Photograph: Arian R / Unsplash
The situation
Arca Continental, a major beverage bottler operating across Latin America, encountered persistent friction in its B2B ordering process. The company relied on traditional methods—phone calls and in-person visits—to capture orders from retail store owners. These manual approaches generated frequent data entry errors, slowed order processing, and created unnecessary operational overhead.
A structural barrier complicated modernization efforts: over 60% of store owners in Arca Continental's customer base had minimal digital adoption. This meant that introducing complex ordering platforms or requiring new technology skills would likely face resistance or low uptake. The company needed a solution that could bridge the gap between its operational needs and the technological reality of its customer base.
The approach
Arca Continental designed an order capture model centred on WhatsApp, a messaging platform already widely used across its markets. The system integrated real-time access to product catalogs, current pricing, and active promotions directly into the WhatsApp interface, allowing store owners to browse and order using a tool they already knew.
"We needed to modernize our order capture without imposing new technological barriers." — Arca Continental representative, in a case study by Jelou.ai, 2023.
The integration extended beyond the messaging layer. Arca Continental connected the WhatsApp ordering system to its existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) infrastructure and logistics operations, creating a seamless flow from order capture through fulfillment. This architecture allowed the company to modernize its B2B channel while maintaining operational continuity across Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru.
What happened
The WhatsApp integration was deployed across the three countries. Store owners began placing orders through the platform, and the system captured order data in real time. Over the implementation period in 2023, the solution processed $2.5 million in orders and captured 20,000 individual orders across the three markets.
The integration addressed the original pain points: order data was captured accurately through a structured digital interface, processing times improved, and the company reduced manual handling. The widespread adoption among store owners—despite their limited digital background—demonstrated that the platform choice itself had been effective in lowering barriers to participation.
The takeaway
Arca Continental's experience illustrates a practical principle for B2B modernization in markets with low digital maturity: the choice of technology platform matters as much as the functionality it delivers. By anchoring the ordering system to WhatsApp rather than building a proprietary app or requiring new logins, the company removed friction that would have otherwise limited adoption. The result was measurable: $2.5 million in processed orders and 20,000 captured transactions across three countries, achieved without alienating a customer base that was largely unfamiliar with digital tools. For companies operating in regions where digital adoption remains incomplete, integrating widely used communication platforms can be a more effective path to modernization than introducing new technological requirements.
- Over 60% of store owners were minimally digital
- $2.5 million in processed orders
- 20,000 orders captured
- Implemented WhatsApp integration across Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru
