A WhatsApp AI agent for hardware and building supply stores: do you have 50 bags of cement, how much, and can you deliver to the site tomorrow
A hardware counter gets photos of a part with "got this?", contractors asking for 50 bags delivered tomorrow, and homeowners asking the price of one tap. All while the staff are loading a lorry. An agent answers the price list, applies your bulk rule, takes the delivery order with the site address, and passes the mystery photo to a person.
Quick answer
A hardware store's agent answers stock and prices for listed items, applies the bulk and contractor pricing rules you publish, quotes delivery charges by area and minimum order, takes orders with quantities, site address and required time, acknowledges product photos and passes identification to staff, answers opening hours and payment terms, and hands over credit accounts, returns of cut or mixed materials, and technical advice on what to use for a job.
The split
| Let the agent handle | Keep with a person |
|---|---|
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Bulk and contractor pricing
Write the rule the agent applies: "Orders of 30 bags or more get the contractor rate" or "Registered contractors get 8 percent off list; ask for the account name." The agent quotes list price by default, applies the rule when the quantity or account qualifies, and hands over anything that asks for more. Never let it negotiate. The rule format belongs in the knowledge base as one plain line, as described in the price list guide.
Delivery orders
Give the agent a zone table: area, delivery charge, minimum order, usual lead time. The order flow: items and quantities, site address and a landmark, contact person on site, required date and time window, payment method. The agent confirms the total including delivery, records the order, and a person schedules the lorry. The confirmation wording is in order confirmation templates.
Setting it up
- Knowledge. Type the price list for the items customers ask about most (cement, sand, steel, plumbing, electrical, paint, tools), the bulk rule, the delivery zone table, and payment terms.
- Instructions. Role, tone (short and practical), the list-price-first rule, the order flow, the photo handover, and the no-technical-advice line.
- Booking or intake. Set the appointment types and hours, or the intake questions the agent asks in order.
- Handover. Name the topics that go to a person; the agent flags the chat and stops replying until you hand it back.
- Test. Send twenty real messages before customers do; the checklist is in the pre-launch test.
ReplyKit connects your number through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform. You sign in with your Facebook business account from the dashboard, pick or create the number, and it is live in a few minutes: no pairing, no phone that has to stay online, and no linked-device restriction risk. Replies to customers who message you carry no Meta fee inside the 24-hour service window; reminders and follow-ups sent outside it go as approved templates at Meta's per-message rate. Details in why ReplyKit runs on the official platform.
"Got this?"
Customers photograph a fitting or a broken part. The agent acknowledges, asks what it is for and the size if visible, and passes it to staff with a promise to reply within a set time. Staff answer in one message. That is faster than the customer driving in with the part, and it keeps a wrong identification out of the agent's mouth.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent quote contractor prices?
By the rule you write, applied to qualifying quantities or accounts. It does not negotiate.
Can it take delivery orders?
Yes: items, quantities, site address, time window and payment, with the delivery charge from your zone table.
Can it identify a part from a photo?
No. It acknowledges and passes the photo to staff, who reply.
Does it handle credit accounts?
It recognises account names you list for pricing, and hands over account terms and approvals.
What about technical advice?
Handed to staff. Which cement for a footing is a judgement, not a lookup.
Orders taken while the lorry loads
Prices, bulk rules and delivery handled in the chat. 7-day free trial.
Sources and further reading
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
- ReplyKit Acceptable Use Policy · what we refuse to automate
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.