Templates · Marketing
Birthday wishes for customers: 24 WhatsApp messages, with and without offers
Ready-to-send customer birthday messages for shops, restaurants, salons, jewellers, gyms, coaching centres and B2B firms, as Meta marketing templates and plain WhatsApp Business app texts, plus how to collect birthdays with consent.
By Broadchat teamPublished 9 min read
Before you submit these templates
- Submit every birthday template as Marketing, with or without an offer. Meta's category guide names birthday messages as an example of building customer relationships, which is marketing.
- Keep the customer's name in a variable, but write the wish and any offer as fixed text. An offer that changes every month belongs in a new template version, not in a variable.
- State the offer's limits plainly in the body: what it applies to, and until when ("valid till 7 Nov on orders above ₹999"). Vague offers draw complaints.
- For a coupon, use a copy-code button rather than typing the code in the body; the customer copies it in one tap.
- An image header with your own birthday card design works well; use an image you made or licensed, not a random one from the internet.
- Do not add order updates or account details to a birthday template, and do not send a birthday wish inside a utility template; mixed content is categorised as marketing.
The short answer
The best birthday wishes for customers are short, personal and sent on the morning of the birthday: their name, a warm wish from your business, and, if you want, one simple birthday offer with a clear end date. Send them only to customers who shared their birthday with you and agreed to hear from you on WhatsApp.
Below are 14 WhatsApp Business API templates (with {{1}} variables, ready to submit to Meta) and 10 plain messages for the WhatsApp Business app, for shops, online stores, restaurants, salons, jewellers, gyms, coaching centres, kids' stores and B2B clients, plus anniversary wishes.
Every birthday template is marketing
Many businesses assume a birthday wish without an offer is a utility message. It is not. Meta's template categorisation guide names birthday and thank-you messages as examples of building customer relationships, an objective of marketing templates. Adding a coupon does not change the category; it was marketing already.
What that means in practice:
- Send only to customers who opted in to promotional messages from your business.
- Each delivered message is charged at the marketing rate: ₹0.8631 per delivered marketing message to India (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026, excl. GST).
- WhatsApp may choose not to deliver a marketing message to a person who has reached their per-user marketing limit, which adapts to how much they engage with marketing messages (error 131049). Do not resend the same day; see what error 131049 means.
- A birthday template switched to utility by mistake can be recategorised by Meta at any time, so submit it as marketing from the start.
How to collect birthdays the right way
- Ask, and say why. "Share your birthday (day and month) and we will send you a birthday treat on WhatsApp." Make it optional.
- Do not ask for the year. Day and month are enough for a wish, and customers share them more readily.
- Collect consent at the same time. A checkbox or a yes on the billing screen: "Send me offers and wishes from Krishna Sweets on WhatsApp." Record the date and where it was given.
- Store it with the contact. In the WhatsApp Business app, write it in the contact's notes or a label; on the API, save it in a custom contact field.
- For children, ask the parent, store the parent's number, and send the wish to the parent.
Plain birthday messages for the WhatsApp Business app
Copy, change the names and send from your phone. For a regular customer, adding a line in your own words matters more than any template.
1. Neighbourhood shop
Happy birthday, Sharma ji! Wishing you good health and many happy years. Do drop by the shop today, the chai is on us. - Ravi, Shree Ganesh General Store2. Online store, with a coupon
Happy birthday, Meera! 🎂 Your birthday gift from Rangoli Home: 15% off everything until 7 Nov. Use code MEERA15 at rangolihome.in. Have a lovely day!3. Restaurant
Happy birthday, Rahul! Celebrating tonight? Your dessert is on us at Krishna Rasoi this week. Reply with a time and number of guests and we will keep your table ready.4. Salon
Happy birthday, Ananya! Everyone at Glow Salon hopes you have a beautiful day. Your birthday month treat: a free head massage with any hair service. Just reply to book.5. Doctor or clinic (wish only)
Dear Mr Iyer, Sunrise Clinic wishes you a very happy birthday and a healthy year ahead.Keep wishes from clinics free of offers and health details; a short, respectful wish is enough.
6. CA, lawyer or consultant to a client
Dear Mr Agarwal, many happy returns of the day! Wishing you a wonderful year ahead, and continued growth for Agarwal Traders. Warm regards, Rohan Mehta7. Real estate broker to a past buyer
Happy birthday, Mr Raghavan! I hope your first birthday in the new home is a special one. Warm wishes from all of us at Iyer Properties.8. Coaching centre to a parent
Namaste Mrs Verma, wishing Aarav a very happy birthday from all his teachers at Excel Coaching Classes! May he keep shining.9. Wedding anniversary (jeweller or gift shop)
Happy anniversary, Mr and Mrs Kapoor! Wishing you many more years together. If you are planning a surprise, we can keep a few pieces aside for you. - Shree Laxmi Jewellers10. Short wishes for a quick reply
Happy birthday! Wishing you a year full of happiness and success. - Team Rangoli Home
Many happy returns of the day! Thank you for being a valued customer.
Warm birthday wishes from all of us. Have a wonderful day!
Happy birthday! Your birthday treat is waiting for you at the store this week.How to send these
WhatsApp Business app (free, manual). Check your birthday list each morning and send the wishes one by one. Only people who saved your number receive broadcast-list messages, so for birthdays a personal chat is better anyway. See the WhatsApp Business app setup guide.
WhatsApp Business API (scheduled). Birthdays are a daily batch: each morning, the customers whose birthday is today get the template. In Broadchat:
- Create the template in CRM → WhatsApp Templates, category Marketing. Meta's review can take up to 24 hours.
- Each morning, export today's birthdays from your billing software or CRM and send them through CRM → Bulk Campaign, choosing Quick Contacts and uploading the file, with the name column mapped to
{{1}}. You can also send from Google Sheets. - If your own system knows the dates, call the REST API from it at 9 am to send the template to each person; see how to send a template message through the API.
- When customers reply "thank you", that opens a 24-hour window: answer them personally from the team inbox.
Send between 9 and 11 am local time; a birthday wish at midnight or late evening is more likely to annoy than delight. Keep one birthday message per customer per year, and stop at once when someone replies STOP. For greetings on festivals rather than birthdays, see the festive greeting templates; for the rules every template follows, the WhatsApp message templates guide. Agencies can run birthday campaigns for many clients from one white-label WhatsApp panel.
Sources
- Template categorization — Meta for Developers, checked 30 October 2026
- Template components — Meta for Developers, checked 30 October 2026
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform — Meta for Developers, checked 30 October 2026
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy — WhatsApp, checked 30 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.
Last updated:
14 birthday wishes templates
Copy the wording, then submit it from CRM → WhatsApp Templates with the sample values shown. Meta reviews every template; approval is never guaranteed.
Happy birthday, {{1}}! Everyone at Sharma Electronics, Lajpat Nagar wishes you a wonderful year ahead, full of good health and happy moments with your family.
Reply STOP to unsubscribe
Warm wish, no offer (shop)
Marketingbday_wish_simple_storeLanguage: en
Use it when: On the morning of the birthday, for customers who shared their birthday and opted in to messages.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Customer first name Vikram - A wish without an offer is still a marketing template; it simply feels less like a sales push.
image header
Happy birthday, {{1}}! The Rangoli Home family sends you warm wishes from Jaipur. May your year be as bright and colourful as the homes you fill with joy.
Birthday card with image header
Marketingbday_card_image_wishLanguage: en
Use it when: When you have a designed birthday card in your brand colours.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Customer first name Meera - The image is fixed in the template sample, but you can send a different image each time; keep it a birthday card, not a product ad.
Happy birthday, {{1}}! To celebrate, here is 15% off anything at Rangoli Home, valid until {{2}} on orders above ₹999. Copy your code below and treat yourself.
- Copy code
- Shop now
Birthday coupon (online store)
Marketingbday_offer_coupon_ecomLanguage: en
Use it when: On the birthday, with the offer valid for about a week.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Customer first name Priya {{2}} Offer end date 7 Nov 2026 - One-time personal codes stop the coupon from being shared in groups.
Happy birthday, {{1}}! Celebrate with us at Krishna Rasoi, Indiranagar: a complimentary dessert for you when you dine in with family or friends this week. Just show this message to our team.
- Reserve a table
- Call restaurant
Free dessert on your birthday (restaurant)
Marketingbday_restaurant_dessertLanguage: en
Use it when: Two or three days before the birthday, so the guest can plan the dinner.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Guest first name Rahul Happy birthday, {{1}}! Glow Salon has a birthday treat for you: a free head massage with any hair service booked this month. Reply BOOK and we will find you a slot.
- BOOK
Birthday treat (salon or spa)
Marketingbday_salon_pamperLanguage: en
Use it when: On the first day of the client's birthday month, or on the day itself.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Client first name Ananya Many happy returns of the day, {{1}} ji. Shree Laxmi Jewellers, Zaveri Bazaar wishes you a golden year. As our birthday gift, enjoy 20% off making charges on gold jewellery until {{2}}. Visit the store or book a time below.
Offer not valid on coins and bars
- Book a store visit
Birthday offer (jeweller)
Marketingbday_jeweller_making_chargesLanguage: en
Use it when: On the birthday, for customers on your opted-in list.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Customer name Mrs Shah {{2}} Offer end date 15 Nov 2026 - Put exclusions in the footer so the customer sees them before visiting.
Happy birthday, {{1}}! The FitZone coaches wish you a strong and healthy year. Bring a friend for a free workout with you any day this week, our birthday gift to you.
Birthday wish to a gym member
Marketingbday_gym_memberLanguage: en
Use it when: On the morning of the member's birthday.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Member first name Rohit Dear {{1}}, wishing {{2}} a very happy birthday from all teachers at Excel Coaching Classes. We are proud of the hard work this year and wish the very best for the year ahead.
Birthday wish for a student (sent to parent)
Marketingbday_student_parentLanguage: en
Use it when: On a student's birthday, sent to the parent's number that gave consent.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Parent name Mrs Verma {{2}} Student first name Aarav - For children, write to the parent, not the child, and keep it a pure wish with no offer.
Hi {{1}}, a little bird told us that {{2}} turns a year older this week! Happy birthday from Tiny Toes, Andheri. Visit with the birthday star and pick a free gift from our birthday basket.
Child's birthday (kids' store)
Marketingbday_kids_store_childLanguage: en
Use it when: Three or four days before a child's birthday, when a parent shared the date at registration.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Parent first name Neha {{2}} Child first name Ira Dear {{1}}, wishing you a very happy birthday from all of us at Mehta and Associates. Thank you for your trust over the years. May the year ahead bring good health to you and steady growth to {{2}} and your team.
Birthday wish to a business client
Marketingbday_b2b_client_personalLanguage: en
Use it when: On a client's birthday, for B2B relationships where a personal wish is welcome.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Client name Mr Agarwal {{2}} Client company Agarwal Traders - For important clients a personal message from the partner's own phone may land better than a template.
Happy anniversary, {{1}}! Shree Laxmi Jewellers wishes you both many more years of togetherness. If you are planning a surprise, our team can keep a few pieces aside for a private viewing.
- Book private viewing
Wedding anniversary wish
Marketingbday_wedding_anniversaryLanguage: en
Use it when: On the anniversary date shared at purchase, for jewellers, florists, restaurants and gift shops.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Customer names Mr and Mrs Kapoor Hi {{1}}, your birthday discount at Rangoli Home ends tomorrow, {{2}}. If you had something in mind, now is the time. Your code is still there in our birthday message above.
- Shop now
Birthday offer ends tomorrow (reminder)
Marketingbday_offer_last_dayLanguage: en
Use it when: Once, the day before a birthday offer expires, only to customers who did not use it.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Customer first name Priya {{2}} Offer end date 7 Nov - Skip it for customers who did not open the first message; another marketing message is likely to be ignored or blocked.
Happy birthday {{1}} ji! Krishna Sweets ki taraf se aapko janamdin ki dher saari shubhkamnayein. Aaj apne liye kuch meetha zaroor mangwaiye, birthday box par 10% off sirf aaj ke liye.
Hinglish birthday wish
Marketingbday_wish_hinglishLanguage: en
Use it when: On the birthday, for customers who chat with you in Hinglish.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Customer first name Sunita जन्मदिन की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ, {{1}} जी! शर्मा इलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स परिवार की ओर से आपको और आपके परिवार को खुशियों भरा साल मुबारक हो।
Hindi birthday wish (Devanagari)
Marketingbday_wish_devanagari_hiLanguage: hi
Use it when: For Hindi-speaking customers. More Hindi wishes are on the Hindi version of this page.
Variables Variable Meaning Sample {{1}} Customer first name विक्रम
Frequently asked questions
How do I wish a customer happy birthday on WhatsApp?
Use their first name, send a warm one- or two-line wish from your business on the morning of their birthday, and optionally add one birthday offer with a clear end date. Send it only if the customer shared their birthday and agreed to messages from you.
Is a birthday message a utility or marketing template?
Marketing, even without an offer. Meta's template categorisation guide lists birthday messages as an example of building customer relationships, which is a marketing objective. Submit birthday templates as marketing and send them only to opted-in customers.
What birthday offer should I give customers?
Something simple and easy to redeem: a percentage off with a minimum order, a free add-on such as a dessert or head massage, or a small gift in store. Give it a clear validity, usually a week or the birthday month, and state any exclusions in the message.
Why did my birthday template not reach some customers?
Common reasons are the per-user marketing limit (error 131049), where WhatsApp does not deliver a marketing message because that person's limit, based on how they engage with marketing, has been reached; a customer who blocked your number; or a wrong number format. Check the failure reason in your campaign report and do not resend the same day.
Can I send birthday wishes automatically every day?
Yes, with the WhatsApp Business API: either upload each day's birthday list to a scheduled campaign, or have your own system call the API every morning with an approved marketing template. The WhatsApp Business app has no birthday automation, so wishes there are sent manually.
Is it okay to ask customers for their birthday?
Yes, if you ask openly, make it optional, explain that you will send a birthday wish or offer, and collect WhatsApp consent at the same time. Ask for day and month only, and for children collect it from the parent.