WhatsApp Business Catalogue: What It Is, How to Set It Up, and How Indian Businesses Are Using It (2026)
Most Indian businesses using WhatsApp for customer communication have never used the WhatsApp Business Catalogue. Some don't know it exists. Others have heard of it but aren't sure how it actually works or whether it's worth the effort to set up.
This guide answers both questions: what the WhatsApp Business Catalogue is, step by step how to set it up, and specifically how Indian businesses are using it to make buying easier and sell more.
What Is the WhatsApp Business Catalogue?
The WhatsApp Business Catalogue is a digital product or service directory that lives inside your WhatsApp Business profile. When a customer opens your WhatsApp chat or views your business profile, they can tap to browse your catalogue — seeing your products or services, with images, descriptions, and prices — without leaving WhatsApp.
Think of it as a mini-online store that exists entirely inside WhatsApp.
What a catalogue item includes:
Product image (up to 10 images per item)
Product name
Price (or "Price on request")
Description (up to 200 characters)
Item code (optional)
Link to your website product page (optional)
How customers access it:
From your WhatsApp Business profile, there is a "View catalogue" button
In conversations, you can send individual catalogue items or multi-item messages
Customers can share catalogue items with others through their own WhatsApp
What happens when a customer wants to buy: They can add items to a WhatsApp cart and send you the cart as a message — which becomes an order enquiry you can then process. WhatsApp Catalogue does not handle payment directly; it creates the conversation that leads to purchase.
WhatsApp Business App Catalogue vs WhatsApp API Catalogue — The Key Difference
WhatsApp Business App Catalogue: Available on the free mobile app. You can add up to 500 items. Customers browse it from your profile. You share items in chat manually. This is the basic version — useful but limited.
WhatsApp Business API Catalogue (via ZazzyAgent): In addition to everything the App offers, the API enables:
Single Product Messages: Send one specific product from your catalogue inside a WhatsApp conversation, with an "Add to cart" button
Multi-Product Messages: Send up to 30 products in a horizontally scrollable format — customers browse without leaving the chat
Automated product sharing: Your agent flow can send relevant products based on what the customer asked for (e.g., customer says "I'm looking for a moisturiser for oily skin" → agent sends the matching product cards)
Cart messages: When a customer adds items to their WhatsApp cart, you receive a structured order message with all items
The API version turns the catalogue from a static directory into an interactive in-chat shopping experience.
How to Set Up Your WhatsApp Business Catalogue — Step by Step
On the WhatsApp Business App
Step 1: Open WhatsApp Business → tap the three-dot menu → Business Tools → Catalogue
Step 2: Tap "Add item"
Step 3: For each item:
Add up to 10 photos (landscape works best, or square 1:1)
Enter the item name (required)
Enter the price — or toggle "Price on request" if pricing varies
Write a description (optional but recommended)
Add a link to your website product page (optional)
Add an item code for your internal reference (optional)
Step 4: Tap "Save" — the item is now in your catalogue
Repeat for each product or service. You can add up to 500 items.
On the WhatsApp Business API (Through ZazzyAgent)
The API catalogue is managed through:
WhatsApp Commerce Manager: Meta's official tool for managing your WhatsApp catalogue — found in your Meta Business Suite
Or ZazzyAgent's platform: Which integrates with your Commerce Manager for product syncing
For businesses with a Shopify or WooCommerce store, your product catalogue can be synced automatically — no manual entry for each item.
Step 1: In Meta Business Suite, go to Commerce → Catalogues → Create Catalogue
Step 2: Choose "E-commerce" as the catalogue type
Step 3: Add products manually or sync from your Shopify/WooCommerce store
Step 4: Connect the catalogue to your WhatsApp Business Account in Commerce Manager → Settings → WhatsApp
Step 5: In ZazzyAgent, the connected catalogue is available in your flow builder — add Product or Multi-Product message nodes to send specific items in your automated flows
What Makes a Good WhatsApp Catalogue Item?
Photographs matter most. WhatsApp catalogue images are typically viewed small — in a product card or a message. Use clean, high-contrast images with the product clearly centred against a simple background. Lifestyle shots with clutter compete with the product itself.
Prices anchor the conversation. Most Indian customers want to see a price before enquiring. If you're reluctant to show pricing, "Price on request" is better than no price — but visible pricing significantly increases the rate at which customers engage with the item.
Descriptions answer the question before it's asked. "100% cotton, available in S/M/L/XL, 3 colours" reduces the "available in my size?" follow-up. Every piece of information in the description is a question your team won't have to answer.
Item codes help with operations. If you process orders from WhatsApp, consistent item codes (matching your inventory system) make order processing cleaner.
How Indian Businesses Are Using the WhatsApp Catalogue
Use Case 1: The D2C Clothing Brand
A clothing brand posts a new collection reel on Instagram. Comment automation fires DMs to every commenter. Inside the DM, instead of sending a generic link, the agent sends a Multi-Product Message showing the 5 most popular items from the new collection — directly viewable in the chat.
Customer browses, adds two items to cart, sends the cart. Brand receives a structured order enquiry with items and quantities. Order processed, payment link sent via WhatsApp.
The customer never left WhatsApp. The entire discovery-to-purchase journey happened in-app.
Use Case 2: The Restaurant Menu
A Pune restaurant uses WhatsApp Catalogue as their digital menu. Customers scanning the QR code on their table open a WhatsApp chat with the restaurant and tap "View Catalogue" to see the menu — items organised by category (Starters, Mains, Desserts, Beverages) with photos and prices.
For takeaway orders, customers browse, add to cart, send the order via WhatsApp. The restaurant confirms via WhatsApp and sends a payment link.
Use Case 3: The Wholesale Distributor
A Mumbai electronics wholesaler manages relationships with 300 retailer customers who order regularly. The catalogue lists all current stock with item codes, wholesale prices (visible only to logged-in customers), and minimum order quantities.
Retailers browse via WhatsApp during business hours and send cart messages as orders. The distributor processes orders from a single WhatsApp inbox — no phone calls, no emails, no lost orders.
Use Case 4: The Service Business Menu
A digital marketing agency uses WhatsApp Catalogue to present their services — "SEO Package", "Social Media Management", "Meta Ads Management", "WhatsApp Marketing Setup" — each with a description and "Price on request" to trigger a conversation.
When a prospect asks "what do you offer?", the agent sends a Multi-Product Message showing their service catalogue. The prospect taps on what interests them, which opens a follow-up conversation about that specific service.
Catalogue Limitations to Know
No payment processing within WhatsApp: The catalogue triggers an order conversation. Payment happens through a link you send — UPI, Razorpay, etc. WhatsApp Pay is available in India but remains limited in scale.
500 item limit on the Business App. The API-connected Commerce Manager supports much larger catalogues, synced from your product database.
Catalogue visibility: Customers need to actively tap "View Catalogue" or receive a product message from you. The catalogue is not surfaced to people who don't already have your WhatsApp contact.
No real-time inventory: WhatsApp Catalogue does not update automatically when stock runs out (unless you build a webhook to update it from your inventory system). Manual management is needed for out-of-stock items.
Is the WhatsApp Catalogue Right for Your Business?
High value if you:
Have visual products with clear pricing
Sell to customers who prefer browsing to asking
Want to replace or supplement a website for product discovery
Take orders through WhatsApp already
Are a restaurant, food business, or local retailer
Lower value if you:
Sell high-ticket products requiring complex consultation before pricing
Have highly variable or custom pricing where "Price on request" is most items
Have a service business with no fixed packages
Already have a strong, mobile-optimised website
Set it up and test it. ZazzyAgent makes the API catalogue manageable — and the setup investment is a few hours, not days.
→ Set up your WhatsApp catalogue with ZazzyAgent — free 14-day trial at zazzyagent.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the WhatsApp Business Catalogue? A: The WhatsApp Business Catalogue is a product or service directory inside your WhatsApp Business profile. Customers can browse your products — with images, descriptions, and prices — directly within WhatsApp. They can add items to a cart and send you an order enquiry. The catalogue is available on both the free WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp Business API.
Q: How many products can I add to my WhatsApp catalogue? A: The WhatsApp Business App allows up to 500 items per catalogue. The WhatsApp Business API (via Meta's Commerce Manager) supports larger catalogues, and for e-commerce businesses, products can be synced automatically from Shopify or WooCommerce.
Q: Can customers buy directly through the WhatsApp catalogue? A: Customers can browse the catalogue, add items to a WhatsApp cart, and send you the cart as an order enquiry. Payment doesn't happen directly inside WhatsApp — you then send a payment link (UPI, Razorpay, etc.) to complete the purchase. WhatsApp Pay exists in India but remains limited in adoption.
Q: Is the WhatsApp catalogue available on the free WhatsApp Business App? A: Yes. The basic catalogue — allowing customers to browse products from your profile — is available on the free WhatsApp Business App. The more advanced features (Single Product Messages, Multi-Product Messages in automated flows, Shopify/WooCommerce sync) require the WhatsApp Business API.
Q: How does WhatsApp catalogue help increase sales? A: The catalogue reduces friction between a customer's interest and their ability to see and select your products. Instead of asking "what products do you have?" and waiting for a reply, customers browse instantly. Instead of receiving a link to your website (which they might not open), they browse inside WhatsApp. This in-app discovery experience, combined with the ability to add to cart and order directly, reduces the steps between interest and purchase.
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