Glossary
What is a WhatsApp catalog?
The product list a business links to its WhatsApp number so customers can browse items, see prices and send a cart without leaving the chat.
By Broadchat teamPublished 2 min read
Definition
Catalog: A WhatsApp catalog is the list of products or services a business links to its WhatsApp Business Platform number, built on a Meta commerce catalog. Each item carries a name, image, price, description and retailer ID. Businesses use it to send product, multi-product and catalog messages, and customers can browse items and send a cart back in the chat, which the business then confirms and fulfils.
Also called: WhatsApp catalogue, Product catalog, Meta commerce catalog
How a WhatsApp catalog works
A WhatsApp catalog lives in Meta's Commerce Manager as a commerce catalog and is then connected to your WhatsApp Business Account. Each item has a retailer ID (your SKU), title, price, image and description. Once linked, you can reference items by retailer ID in messages instead of pasting photos and prices by hand.
Three message types draw on the catalog:
- Single-product message: one item card the customer can open for details. See product message.
- Multi-product message: a selection of items grouped under headings for the customer to scroll.
- Catalog message: a button that opens the whole catalog.
When the customer adds items to the cart and sends it, you receive an order message listing the retailer IDs and quantities. Payment and delivery happen in your next steps, for example with WhatsApp payments in India.
Worked example
Rangoli Home has 40 cushion covers in Commerce Manager. A customer asks for "blue cotton covers". The agent sends a multi-product message with five blue designs. Priya adds two covers at ₹649 each and sends the cart. The shop replies with the total of ₹1,298 plus delivery and a payment request, and the order lands in its order list.
Limits and catches
- Catalog messages are interactive, so free-form ones need an open customer service window; outside it, use an approved template that carries a catalog or product button.
- Keep prices and stock in sync. A customer who orders a sold-out item at an old price is an awkward conversation.
- Numbers connected through coexistence cannot use catalog, orders or status features through the API.
- Items must follow WhatsApp's Commerce Policy, which restricts goods such as weapons, drugs and adult products.
Catalogs in Broadchat
Broadchat's Ecommerce module supports Shopify, WooCommerce and a WhatsApp catalog store. Products appear under Ecommerce → Products, and Ecommerce → Store Front sets up the store customers browse. In Chatbots → Chatbots, the send-message step can send product, multi-product and catalog messages, and order-created triggers start the next step. See Shopify and WhatsApp, the ecommerce playbook and the WhatsApp Business API overview.
Sources
- Sell products and services (Cloud API) — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- WhatsApp Commerce Policy — WhatsApp, checked 12 October 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp catalog the same as the catalog in the WhatsApp Business app?
They are related ideas, but a Business Platform number uses a Meta commerce catalog connected through Commerce Manager. If you move from the app to the API, set up or connect the commerce catalog for the API number.
Can customers pay inside the catalog?
The catalog lets them build and send a cart. Payment is a separate step: in India you can follow up with an order-details message that collects payment through a supported gateway, or send a payment link.
Can I sell services through a catalog?
Yes, if they are allowed under WhatsApp's Commerce Policy. Clinics, salons and coaching centres list packages or classes as items with a price and description.