# WhatsApp Business catalog: how do you set it up and sell with it?

> You create a WhatsApp Business catalog in the app: Tools, Catalog, Add new item, with a photo, a name and a country of origin. WhatsApp reviews each item before showing it. Customers fill a cart and send it to you. With the API, the catalog lives in Meta Commerce Manager, and WYP.chat turns every cart received into an order.

Key points

- In the app: Tools, Catalog, Add new item. Up to 10 photos or videos per item, a name and a country of origin required, the price optional.
- WhatsApp reviews every item. Meta’s Commerce Policies ban, among other things, alcohol, tobacco and health products.
- With the API: one catalog per WhatsApp Business account, created in Meta Commerce Manager. WYP.chat receives carts as orders and sends catalog product cards (one product or up to 30, grouped by family).

## Create a catalog in the WhatsApp Business app

The catalog shows on your business profile. Customers browse your products or services there without leaving WhatsApp. You fill it item by item, from the phone.

1. In the Tools tab, tap Catalog.
2. Tap Add new item, then Add photos and videos.
3. Pick up to 10 images or videos from the gallery, or take them with the camera. A video can be 50 MB at most.
4. Enter the product or service name.
5. Tap Country of origin, choose the country where the item was made, then tap Save.
6. Optionally add the price, sale price, description, website link and product code.
7. Tap Save.

### What WhatsApp requires for each item

- **Required**: A unique name, at least one image and the country of origin.
- **Optional**: Price, sale price, description, website link and product code. According to WhatsApp Help, prices can only be added in some countries.
- **Review**: Every image and video is reviewed. An item is only visible once approved. If rejected, it shows a red exclamation mark: tap it, then Request another review.

### Hide, group and delete

- Hide an item: it stays in your catalog but customers no longer see it. Handy for an out-of-stock product.
- Collections: group items by family (desserts, drinks, daily specials) so customers find what they need.
- Delete: long-press the item image, then tap the delete icon.

Sources at the bottom of the page, accessed on 10 October 2026.

## What you cannot sell: Meta’s Commerce Policies

For catalogs, the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy points to Meta’s Commerce Policies. They are the same as for Facebook Marketplace and Instagram shops. An item that breaks them is rejected at review.

- Banned, among other things: alcohol, tobacco and related products, medical and health products (including ingestible supplements), weapons, ammunition and explosives, recalled or stolen goods.
- So a drinks distributor cannot list its wines or beers in the catalog.
- You alone are responsible for your sales: WhatsApp does not take payment or deliver. Customers pay as usual, by invoice, on delivery or by bank transfer.

## Share the catalog or a product

You can share a link to one item or to the whole catalog. Inside WhatsApp, the link opens the item or the catalog directly.

1. In the Tools tab, tap Catalog.
2. Choose the item to share, then tap Share.
3. Send the link in a chat, add it to your status, copy it, or share it by email or another messaging app.

- A collection cannot be shared on its own: send the catalog link and point to the collection, or send its items one by one.
- The link is generated automatically and cannot be customised.

## Receive an order: the cart

With the cart, customers add several items from your catalog, adjust the quantities, then send everything to you in one message. You receive the list of items in the chat. To turn it on:

1. In the Tools tab, tap Catalog.
2. Open the menu, then Settings.
3. Turn on Show add to cart button.

- The change can take up to 24 hours. You and your customers need the latest version of WhatsApp.
- A sent cart cannot be changed: the customer sends a new one to change the order. According to Meta’s documentation, they can add up to 99 units of each item.
- A cart is not a payment. You confirm the price, delivery date and payment method in the chat.

## The catalog with the WhatsApp Business API

With the WhatsApp Business API, you do not create the catalog in the app. You create it in Meta Commerce Manager, then connect it to your WhatsApp Business account. One catalog per account: it serves every number in the account.

1. Create the catalog in Commerce Manager, item by item or from a file.
2. Connect it to your WhatsApp Business account.
3. Set commerce settings for the number: according to Meta, the cart is on by default, but the storefront icon is hidden by default and must be turned on.
4. Send products in conversations. Carts and product questions come back to you as messages.

### Ways to send products

|  | What the customer gets | Limit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Catalog message | A thumbnail and a button to open the whole catalog | Whole catalog |
| Catalog link | A wa.me link in a text message | Whole catalog |
| Single product | Image, name, price and a View button | 1 product |
| Multi-product | A list of products grouped in sections | 30 products |
| Product carousel | Cards that scroll horizontally | 10 cards |

*Source: Meta developer documentation, Catalogs, accessed 10 October 2026.*

These messages go out without a template within the [24-hour window](https://wyp.chat/en/glossary#fenetre-24h) after the customer’s last message. Outside it, you need their template version approved by Meta. One difference from the app: the cart icon does not show in the chat header.

### Connect a Meta catalog to the app

The app can also use a Commerce Manager catalog, from the catalog settings (not available to everyone yet). The Facebook Page linked to the catalog must be connected to your WhatsApp Business account. The app’s own catalog is then archived, and updates are made in Commerce Manager, within 24 hours.

## What WYP.chat does with your catalog today

WYP.chat is mainly used by businesses that take orders on WhatsApp: restaurants, wholesale distributors, shops. Whether an order arrives as a cart, a text or a voice note, it becomes an order you track in the conversation. Here is what is available, and what is not yet.

|  | Status | Details |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WhatsApp cart received | Available | Turned into an order “to confirm”, at the cart price, with a card in the conversation |
| Price list import | Available | CSV file by reference: name, family, format, units per case, unit price and case price |
| Meta catalog file | Available | Built from your price list in Meta’s format, to upload to Commerce Manager and connect to the number. Products without a photo are flagged |
| Products sent in the conversation | Available | As a carousel with photos or a list with prices, within the 24-hour window |
| Order proposal with buttons | Available | A summary then two buttons, accept or change. Accepting confirms the order if it is still valid |
| Confirmation | Available | Summary in the customer’s language, pre-filled in the reply, sent by a team member |
| Order read from a message | Available | The AI agent drafts the order from a text or a voice note; the team checks it before saving |
| Meta single and multi-product messages | Available | With the catalog connected to the number (picked up from the first cart received, or entered in settings): one product, or up to 30 grouped by family |
| Managing the Meta catalog from WYP.chat | Not yet | The catalog is created and updated in Commerce Manager |
| Payment inside WhatsApp | No | WYP.chat does not take payments: customers pay as usual |
| Payment link | Available | Your payment link (Stripe, SumUp, PayPal…) sent to the customer with a “Pay” button, from the order |

*Status as of 10 October 2026.*

### How an order flows

1. The customer sends a cart from your catalog, or writes the order as a text or a voice note.
2. The order appears in the conversation, “to confirm”, numbered and counted in cases.
3. A team member checks the lines, adds the delivery date or a discount, then confirms.
4. The summary goes to the customer in their language.
5. The Orders page totals quantities by product and delivery day, with a CSV export for production.

On Meta’s side, a cart is an incoming message: it is not charged. Replies within the 24-hour window are free up to 1,000 per month per number.

- [The WhatsApp CRM for small businesses: customer records and history](https://wyp.chat/en/features/whatsapp-crm)
- [WhatsApp Business API: what it changes for a small business](https://wyp.chat/en/channels/whatsapp-business-api)
- [Set up a WhatsApp Business auto reply](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-business-auto-reply)
- [WYP.chat for small businesses and shops](https://wyp.chat/en/)
- [WYP.chat pricing](https://wyp.chat/en/pricing)

## Sources

1. WhatsApp Help Center, How to create and maintain a catalog: [faq.whatsapp.com/833697274483076](https://faq.whatsapp.com/833697274483076)
2. WhatsApp Help Center, About catalog: [faq.whatsapp.com/405903568419894](https://faq.whatsapp.com/405903568419894)
3. WhatsApp Help Center, Sharing catalog links: [faq.whatsapp.com/487917009931629](https://faq.whatsapp.com/487917009931629)
4. WhatsApp Help Center, How to use cart on the WhatsApp Business app: [faq.whatsapp.com/1475761576240237](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1475761576240237)
5. WhatsApp Help Center, About connected catalogs on the WhatsApp Business app: [faq.whatsapp.com/1057141349534704](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1057141349534704)
6. WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy: [business.whatsapp.com/policy](https://business.whatsapp.com/policy)
7. Meta, Commerce Policies: [www.facebook.com/policies\_center/commerce](https://www.facebook.com/policies_center/commerce)
8. Meta, Catalogs overview: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/catalogs/catalogs-overview/](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/catalogs/catalogs-overview/)
9. Meta, Upload inventory to Meta: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/catalogs/upload-inventory/](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/catalogs/upload-inventory/)
10. Meta, Share products: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/catalogs/share-products/](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/catalogs/share-products/)
11. Meta, Set commerce settings: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/catalogs/set-commerce-settings/](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/catalogs/set-commerce-settings/)

Pages accessed on 10 October 2026.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I create a catalog on WhatsApp Business?

In the app, Tools tab, tap Catalog then Add new item. Add a photo, a name and the country of origin, then tap Save. The item becomes visible once WhatsApp approves it.

### How many photos can I add per product?

Up to 10 images or videos per item. A video can be 50 MB at most.

### Can I sell alcohol with the WhatsApp catalog?

No. Meta’s Commerce Policies, which apply to the catalog, ban alcohol, as well as tobacco, health products and weapons.

### How does a customer order from the catalog?

They add items to their cart and send it to you in the chat. You then confirm the price, delivery and payment, which happens outside WhatsApp.

### Does the catalog work with the WhatsApp Business API?

Yes. It is created in Meta Commerce Manager and connected to the WhatsApp Business account, one catalog per account. You can then send one product, up to 30 in a multi-product message, or a carousel of 10 cards.

### What does WYP.chat do with a WhatsApp cart?

It turns it into an order “to confirm”, at the cart price, in the conversation. The team checks it, confirms it and sends the summary to the customer in their language.

## Read next

- [The WhatsApp CRM for small businesses](https://wyp.chat/en/features/whatsapp-crm)
- [WhatsApp Business API: what it changes for a small business](https://wyp.chat/en/channels/whatsapp-business-api)
- [WYP.chat pricing](https://wyp.chat/en/pricing)

---

Source: https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-business-catalog · Updated on 11 October 2026