The new ‘Virtual Car Showroom’ feature, which went live in July 2025, was designed to boost dealership inquiries nationwide and simplify the customer journey for financing, buying, or selling vehicles.

Within weeks, WhatsApp purchase inquiries surged by over 1000%: a record-breaking leap that confirms South African consumers want faster, smarter ways to shop for cars.

“The whole process happens in a single WhatsApp conversation,” says Alan Quinn, executive in Charge of Product and Partnerships at Cars.co.za. “We’re proud to give our users a new interface to browse for their dream car plus provide our dealers with valuable leads to sell cars.”

Dubbed the ‘Virtual Car Showroom’ for a reason, the AI solution delivers personalised vehicle recommendations tailored to each customer based on their previous interactions on Cars.co.za.

From make and mileage to colour and model year, the AI-bot analyses key preferences to instantly generate a tailored carousel of up to 10 vehicle options.

Once a buyer finds a match, they’re connected directly with the relevant dealership, completing the lead journey in one seamless chat.

Conversions have soared alongside inquiries. More than one in three users who engaged with the carousel went on to submit their details as potential buyers, delivering a 31.3% engagement-to-lead rate for dealerships.

“This is the strongest proof yet that South African consumers want to continue their car purchase journeys inside WhatsApp, rather than return to a website,” says Jonathan Elcock, co-founder and CEO at rather.chat. “This is an exciting opportunity for dealerships, as Cars.co.za continues to strengthen its ability to drive meaningful conversions in an increasingly competitive market. The new WhatsApp tool, available exclusively for dealerships under Cars.co.za, is designed to connect dealerships with these serious buyers while providing data insights, tools, and support that help turn inquiries into real sales.”

The success story offers a blueprint far beyond motoring. Elcock believes sectors like property finance and insurance will be next:

“Customers want one thing: fast, personalised service inside the channel they already use every day. Businesses like Cars.co.za that seek to adopt this new way of doing business, today, will lead the market, tomorrow.”

With Cars.co.za setting the benchmark, chat-commerce is now positioned to redefine how South Africans buy, sell, and finance not only cars, but virtually every major purchase decision.

“WhatsApp is the most widely used communication platform in South Africa, yet many businesses remain reluctant to integrate it formally,” says Jonathan Elcock, co-founder and CEO at rather.chat. “This hesitation is not only misplaced but dangerous. End-to-end encryption makes WhatsApp far more secure than web forms or email. The real risk lies in how companies are not using it correctly; where staff default to their personal WhatsApp accounts to finalise client transactions unbeknown to the company, which puts sensitive customer data at risk and undermines compliance.”

Sectors such as property finance, vehicle sales, and insurance already rely heavily on WhatsApp for customer engagement, but often without the proper usage frameworks in place.

“If a salesperson’s phone is stolen, dozens of customer records can be compromised,” Elcock explains. “When companies implement verified WhatsApp Business API accounts, linked to CRM systems and brand-verified channels, the results are powerful: customer trust improves, compliance is protected, and deal closure rates increase measurably.”

There is already plenty of compelling data around this: businesses that adopt WhatsApp integration see response times double, lead drop-off rates fall, and conversion rates rise.

“WhatsApp conversations deliver a 50% uplift in lead conversion, with a 62% improvement when instant information is available,” Elcock adds. “Companies that ignore WhatsApp are not avoiding risk – they are creating it, both through shadow usage by staff and through appearing out of step with how customers want to engage.”

Looking ahead, WhatsApp’s role in enterprise operations will only expand. Global markets such as Brazil and India are already integrating payments, AI-driven chatbots, and full-service commerce channels into WhatsApp.

“South African companies that act now will be better positioned to adopt these advancements quickly,” Elcock concludes. “The future of customer engagement is conversational, and WhatsApp is at the centre of it. Secure integration is no longer optional; it’s a strategic imperative.”