“How Much?” — How to Turn Price Enquiries into Sales on WhatsApp and Instagram
By VendorOS AI · · 6 min read
Every online vendor knows the message: “How much?” Sometimes with a screenshot, sometimes with nothing at all. You reply with the price… and the customer disappears. Price enquiries are your biggest source of sales and your biggest leak. Here is how to turn more of them into paid orders.
1. Reply fast. Really fast.
A customer asking for a price is usually asking several vendors at once. The first clear reply has a big advantage. If you regularly take hours to respond, no script will save the sale. Turn on your WhatsApp Business greeting message, keep saved replies for common answers, and if you cannot keep up, use an AI assistant that replies within seconds. (See how to automate WhatsApp Business replies.)
2. Never reply with just a number
“₦15,000” on its own invites the customer to compare you with the next vendor on price alone. Give the price with the value, and end with an easy next step.
Instead of “15k”, try:
It's ₦15,000 😊 Original leather, available in black and brown, sizes 40–45. Delivery within Lagos is ₦2,500 and arrives in 1–2 days. Which size should I reserve for you?
Notice the ending: a question that is easy to answer and moves toward the order. “Which size?” works much better than “Let me know.”
3. Answer the question behind the question
“How much?” often means “Is this worth it, can I trust you, and how soon can I get it?” Address the common worries before they are asked:
- Trust: offer pay-on-delivery where possible, or share reviews and photos of real deliveries.
- Delivery: state the fee and the timeline for their area up front.
- Fit and quality: sizes, measurements, material, a short video.
- Returns: one sentence on what happens if it does not fit.
4. Make paying easy
Once they say yes, send everything in one message: the total including delivery, account details, and what to send after payment. Every extra back-and-forth is another chance for the customer to get distracted.
Payment message template
Great choice! Your total is ₦17,500 (₦15,000 + ₦2,500 delivery). Please pay to: [Account name], [Bank], [Account number]. Send your delivery address and a screenshot of payment here and we'll dispatch today.
5. Follow up once (politely)
Many customers who go quiet are not saying no. They got busy, were waiting for salary, or forgot. A single friendly follow-up the next day recovers a surprising number of them.
Follow-up message
Hi! Just checking in on the black sneakers (size 43) you asked about yesterday. We still have your size; would you like me to reserve a pair for you?
Follow up once, maybe twice with something new (for example, the item is almost sold out or a small discount ends soon). After that, leave them alone. Pestering hurts your brand.
6. Keep a list of “almost” customers
People who asked but did not buy are your warmest leads. Label them in WhatsApp or keep a simple list. When you restock, launch something new or run a promo, they are the first people to tell, and they are more likely to buy than strangers seeing an advert.
7. Let AI handle the volume
All of the above takes time per conversation. When you are getting dozens of enquiries a day, an AI sales assistant can do it consistently: reply in seconds with the price and the value, answer follow-up questions, take the order, and help you follow up and bring back customers who went quiet. VendorOS AI's Sales agent and Marketing agent do exactly this, and you can see and take over every conversation from your dashboard.
Try it on your own customers: start a free 7-day trial.
Frequently asked questions
How should I reply when a customer asks “How much?”
Reply quickly with the price plus the key value points (quality, sizes, delivery fee and timeline) and end with an easy question that moves toward the order, such as “Which size should I reserve for you?”
What should I do when a customer ghosts after asking the price?
Send one polite follow-up the next day, and possibly a second one later with something new, like limited stock. Then add them to a list of interested customers to message when you restock or run a promotion.
Should I post prices publicly on Instagram?
Many vendors get more serious enquiries when prices are visible in the post, catalogue or highlights. It filters out people who are only curious and saves time answering “How much?” repeatedly.