Look at the timestamps on your WhatsApp. Count how many enquiries arrive after 7pm, and how many of those got an answer that evening. For most shops the second number is close to zero.
An unanswered enquiry is invisible. It does not appear in your sales, your returns or your complaints — which is exactly why it never gets fixed.
Why evening enquiries are the valuable ones
- People shop when they are free, which is after work and at weekends.
- Evening browsing is closer to a buying decision than a midday glance.
- The customer is usually messaging more than one shop at once.
- By morning the decision is often already made somewhere else.
The options, honestly
| Approach | Cost | Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Answer them yourself at night | Free | Works until it burns you out |
| Hire evening staff | High | Hard to justify for a small shop |
| An auto-reply saying "we are closed" | Free | Better than silence, but does not sell |
| An agent that actually answers | Monthly fee | Answers the question and takes the order |
The middle option is what most shops end up doing, and the "we will reply tomorrow" auto-reply is honest but does not stop the customer buying elsewhere in the meantime.
What good after-hours handling looks like
That reply took four seconds and did not wake anybody. In the morning the shop owner sees an order with a name, an address and a phone number — instead of a message they now have to chase.
How to measure it before you spend anything
Spend one week counting: messages received after closing, and how many turned into a sale. Multiply the gap by your average order value. That number is what the decision is actually about — not the monthly fee.