Opt-in consent
Opt-in consent is a customer's explicit, recorded agreement to receive messages from a business, and it is the basis on which promotional WhatsApp and SMS communication is permitted in India.
Opt-in consent in dealership marketing
Consent has to be specific and provable: a tick box on an enquiry form, a WhatsApp message from the customer, or a recorded verbal agreement, with the wording registered as a consent template on DLT where SMS is involved. A phone number collected at a showroom event is not consent to market to it.
India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act adds a general obligation to collect and use personal data for a stated purpose with consent, so opt-in practice is a data-protection matter as well as a messaging one.
Related terms
- Messaging & Compliance
DND registry
The DND registry is India's national list of mobile numbers whose owners have opted out of promotional calls and messages, and telecom operators block promotional SMS to any number on it regardless of who is sending.
Read definition - Messaging & Compliance
WhatsApp Business API
The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's programmatic interface that lets a business send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale through software, with approved message templates, automation, and multiple agents, as opposed to the free WhatsApp Business app designed for a single phone.
Read definition - Messaging & Compliance
Message template
A message template is the pre-approved wording of a business message, with placeholders for variable details such as the customer's name or appointment time, that must be registered on DLT for SMS or approved by Meta for WhatsApp before it can be sent.
Read definition
Where it applies
AutoSutra services where opt-in consent comes into play.
Further reading
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