Vishal Singhal WhatsApp provides an unmatched platform for showcasing products with its massive user base of over 2 billion people worldwide and a remarkable 98% open rate. Businesses that use WhatsApp catalogs have reported up to 20% increase in their sales.
We created this detailed guide to help you set up your WhatsApp catalog effectively. Your digital storefront can showcase 500 products with up to 10 images each. We will guide you through each step of the process.
Your WhatsApp Business account can become a powerful sales channel. Let’s delve into creating your first WhatsApp catalog together.
What is a WhatsApp catalog?
Your WhatsApp catalog works like a digital shop window right inside your WhatsApp Business account. Customers can browse products, check prices and make buying decisions without leaving their chat screen.
The catalog lets you display your products with detailed listings that include images, descriptions and prices. You can add up to 10 high-quality photos for each item to give customers a complete view of your offerings.
The catalog blends naturally with your regular WhatsApp Business messages. Your customers can express interest in products and you can share items directly in chat conversations. This creates a smooth shopping experience where browsing, asking questions and purchasing happen naturally.
Which business fields are required in WhatsApp catalog?
Your WhatsApp catalog setup needs several mandatory fields to create a professional business profile. You need to provide your legal business name, business type, and registered business address.
The catalog lets you add up to 500 products. Each product will needs a unique title and at least one product image each. You can add up to 10 images or videos to showcase your product’s different angles and features.
Beyond these simple requirements, you can boost your product listings with these optional fields:
- Price and sale price (available in select countries)
- Product description (up to 5000 words)
- Website link to additional information
- Product code to manage inventory
Indian businesses must meet additional requirements. These mandatory fields include:
- Origin country
- Importer name
- Importer address
Customer service needs at least one contact number (mobile or landline) and an email address. You must also provide grievance officer information. If you don’t have a dedicated officer, you can use your own details.
WhatsApp reviews each uploaded image to ensure it follows their Business Messaging Policy before it appears in your catalog.
How to create a WhatsApp business catalog?
The process of creating a WhatsApp Business catalog varies by device. Let me guide you through each platform’s setup.
Android users should open WhatsApp Business and tap the three dots menu. Head to Settings > Business Tools > Catalog. The Catalog Manager screen will appear, where you can tap “Add new item” to start listing your products.
The steps for iOS users are quite similar. Open Settings, select Business Tools, and tap Catalog. You can tap “Add Item” to create your first catalog entry. iOS users get an extra feature to hide items when needed.
Desktop setup is simple and quick. Visit web.whatsapp.com or open your desktop client, click the three dots menu, and select Catalog. A click on “Add New Item” starts your product listing journey.
Meta reviews each product listing undergoes a review by Meta to verify compliance with their Commerce Policy. A clock icon appears next to your product while it awaits approval.
Your product listings need these key details:
- Product name and description
- Price information
- Website link (optional)
- Product code (for inventory tracking)
Your catalog becomes visible to customers once the review process ends. This lets them browse and select items without lengthy conversations. This simplified process improves customer experience and makes your business operations easier.
Steps to create your first WhatsApp catalog
A systematic approach will make your WhatsApp catalog shine among competitors. The process starts with downloading WhatsApp Business from your device’s app store. You’ll need to verify your business phone number and set up your profile.
The next step takes you to the Business Tools section through the menu. Look for “Catalog” and hit “Add New Item” to start creating your product listings. Each item needs clear, high-quality images that fit WhatsApp’s requirements of 500×500 pixels minimum.
Your products need these key details:
- Product name (up to 100 characters)
- Description highlighting key features
- Price information in your local currency
- Product code for inventory tracking
It’s also a good idea to keep items grouped into collections that may be related-in categories, seasons, or price ranges-for the customers to find such items quickly. Updated inventory management should track the stock availability statuses of items and remove irrelevant out-of-stock items immediately.
The Meta team will review your catalog once you add products into it. The whole process of approval tends to take about 24-48 hours, although in some circumstances, additional verification might take longer. Use this time to write and upload product descriptions and curate images to accompany them.
Promote your catalog on various platforms for enhanced visibility at the last turn. Incorporate your catalog link to business cards, social media profiles, and email signatures. This approach can help reach potential customers easily.
How to create WhatsApp collection in WhatsApp catalog?
Collections boost your WhatsApp catalog by grouping products into easy-to-navigate categories. Your customers can find items quickly without endless scrolling through product lists.
Organize items by category
Such products could also be grouped together as collections. For example, a clothing store may arrange under three categories like men’s wear, women’s wear, and accessories collections. It makes customers to quickly navigate the shop to make purchase decisions.
Set up featured collections
Here’s how to create collections:
- Access the catalog menu through Business Tools
- Select “Add new collection”
- Name your collection appropriately
- Choose products to include
- Submit for review
The review process typically takes 24 hours to ensure your collections meet WhatsApp’s commerce policies. You can manage your collections by:
- Adding or removing items
- Reordering products within collections
- Renaming collections as needed
Collections work great for different purposes. You might want to create them for:
- Best-selling products from all categories
- Seasonal items or limited-time offers
- Discounted products for budget-conscious customers
Collections turn your catalog into an organized digital storefront. Your customers can find products easily while you manage inventory better.
4 Steps to follow if your WhatsApp collection gets rejected
A red exclamation mark next to your WhatsApp catalog item means it’s been rejected. You can fix this quickly by:
- Click the rejected item
- Select “Request another review”
- Add your reason for appeal
- Tap “Continue”
WhatsApp catalog image size requirements
Your images should be 1080 x 1080 pixels. The smallest size you can use is 640 x 640 pixels. Keep your files under 5MB so they load fast and work smoothly.
Writing effective product descriptions
Your product descriptions can make or break a sale. Here’s what works best:
- Show benefits instead of just features
- Use bright, clear photos from different angles
- Write short, specific descriptions
Setting prices and inventory
Your pricing strategy will affect your catalog’s success. These pricing approaches work well:
- Cost-plus pricing for regular retail items
- Value-based pricing for high-end products
- Dynamic pricing when demand peaks
Watch how your catalog performs through WhatsApp’s insights after making these changes. This information helps you improve your strategy and sell more effectively.
Adding Products the Right Way
You need to become skilled at adding products to your WhatsApp catalog with careful planning. We accessed the catalog section through Business Tools and selected “Add new item“.
Your products need these details to look their best:
- Product name and description
- Price and sale price options
- Website link for additional information
- Product or service code
- Up to 10 high-quality images
A well-managed catalog just needs regular updates. Keep track of customer feedback and remove items that don’t get much attention. Showcase your best-selling products and items customers want most, because a crowded catalog might turn potential buyers away.
WhatsApp reviews each new product to check if it follows their Business Messaging Policy. You’ll see a clock icon suggesting your product is waiting for approval. The product shows up in your catalog right after approval.
A red exclamation icon appears next to rejected products. Check the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy when this happens. Make the right changes and ask for another review by explaining what you fixed.
WhatsApp’s catalog feature makes shared work possible as live agents can handle up to six conversations at once. Response times dropped from five minutes to one minute. This has led to a soaring win, with businesses seeing up to 3X higher conversions compared to traditional call centers.
Steps to share WhatsApp Catalogue link
Your WhatsApp catalog can reach customers beyond just direct messages. We found multiple ways to distribute product listings on different platforms.
Generate WhatsApp catalog link
Android users can find the Catalog Manager in Business Tools and tap the link icon at the top right. iPhone users will see the share option under Business Tools > Catalog > More Options. Desktop users can click the link icon above their chat list after picking Catalog from the menu.
Share on social media
Your catalog link works great on different social platforms. The link lets customers:
- Browse products right in WhatsApp
- Share items with friends through chat or status updates
- Ask your business about specific products
- Forward items to individual or group chats
Add to business website
You can connect your catalog with your current online presence. The catalog link works naturally with e-commerce platforms. Customers can place orders through WhatsApp while staying connected to your website’s order management system.
Customers who click the shared link inside WhatsApp see the catalog right away. People who open it through email or browser can pick their preferred way to view it.
3 Tips to boost sales through catalog with WhatsApp Business API
Smart businesses use WhatsApp catalogs to boost their sales by a lot. We focused on creating high-quality visuals that make great first impressions. Clear and inviting images with short yet effective descriptions grab customer attention.
These three proven strategies will help you get the most from your catalog:
- Streamline Communication: Your catalog should combine smoothly with chats to answer customer questions right away. Centaline Property used this method and saw sales conversions rise by 27%.
- Maintain Regular Updates: A current catalog with accurate prices and availability builds trust. Your customers will always get reliable information.
- Track Performance: WhatsApp’s analytics help you watch customer involvement. This data shows which products get the most views and questions, so you can keep improving your catalog.
The original setup takes some work, but the numbers tell the story. Mukuru, an African money transfer provider, cut operational costs by over $1 million. Their customer satisfaction jumped from 65% to 80%. These results came from quick catalog management and responsive customer service.
Limitations of a WhatsApp Business catalog
The WhatsApp Business catalog brings many benefits, but it also faces some operational limits. We found that businesses can’t add more than 500 items to their catalog. This creates real problems for bigger companies with large product lines.
Unlike automated systems, businesses must manage their WhatsApp Business App catalog by hand. This means someone needs to regularly update product details, prices, and stock levels. Companies that don’t use the WhatsApp API have to make each change one at a time.
The platform’s simple analytics tools leave much to be desired. Business owners who want deeper insights into customer behavior and product performance need extra tools to get complete data. Some countries don’t even allow businesses to add prices to their catalogs.
Technical hurdles show up in many areas. Companies need to follow Meta’s Commerce Policy and data protection rules. They must keep their business information accurate, get proper customer consent for data use, and set up strong security.
Getting products approved adds more work. The platform reviews each item before it appears in the catalog, and might reject products that break its rules. Companies must watch their listings closely and fix any compliance problems quickly.
WhatsApp catalogs work well for small businesses, but bigger companies might find them too limiting. Manual management, basic analytics, and strict rules create challenges that businesses should think about before adding catalogs to their digital strategy.
Conclusion
WhatsApp catalogs give businesses direct access to over 2 billion potential customers. The platform’s 500-item limit and manual management needs help maintain quality and organization in your digital storefront.
Your success with WhatsApp catalogs depends on proper image sizing, detailed product descriptions and smart collection organization. This free tool helps small businesses especially when you have to eliminate separate price lists or individual product photos.
The numbers tell the story – businesses see up to 20% more sales and better customer participation through well-implemented catalogs. Want to turn your WhatsApp Business account into a powerful sales channel? Visit Campaign HQ’s WhatsApp Marketing Guide to discover expert strategies and tools that maximize your catalog’s potential.
A well-run WhatsApp catalog needs regular updates and customer feedback while following Meta’s policies. Quality product presentations matter more than quantity. Your digital storefront can grow alongside your business.
FAQ
Is WhatsApp Catalog free?
Yes, WhatsApp catalog is completely free for all businesses that use the WhatsApp Business app. Both registered and unregistered businesses can use this feature. Facebook won’t ask for any validation. But advanced features like API integrations might cost extra.
How to create a catalog?
You can create a catalog from the Business Tools section in your WhatsApp Business app. Just go to Settings, select Business Tools, and tap Catalog. Once you’re in the Catalog Manager, you’ll need to:
- Upload product images (up to 10 per item)
- Add product name and description
- Include pricing details
- Optionally add website links and product codes
How do I organize my WhatsApp catalog?
You can make your catalog better by creating collections that group similar products. Start by sorting items based on type. For example, make clothing collections like “Men’s Wear,” “Women’s Wear,” or “Accessories.” You can also create product groups for items with different options such as size, color, and material.
Keep your inventory status updated and remove products you no longer sell. This helps maintain a customer-friendly catalog.
