Challenge

Avroy Shlain — a long-standing direct selling beauty company operating throughout Southern Africa — empowers thousands of Beauty Advisors to sell a wide range of skincare, cosmetics, fragrances, and personal care products.

However, as their sales network grew, their Advisors needed a faster, mobile-first way to transact. SMS had traditionally played an important role, allowing Advisors to receive updates while they were on the road. But SMS quickly became limiting:

• Advisors couldn’t easily place or manage orders
• No real-time stock visibility or catalog access
• Limited ability to ask questions or receive support
• Manual processes created delays and inefficiencies
  

With most Advisors working from their phones, WhatsApp became the obvious solution — familiar, always-on, and already the preferred communication channel among their teams and customers.

Avroy Shlain needed a secure, automated, WhatsApp-based workflow that would allow Advisors to place orders, check stock, access product brochures, and manage sales conversations — all in real time.

They partnered with Grapevine to make this possible. ‍

Solution

Grapevine’s Workflow automation for WhatsApp integrated seamlessly with Avroy Shlain’s backend systems, enabling Beauty Advisors to transact instantly through a guided, conversational interface.

To initiate the process, Advisors simply enter their Rep number in WhatsApp. Once validated, they can:

• Place orders with real-time confirmation
• Manage and cancel existing orders
• Check live product stock availability
• Download the latest catalogues and brochures
• Track their sales and order history
  

This automated WhatsApp solution creates a familiar, secure environment that feels natural to Advisors — and eliminates the friction of outdated SMS-based workflows.

With streamlined ordering, real-time product information, and automated guidance, Beauty Advisors can work faster, make more informed decisions, and stay focused on selling.

And with additional features in development, this capability will continue to expand alongside the business.

Key Capabilities

With Grapevine’s WhatsApp Workflow solution, Beauty Advisors can:

• Place Orders — Submit new orders with instant confirmation
• Cancel Orders — Easily cancel existing orders with automated workflow guidance
• Check Product Stock — Access real-time stock availability
• Download Brochures — Instantly access digital catalogues and marketing materials

‍Results ‍

By enabling automated WhatsApp-based order management, Avroy Shlain has:

• Improved Efficiency Advisors can manage orders and product data on the go without switching devices
• Simplified Engagement A single WhatsApp interface replaces fragmented SMS interactions
• Achieved Seamless Integration End-to-end automation ensures speed, accuracy, and data consistency
• Enhanced Visibility Real-time order and sales data supports smarter decisions in the field

This transformation has enabled Avroy Shlain to empower their Beauty Advisor community with a modern, mobile-first solution that increases productivity and supports continued business growth. ‍

Client Testimonial ‍

“The enhanced flow has streamlined the ordering process for both our Sales Force and internal teams alike — with the appropriate shipping method now being automatically assigned according to the type of order, delivery location, and Rep preference.

Not only has this made things easier for users, it has also reduced costly errors such as incorrect courier assignments and over- or under-charging customers for delivery. The added visibility and control at the point of order enable our teams to work faster and with greater confidence.

Cumulatively, this release has made life easier, improved accuracy, and strengthened our fulfillment reliability — an excellent example of practical, business-driven development that directly supports our digital transformation journey."

Jeremy Odendaal IT Manager — Avroy Shlain Cosmetics

Partner With Grapevine

Grapevine specialises in automating sales and service workflows in WhatsApp. We build secure, scalable solutions tailored to your business — helping teams save time, increase efficiency, and deliver exceptional results.