I'm Mohammed, founder of Buraq AI.
Every week a store owner tells me the same thing: "I googled 'WhatsApp bot' and got 50 tools. They all say the same things. Where do I start?"
I get it. The market is crowded. Most of those tools were built for the US and Europe — not for you.
Let me save you two weeks of research. Here are the eight questions to ask before subscribing to any WhatsApp bot.
Why a WhatsApp bot at all?
Numbers first:
- 97% of Saudi Arabia is on WhatsApp. Your customer is there, not in their email inbox. - WhatsApp open rate: 98%. Email: 20%. - 75% of shopping carts in Saudi Arabia get abandoned. A bot recovers a real chunk of them.
So the question isn't "do I need a bot." It's which bot. And this is where people lose money.
We break down the WhatsApp-Saudi numbers in more depth in this post.
The 8 Questions
1. Is it built on the official Meta API?
The most important question. Plenty of tools connect to WhatsApp through workarounds — WhatsApp Web hacks or unofficial apps.
The result? Your number gets banned. A banned business number means lost customers and a damaged reputation.
Ask the vendor directly: "Are you an official Meta partner?" If they dodge, walk away.
2. Is it ready for Meta's new rules?
Since January 2026, Meta only allows task-specific bots on the WhatsApp Business API. General-purpose bots that "chat about anything" are banned.
If your vendor doesn't even know about this update, that tells you how far they are from this market.
3. Does it understand Saudi dialect?
Test it yourself before subscribing. Message the bot in dialect: "ابي اعرف وش عندكم" or "كم يوصلني الطلب؟"
Most bots are trained on Modern Standard Arabic or English. Your customer doesn't write Fusha. If the bot can't parse "وش" and "ابي", it gives a dumb answer and the customer leaves.
We covered this in depth here: why a Saudi-dialect bot sells 34% more.
4. Does it integrate with your platform?
Is your store on Salla? Zid? Shopify? The bot must read orders and products directly from your platform.
Without integration, it's just an auto-reply. With it, the bot can tell a customer: "Order #4521 arrived in Jeddah. Delivery tomorrow."
5. What happens when the bot doesn't know the answer?
A good bot knows when to hand off to a human. Ask: is there live agent handoff? Is there a unified inbox where your team sees every conversation?
If the answer is no, you lose every customer whose question falls outside the script.
6. Is it PDPL compliant?
Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law has been fully enforced since 2024. Fines reach 5 million SAR.
Where is your customer data stored? Who can access it? A vendor without a clear answer is a vendor to avoid.
Plain-English PDPL guide for chatbot owners is here.
7. Does it do more than replies?
Auto-replies are just the start. Ask about:
- Abandoned cart recovery (automatic reminder after one hour) - COD order verification — 64% of Saudi shoppers prefer cash on delivery, and 8–10% of those orders are fake. The bot filters them before shipping. - Broadcast campaigns that don't get your number blocked - Appointment confirmations if you run a clinic or salon
8. What's the price — and in which currency?
Many tools price in dollars, charge per message, and surprise you with the bill at month end.
Ask: is the price fixed? In riyals? What exactly is included?
Numbers we've seen ourselves
Not promises. Results:
- Nissan Saudi Arabia: 138% more leads from Click-to-WhatsApp ads. - Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Group: 200% more appointment bookings through WhatsApp. - Stores on Buraq AI recover abandoned carts that were gone for good — out of that 75% abandonment rate.
Bottom line
A WhatsApp bot isn't a luxury anymore. Your customer expects an instant reply, in their dialect, at any hour.
But don't subscribe to the first tool you find. Ask the eight questions above. The vendor who answers all of them clearly is the one worth your money.
Buraq AI answers all eight: official Meta partner, understands Saudi dialect, integrates with Salla, Zid, and Shopify, and PDPL compliant.
Plans start at 399 SAR/month. Try it yourself at buraq.ai.
Mohammed — Founder, Buraq AI | buraq.ai