What is better for customer engagement in 2025? WhatsApp or Emails?

What is better for customer engagement in 2025? WhatsApp or Emails?

In the ever-changing realm of customer communications, the question is how you should reach your customers. There are two primary channels in contention: email, still going strong, and the almost-ubiquitous instant messaging service WhatsApp (which mostly takes place through WhatsApp Business or the new addition of WhatsApp API). So, as we navigate 2025, marketers are wondering – which channel provides better customer engagement? Here’s an analysis of how WhatsApp compares to email — what the numbers say, where each channel excels (or falls short), and what a smart strategy might look like for your brand.

In this blog, we will discuss which channel is better and what Greysell advises its brands.

The Reality About Engagement: WhatsApp has a Massive Edge

Several studies show that WhatsApp carries much higher engagement than email in many cases.

• Email Marketing: Average global open-rates for campaigns are about ~19% on the lower side.
• In contrast to that, WhatsApp open-rates have been documented at higher levels, nearly in the 90–98% range. For instance: “On WhatsApp messages enjoy a category-leading open rate of 98%, compared to email that typically only sees around 21%.
• And, as for click-throughs and conversions, the numbers skew heavily in WhatsApp’s favour with campaigns enabling between 45-60% of all website users to open and convert vs very low conversion rates from email.
• There is also that immediacy factor: one author referred to it as “the Engagement Chasm” — 98% vs ~21% open-rate between WhatsApp vs email.

Why? Some of the contributing factors:

• WhatsApp is mobile-native, very personal and employs push notifications, meaning messages are delivered to users on the go and are quick to access.
• Email inboxes are crowded, spam filters are armed and potential recipients might ignore promotions or otherwise batch-process emails.
• WhatsApp enables richer conversational flows: replies, chatbots, two-way conversations.

In short: If you want rapid, high-visibility engagement, WhatsApp is way ahead.

When Email Still Holds Strong

Despite promising engagement figures for WhatsApp, email is still highly relevant to the communications mix – particularly where things need depth, formality or reach.

Strengths of Email

• Long-form content: Newsletters, white-papers, long product information and formal communications still work great in email. Storytelling, documentation, and design are playing out in email.
• Low cost per volume: Email platforms enable you to hit large lists at an optimum low incremental cost.
• Business & B2B: If your industry is one where formality and documentation are the order of the day (enterprise, legal or financial), email probably remains safer.
• Legacies and familiarity: Users are trained for certain things to be email, like bills, statements or newsletters. It’s still a trusted channel.

Weaknesses of Email

• Low open and click rates in most cases (relative to WhatsApp) mean many messages may never connect with the user in a meaningful fashion.
• Spam-filters, unsubscribes, and deliverability issues.
• Not as well suited to on-the-go, conversational or mobile-first interactions.

So, in many ways, email is still essential — but maybe not quite enough on its own to get peak performance.

How to Choose: WhatsApp v Email in 2025

Based on all of the above, your decision (or better yet, your blend) should be contingent upon what you’re aiming for, who/what you’re speaking to and what it is that you have to say. Here are some guiding questions:

What is your goal?

• If real-time support or responses are critical to your business (flash sales, abandoned-cart reminders) — WhatsApp wins.
• If you’re trying to build relationships, share deep content, educate or make formal announcements — email might be your saviour.

Who is your audience?

• WhatsApp is often a great fit for B2C, mobile-first and chat-friendly audiences.
• For B2B, more conservative industries, older audiences: Email still does make sense.

What type and how often?

• High-volume, short, chatty messages → WhatsApp.
• Detailed material, long form, records to refer to: → Email.

Costs & scalability

WhatsApp's cost per conversation is generally more expensive when you consider factors like APIs, broadcast features and compliance. Large volumes by email are cheaper on a per-unit basis. So you have to consider cost vs conversion rate — a smaller and highly engaged list for WhatsApp could perform better than a large and disengaged one in email.

Regulatory & consent nuances (particularly in markets like India)

In India, for example, mobile number and browsing behavior is considered as personal data under the (Draft) Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDP Act), thereby requiring consent. And of course, there are regulations to follow with WhatsApp marketing (e.g. users must opt-in, message content often needs to be relevant etc.). So, while WhatsApp is highly active, it also needs more governance.

Tactic: Maximizing Engagement by Leveraging Both Channels

Here you can play to the strengths of both, as opposed to having a 'this or that' mentality. Recommended course of action for a brand similar to yours (from an ad-agency/marketing perspective):

• Email for foundation: use it to grow your list, distribute thought-leadership content, newsletters and formal updates, nurture leads and capture permissions.
• Use WhatsApp to Drive Conversion: For your customers (B2C or D2C type campaigns) double-tap with a high-impact exhale: “your order is ready”, “ends in 2hours 50% OFF”, “support [fast]: click here”.
• Thread the journey: e.g., user subscribes through email campaign → you drip background nurturing on email → when they get a trigger (abandoned cart, service inquiry, VIP tier status), you switch to WhatsApp for live stuff.
• Segment properly: Do not indiscriminately whack WhatsApp to everyone. In all, opt-in and message relevance (personalisation) have proved to be a successful combination.
• Measure and optimise: Monitor open-rates, response rates, cost-per-conversion on both sides. Use the data to refine.
• Observe channel etiquette: WhatsApp is a more personal platform; sending too many and irrelevant messages can work against you (user blocks or leaves). Email allows for slower-paced communication.

Future Perspective & Why This Matters for 2025

• Mobile first messaging remains behaviour dominant. Tremendous reach: WhatsApp has more than 3 billion global users and deep penetration in places like India.
• Expectation for immediacy by the customer is increasing. Longer waits (like the ones required to get a response via email) are less permissible. Conversational and live chat are on the rise.
• Privacy and consent will be ever more important considerations in the use of both channels — brands need to understand they risk being bombarded with negativity if they ignore compliance, not to mention breaking regulations.
• The digital-marketing landscape will stay a realm where it is more likely to pay off to put in place an omnichannel strategy than to make individual channel bets. It might continue to make sense to use both WhatsApp and email, rather than simply leaning on both.

Final Verdict

If Greysell had to choose a single line: For engagement, immediacy and conversational interaction, WhatsApp emerges as the obvious winner in 2025. But that doesn’t mean email is dead — far from it, because email complements and thrives in the ecosystem of more defined communications, also made possible on the internet.

For your B2C brands, WhatsApp is the preferred choice, whereas for B2B brands, email is the optimal choice. Practically use both: email to build, nurture and scale; WhatsApp to give it that extra push, convert and personalise.

So no more confusion: to make your brand shine, just message or email us, and we will give you a customised marketing strategy via WhatsApp or Email Marketing.