Glossary
What is a WhatsApp product message?
Single-product and multi-product messages that show catalog items as tappable cards, what you need before sending one and how they lead to an order.
By Broadchat teamPublished 3 min read
Definition
Product message: A product message is a WhatsApp interactive message that shows items from a business's connected Meta commerce catalog. A single-product message presents one item; a multi-product message presents several, grouped under section headings. The customer can open each item, see its image, price and description, add it to a cart and send the cart to the business as an order message, all inside the chat.
Also called: Single-product message (SPM), Multi-product message (MPM), Product card
How a product message works
A WhatsApp product message pulls an item from your catalog by its retailer ID. WhatsApp fills in the photo, name and price from the catalog, so the card always matches what you set in Commerce Manager. You only add a short body text, and for multi-product messages a header and section titles.
| Type | Shows | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Single-product | One item | Answering "do you have this?", restock alerts, a reply to an ad enquiry |
| Multi-product | Several items in sections | "Show me options", new arrivals, a curated festive edit |
| Catalog message | A button to the full catalog | Customers who want to browse freely |
Before you can send one, the catalog must be connected to the WhatsApp Business Account that owns your number, and each item must follow the WhatsApp Commerce Policy. Product messages are interactive messages, so free-form ones go out inside the 24-hour customer service window. To start a conversation, use an approved template with a product or catalog element.
Worked example
During Navratri, Rangoli Home gets a message from Arjun: "Show me festive table runners under ₹1,000." The agent sends a multi-product message:
Arjun opens the Indigo paisley runner, adds two to his cart and sends it. The shop gets an order message with the retailer ID and quantity, confirms stock and replies with the total and a payment option.
Common mistakes
- Sending items whose catalog entry is out of stock or not approved; the message may fail or show stale details.
- Packing too many items into one message. A short, relevant set gets more taps than the whole range.
- Treating a product card as a promotion outside the window. A sale announcement sent with a template is a marketing message and is billed and reviewed as one.
Product messages in Broadchat
Products you sell are listed under Ecommerce → Products, and orders under Ecommerce → Orders. In Chatbots → Chatbots, the send-message step offers product, multi-product and catalog types, so a bot can answer "show me" requests without an agent. The ecommerce playbook, the Shopify integration and the WhatsApp Business API overview show the full order journey.
Related terms
Sources
- Sell products and services (Cloud API) — Meta for Developers, 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
Do I need a catalog to send a product message?
Yes. Product messages reference items by retailer ID from a Meta commerce catalog connected to your WhatsApp Business Account. Without a connected catalog, send an image with a caption instead.
Can I change the price shown on a product card?
The card reads the price from your catalog. Update the item in your catalog, or in the store that syncs to it, and new messages will show the new price.
What happens when a customer sends a cart?
You receive an order message listing the items and quantities. Confirm availability, share the total with delivery and collect payment, for example with a WhatsApp payment request in India or a payment link.