Apaya Partners with Flowcart: Bringing Payment Freedom to Conversational Commerce
- Sally Hanekom
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Turning WhatsApp Conversations Into Completed Transactions Across MENA
We're excited to announce a partnership between Apaya and Flowcart that combines WhatsApp commerce infrastructure with no-code payment orchestration built specifically for MENA markets.
Where Conversation Meets Commerce
Conversational commerce is transforming how businesses engage with customers across the Middle East and Africa. WhatsApp has become more than a messaging platform; it's where customers discover products, ask questions, and increasingly, where they want to complete purchases.
But there's been a critical gap: while businesses can create compelling shopping experiences in WhatsApp, getting customers through checkout and completing transactions has remained a significant challenge. High payment failure rates, limited payment method options, redirect friction, and complex PSP integrations have prevented conversational commerce from reaching its full potential.
That's the problem we're solving together.
How the Partnership Works
Flowcart: WhatsApp Revenue Engine
Flowcart powers conversational commerce experiences that feel natural and intuitive and turns WhatsApp into a complete revenue channel. Their AI-driven platform enables businesses to:
Create seamless AI-powered shopping experiences directly in WhatsApp
Guide customers through product discovery and selection
Handle customer questions and objections in real-time
Capture opt-ins from website visitors and turn anonymous traffic into owned contacts
Automate lifecycle flows: cart recovery, upsell, win-back, and reorder campaigns
Enable checkout directly inside WhatsApp conversations
Set up and manage subscription billing seamlessly
Track attribution from WhatsApp campaigns through to completed orders
Apaya: Payment Infrastructure Driving Conversions
Once customers are ready to buy, Apaya ensures those transactions are actually completed. Our no-code payment orchestration platform:
Routes transactions intelligently across 30+ payment providers
Supports local and international payment methods like Tap, Telr, Tabby, Stripe, Checkout.com and more
Automatically handles failover and retry logic
Increases authorisation rates by up to 15%
Deploys in minutes, reducing engineering
Together: Complete Revenue Journey
The result is a complete solution that turns WhatsApp from an engagement channel into a scalable revenue channel. Customers can discover, discuss, and purchase, all without friction, all within one conversation. Merchants can scale across MENA without payment infrastructure complexity.
Why This Partnership Matters
1. Higher Conversion Rates
Customers who engage in conversational commerce show high purchase intent. By combining Flowcart's automation and in-chat checkout with Apaya's payment optimisation, we ensure more of those conversations turn into completed transactions.
2. Fewer Failed Payments
Payment failures kill conversions. Flowcart's automated retention flows bring customers back to checkout, while Apaya's intelligent routing and automatic failover dramatically reduce payment failures, recovering transactions that would otherwise be lost.
3. True MENA Optimisation
Both platforms are built with MENA markets in mind. Local payment methods, regional compliance, Arabic language support, and understanding of regional payment behaviours are built in.
4. No Engineering Required
Deploy the entire stack, conversational commerce and payment orchestration in minutes. Business teams can manage both platforms without waiting on engineering resources.
5. Scalable Expansion
Start in one market and expand across MENA with confidence. Both platforms support multi-market operations with local payment methods and compliance built in, and give merchants control over their most valuable assets: customers and payment infrastructure.
Real Impact: The Numbers
Merchants using this combined solution can expect:
15%+ higher authorisation rates through intelligent payment routing
30% improvement in conversion with local payment methods
3-minute deployment for payment orchestration (vs months of PSP integration)
30+ payment providers accessible through a single integration
Zero PSP lock-in with the freedom to switch providers in minutes
23% cart recovery rate through WhatsApp automation and optimised payments
Effectively increasing conversions by 40% for merchants
Use Cases Across Industries
Retail & eCommerce
Enable customers to browse your catalogue, ask product questions, get recommendations, and complete purchases, all within WhatsApp.
Food Delivery & Quick Commerce
Take orders conversationally and ensure fast, reliable payments with automatic failover. Critical for time-sensitive transactions where payment delays cost conversions.
Fashion & Beauty
Provide personalised styling advice and product recommendations in chat, then close the sale with frictionless checkout supporting local and international payment methods.
What This Means for Your Business
If you're operating in MENA and looking to:
Turn WhatsApp into a primary revenue channel with measurable ROI
Reduce payment failures that are costing you revenue
Automate cart recovery and lifecycle revenue without manual effort
Deploy quickly without months of technical integration
Scale confidently across multiple markets
Break free from PSP lock-in, while building owned customer relationships
...then the Apaya × Flowcart partnership offers a complete solution.
Getting Started
The Future of Commerce in MENA
This partnership represents our vision for the future of digital commerce in MENA: high-intent conversations that convert into revenue, payments that work across diverse regional methods, and infrastructure that empowers businesses to scale without complexity.
We believe conversational commerce isn't just another channel; it's how customers increasingly want to shop. And payment orchestration isn't just technical infrastructure; it's the foundation that ensures those conversations seamlessly generate revenue.
Together, we're making both accessible to businesses across MENA.
About Flowcart
Flowcart is an AI-powered conversational commerce platform that enables brands to sell, recover, and retain customers directly inside WhatsApp. Built for high-growth e-commerce brands, Flowcart combines advanced AI, automated commerce flows, and integrated customer management to power the entire buying journey from acquisition and product discovery to in-chat checkout and post-purchase retention within a single conversation. By turning WhatsApp into a seamless, high-performance revenue channel, Flowcart helps merchants increase conversions and customer lifetime value. Formerly known as Sukhiba, Flowcart works with leading brands across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Learn more about WhatsApp Payments with Flowcart
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