Every cash-on-delivery order now gets a WhatsApp confirmation with an address check and one-tap approve or cancel before it ships. Unconfirmed orders are held automatically, so couriers stop riding out to no-shows — failed deliveries are down 62%.
Typical results
93%
Orders confirmed before dispatch
41 min
Median time to confirm
53
Courier runs saved monthly
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Cash on delivery drove half the shop's sales — and its biggest losses. 16% of COD parcels came back undelivered: wrong addresses, impulse buyers who changed their minds, customers who simply weren't home. Each failed run cost a courier fee both ways, and the warehouse repacked returns for hours every week.
Before and after
Failed COD deliveries
−63%Wasted courier runs per month
−62%Orders confirmed before dispatch
The automation
We wired the store to a WhatsApp Business API flow that fires the moment a COD order lands. The customer sees their items, total and delivery address, and taps once to confirm, fix the address, or cancel. Confirmed orders release straight to the courier; anything unconfirmed after two reminders is held, and the fulfillment team gets a short daily list to call. The order status syncs back to the store automatically.
How it works
- 01
COD order lands
A new cash-on-delivery order triggers the confirmation flow instantly.
- 02
WhatsApp check
The customer sees items, total and address with one-tap approve, fix or cancel.
- 03
Smart reminders
Silent customers get two nudges, and the address can be corrected right in the thread.
- 04
Ship or hold
Confirmed orders release to the courier; unconfirmed ones are held with a short call list.
- 05
Store stays synced
Every confirmation, change and cancellation updates the order automatically.
Starts from
- COD orders
- Delivery addresses
Delivers
- One-tap confirm on WhatsApp
- Released to courier
- Held-order call list
The impact
Failed COD deliveries fell 62% — from 16% of shipments to 6% — saving about 53 wasted courier runs a month. 93% of orders confirm before dispatch, most within 41 minutes, and address fixes made in-thread eliminated the most common failure reason entirely.
Questions about this automation
What does the customer see on WhatsApp?
Right after checkout, the customer receives a WhatsApp message listing the items, the total to pay on delivery and the delivery address. Buttons let them confirm, correct the address or cancel. A corrected address is written back to the order before it ships, so the courier gets the right details.
What happens if the customer never replies?
Silent customers get two reminders at set intervals, typically a few hours apart. If the order is still unconfirmed after the second reminder, it is held instead of shipped and added to a short daily call list for the fulfillment team, with the order details and the customer's phone number ready.
Which systems does the confirmation flow connect to?
It connects the online store, the official WhatsApp Business API with approved message templates, and the courier's booking system or the store's shipping step. Every confirmation, address change and cancellation syncs back to the order status. Simple automations like this are usually live within days.