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WhatsApp Commerce — Catalog & Payments

How to set up a product catalog, accept orders, and collect payments directly on WhatsApp. Turn conversations into transactions.

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  1. What Is WhatsApp Commerce?
  2. Setting Up a Product Catalog
  3. Order Flow
  4. Payment Collection
  5. Best Practices
  6. Current Limitations

1. What Is WhatsApp Commerce?

WhatsApp Commerce lets businesses showcase products, take orders, and collect payments directly within WhatsApp conversations. Key capabilities:

  • Product catalogs — customers browse your products without leaving WhatsApp.
  • Cart and checkout — customers add items to cart and place orders in-chat.
  • Payment links — send payment collection links via WhatsApp messages.
  • Order tracking — send automated order confirmation and shipping updates.

2. Setting Up a Product Catalog

  1. Create a catalog in Meta Commerce Manager or your App-ening dashboard.
  2. Add products with name, description, price, image, and SKU.
  3. Organise into collections — group related products for easier browsing.
  4. Connect to WhatsApp — link the catalog to your WhatsApp Business number.
  5. Test — browse your catalog from a customer’s perspective.

Catalog Limits

You can add up to 500 products per catalog. For larger catalogs, use collections to make browsing manageable.

3. Order Flow

A typical WhatsApp commerce order flow:

  1. Customer browses your catalog from the WhatsApp chat.
  2. Customer adds items to their cart.
  3. Customer sends the cart as a message to your business.
  4. You confirm the order — check stock, confirm price, calculate delivery.
  5. Send payment link — customer pays via the link.
  6. Confirm payment — send receipt and order confirmation.
  7. Ship and notify — send tracking updates via utility templates.

4. Payment Collection

App-ening supports payment collection through WhatsApp in several ways:

  • Payment links — generate and send payment links that open a checkout page.
  • Payment gateway integration — connect your Razorpay, Stripe, or local payment provider.
  • Automated receipts — send payment confirmation automatically when payment is received.
  • Partial payments — collect deposits or split payments across multiple links.

Payment status is tracked in your App-ening dashboard with real-time updates.

5. Best Practices

  • High-quality product images — clear, well-lit photos increase conversion rates.
  • Accurate pricing — include taxes and shipping in the displayed price where possible.
  • Quick responses — respond to order messages within minutes, not hours.
  • Automate confirmations — use templates to automatically confirm orders and payments.
  • Track inventory — update catalog availability to avoid selling out-of-stock items.
  • Follow up — send delivery updates and ask for reviews after purchase.

6. Current Limitations

  • No in-chat payment (in most countries) — WhatsApp Pay is only available in select markets. Most businesses use payment links.
  • Catalog size — 500 products maximum per catalog.
  • No real-time inventory sync — catalog updates are manual or via API (not instant).
  • Limited customisation — catalog layout is controlled by WhatsApp, not your business.

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  • WhatsApp Commerce combines catalog browsing, ordering, and payment in one channel.
  • Set up catalogs in Meta Commerce Manager or directly from App-ening.
  • Payment collection works via payment links integrated with your payment provider.
  • Automate order confirmations, payment receipts, and shipping updates.
  • Current limit: 500 products per catalog. In-chat payments limited to select markets.

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  • Catalog management — Create and manage product catalogs directly from App-ening.
  • Payment links — Generate payment collection links with one click in the chat.
  • Order automation — Auto-confirm orders and send receipts when payment is received.
  • Catalog analytics — Track which products get the most views and orders.
  • Multi-product messages — Send curated product selections in a single message.

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