ready to pay before receiving the product. For many Indian businesses, COD is still an important conversion lever.
COD works best when the business uses it with clear rules. A seller should know:
- whether delivery is possible in the customer’s location
- whether the order value justifies COD handling
- whether an advance payment is needed for custom or high-value orders
- how returns, failed delivery, and courier charges will be handled
If the business uses Shiprocket, Pi-Square can help create shipments from eligible orders and pass the right prepaid or COD amount based on payment status.
See Manage Shiprocket Shipping and COD from Pi-Square for a deeper explanation of this workflow.
Do: Connect a payment gateway
A payment gateway lets customers pay without waiting for bank details, UPI screenshots, or manual confirmation. It helps with full payments, advances, bookings, and balance payments.
For local sellers, online payments reduce coordination. For Pan India sellers, they are more important because remote buyers need a clear payment flow from a business they may not know personally.
Payment gateway support can help with:
- collecting advance payments for custom or high-value orders
- confirming bookings without manual follow-up
- reducing payment confusion in WhatsApp conversations
- keeping order and payment status connected
- making the website feel more ready for serious buyers
COD and online payments can work together. A business may collect an advance online and use COD only for the balance.
Do: Use a custom domain when selling beyond local networks
A custom domain is not critical for every local seller. If most customers already know the business through WhatsApp, neighbourhood referrals, or repeat orders, the default business link may be enough.
For Pan India sellers, a custom domain can add trust. A branded domain looks more established, is easier to remember, and feels more reliable when a new customer is ordering from another city.
Do: Add policy pages and clear business information
Policy pages reduce hesitation and repeated questions.
Important pages or sections include:
- privacy policy
- terms and conditions
- cancellation or refund policy
- shipping or delivery policy
- pickup instructions, if pickup is supported
- contact details
- business location or service area, where relevant
The detail should match the business. A home bakery does not need enterprise-style legal language, but it should explain order timelines, cancellation rules, delivery limits, and custom order expectations.
Do: Make product details complete
Product details should answer common pre-order questions.
Useful details include:
- product name
- clear image or video
- price or starting price
- available sizes, variants, or quantities
- delivery or pickup availability
- preparation time, where relevant
- customisation options
- stock status or availability
- payment options
- important restrictions or conditions
For shipped products, dimensions and weight also matter. They make shipping more reliable and reduce last-minute fulfilment confusion.
Don’t: Send traffic to an unfinished website
Running campaigns, posting reels, sharing links, or printing QR codes before the website is ready can waste attention. Customers may visit once, see missing information, and leave.
Avoid sending traffic when:
- product images are missing
- prices are unclear
- policies are absent
- payment or order flow is not tested
- COD or delivery rules are unclear
- contact information is missing
- the catalog looks incomplete by accident
The website does not need to be perfect. It does need to be usable.
Once the website looks trustworthy, the next step is to make it easier for customers to discover, decide, and buy.
Do: Enable search for larger catalogs
Search helps customers find the right product quickly, especially when the catalog has many items or categories. It is useful for grocery, fashion, restaurant menus, gifts, services, and event catalogs where customers may already know what they want.
Search is less important for very small catalogs, but it becomes a strong growth lever when browsing manually takes too long.
Do: Enable checkout recommendations
Recommendations increase average order value by showing relevant products, add-ons, or upgrades at the right moment.
On Pi-Square, recommendations appear during checkout, when the customer has already shown purchase intent.
Recommendations need a diverse catalog. If the catalog has only one item, or most items are from one category, recommendations may not help. They work better when products or services are often purchased together.
Good examples include:
- a grocery order with commonly repeated essentials
- a restaurant order with beverages or desserts
- clothing with matching accessories
- an event ticket with a premium pass or add-on
These suggestions reduce effort. The customer does not need to browse the full catalog before checkout.
Recommendations are less useful when:
- the catalog has too few products
- all products fall into a single category
- customers typically need a conversation before buying
The question is not “What else can we sell?” It is “What would make this order more complete?” That leads to stronger recommendations: complements, refills, upgrades, bundles, accessories, service add-ons, and related items for the same occasion.
Pi-Square supports AI recommendations to help businesses show relevant suggestions in checkout flows. See AI Recommendations for more detail.
Do: Use discount coupons strategically
Discount coupons can help convert interested customers, bring back repeat buyers, and support campaign-specific offers. They work best when the offer has a clear purpose.
Good uses include:
- first-order discounts for new customers
- festive or event offers
- repeat purchase coupons
- limited-time campaigns
- minimum-order coupons to increase cart value
Avoid using coupons so often that customers stop buying at regular prices. See Discount Coupons for Online Selling for more detail.
Growth checklist
Businesses do not need to do everything at once. A practical order is:
- make the website trustworthy
- add enough complete items or services
- clarify COD, delivery, pickup, payment, domain, and policy information
- enable search for larger catalogs
- add recommendations for products that naturally go together
- use discount coupons for clear campaigns
- increase WhatsApp orders with relevant upsells
- send bills over WhatsApp for offline purchases where useful
- create regular social media content with direct item links
- review which channels actually lead to orders
Growth becomes easier when each channel does its job: WhatsApp increases order value in chat, offline billing creates a future communication channel, social media drives discovery, and the website builds trust before purchase.
FAQ
Should every small business offer cash on delivery?
Not always. COD can improve conversion, but it adds operational risk. It works best when delivery is reliable, order value justifies the handling, and the business has clear rules for failed delivery and advance payments.
Does every business need a website, WhatsApp, and social media?
No. Each business should focus on the growth practices that fit its selling channel.
Do recommendations work for every business?
No. Recommendations work best when the catalog has enough variety and products naturally go together.
Why send bills on WhatsApp for offline purchase?
Bills give customers a purchase record and create a natural WhatsApp thread. This helps offline sellers at flea markets, expos, and stalls stay reachable after the event.
What should a social media product post include?
Use a clear image or video, descriptive caption, price or starting price, availability, delivery or pickup details, and a direct item or order link.