# Selling on WhatsApp from your shop

> WYP.chat helps shops sell on WhatsApp: the catalogue basket becomes an order, the item is put aside, the customer pays by link and collects in store. Several members of staff reply from the shop’s number. Free plan, then €29 per month excl. VAT, with unlimited users.

**Your whole team, no seats to count.** With 5 people, the Team plan costs €99 a month excl. VAT, the same as with one. You pay Meta directly for its messages, with no markup.

For every kind of shop: fashion boutiques, florists, bakeries, patisseries, delis and caterers, bookshops, fine food shops, sports shops.

## What your shop does with WYP.chat

### Stock, prices, opening hours

The questions your customers already ask by message. One quick reply, and the right member of staff takes the conversation.

### Item put aside

The order is created in the conversation, with the collection date and a note for the team.

### Paid in advance

The “Pay” button goes out with the amount. The customer pays with your provider, then comes to collect.

### New arrivals announced

A campaign to customers who gave their consent, using their first name, with a one-word opt-out.

## Hold, pay, click and collect

From the first question to collection, everything stays in the same conversation, and every member of staff can see where the order stands.

WYP.chat does not manage your stock or your till: the order tracks the customer’s request, from hold to collection.

1. **The customer chooses**: From your [WhatsApp catalogue](https://wyp.chat/en/glossary#catalogue), from a photo you send, or simply by writing.
2. **The order is created**: A basket becomes an order “to approve”. A written request takes a few clicks to enter, or the AI agent reads it from the messages.
3. **You confirm the collection date**: The summary goes out in the customer’s language, with the date and a note if needed.
4. **They pay, online or in store**: One click sends the “Pay” button, with your bank’s or payment provider’s link.
5. **They collect**: A quick reply tells them it’s ready, and the order moves to “delivered”.

## WhatsApp Business app or WYP.chat in the shop?

The app suits a shopkeeper on their own, on their phone. Once several members of staff reply, or you keep track of holds, every conversation needs an owner.

| Need | WhatsApp Business app | WYP.chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Several people replying | One main phone and up to 4 linked devices | Unlimited users, each with their own login |
| Putting an item aside | A message to find again in the chat | An order with its collection date and status |
| Receiving a basket | A message to copy out | An order to approve, at the basket’s prices |
| Taking payment remotely | Link pasted by hand | “Pay” button with the order amount |
| Announcing new arrivals | Broadcast lists of up to 256 contacts | Campaigns to contacts who gave consent, cost estimated before sending |
| Knowing who replied | Not shown | Visible on every message |

## Your shop’s WhatsApp catalogue

In the app, the catalogue is filled item by item. With WYP.chat, you import your product list as a CSV file, and WYP.chat prepares the file in Meta’s format, to upload in Commerce Manager and link to your number.

[Creating your WhatsApp Business catalogue](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-business-catalog)

- **Product cards in the chat**: Send up to 30 products as catalogue cards, grouped by category, with a heading in the customer’s language.
- **The basket becomes an order**: The first basket you receive even links the catalogue to your number in WYP.chat, with nothing to enter.
- **One photo per product**: Meta rejects products without a photo; WYP.chat tells you how many are missing.
- **Reviewed by Meta**: Every item is reviewed before customers can see it.

## Pre-orders: bakeries, caterers, florists, patisseries

Birthday cakes, platters, bouquets, Christmas orders: a pre-order needs a date, preparation and a reminder. WYP.chat keeps all three on each order, even when the whole team is replying at busy times.

[WhatsApp ordering for restaurants](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/restaurants)

- **The collection date**: Every order carries its date, and the summary reminds the customer.
- **The day’s production**: The Production view adds up quantities by product and by day, so the bakehouse or workshop knows what to make. CSV export.
- **The reminder the day before**: The “Delivery reminder” scenario sends a summary at 5 pm the day before, with two buttons, “OK” and “Change”.
- **The cut-off time**: Put it in your quick replies: WYP.chat does not block a late order, you decide whether to accept it.
- **A deposit**: The “Pay” button carries the order amount. For a deposit, paste the link for the right amount into your reply.
- **Allergens**: In the EU, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 requires allergens to be given before the purchase is concluded for food sold at a distance, even when it is not prepacked (Articles 14 and 44). Check your local rules.

## Announcing new arrivals without wearing customers out

New collection, private sale, a bestseller back in stock: only write to customers who gave their consent, at a reasonable pace. A customer who has had enough blocks or reports your number, and Meta may then limit your sending.

[WhatsApp campaigns](https://wyp.chat/en/features/whatsapp-campaigns)

- **Consent, on the contact record**: Each contact keeps the history of their consent, with date and source: in store, on your website, in the conversation.
- **A personal message**: The customer’s first name, a photo of the new arrivals in the header, and a template approved by Meta.
- **STOP respected**: A written STOP, or a marketing opt-out made within WhatsApp, unsubscribes the contact across the workspace.
- **The cost, known in advance**: In the UK, Meta charges €0.0526 per marketing message (rates of 1 October 2026). WYP.chat works out the total before sending.

WhatsApp rules

## What you cannot sell on WhatsApp

The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy forbids buying, selling or promoting certain goods on WhatsApp, whatever licences you hold. The catalogue and orders also follow Meta’s commerce policies.

- **Wine merchants and fine food shops**: Alcohol and tobacco: not in the catalogue, not in orders, not in campaigns. The exceptions for messages about alcohol apply only to a list of countries that does not include the UK, France or Spain (checked on 10 October 2026).
- **Health and wellbeing**: Medicines and medical or healthcare products are on the same list.
- **Payment**: Never ask for a card or bank account number in the chat: send a payment link.

## Get started in four steps

The shop’s number stays the same, and the WhatsApp Business app can stay on the shop’s phone.

1. **Create your workspace**: Email address and shop name, no card needed.
2. **Connect the shop’s number**: With your Meta account. While Meta reviews WYP.chat, our team connects it with you.
3. **Import your products**: Orders, Products tab: a CSV file, then the file ready for the Meta catalogue.
4. **Invite your staff**: Unlimited users, each with their own login, on computer or phone.

## An AI agent for local shops

The WYP.chat AI agents most useful for this industry, one per mission. Your team always stays in control.

### Coucou AI agent

Welcome · Available

Answers common questions (opening hours, click and collect, gift cards) from your information and hands over for a specific product.

### Veilleur AI agent

When you are closed · Available

When the shop is closed, replies right away with your reopening time (“tomorrow at 9 am”) and passes the request to your team for when you reopen.

### Stock AI agent

Availability · Coming soon

Will say whether an item is in stock and put it aside when you allow it.

### Bravo AI agent

Customer reviews · Coming soon

Will thank customers after a purchase, ask for a review and alert you if someone is unhappy.

Coucou and Allô are available today on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram and your website chat, and Veilleur replies when you are closed, with your reopening time. The other agents are coming soon.

[Every AI agent, mission by mission](https://wyp.chat/en/ai-agents)

Recommended plan

## Solo, €29 per month excl. VAT

Unlimited conversations, orders, campaigns and automated messages. Several shops? Team (€99) brings together up to 3 numbers, with one team per shop.

[See all pricing](https://wyp.chat/en/pricing)

## Questions from shops

### What are the drawbacks of WhatsApp Business for a shop?

The app runs on one main phone and 4 linked devices, with no owner per conversation and no tracking of holds. Broadcast lists stop at 256 contacts, alcohol and health products cannot be sold, and a free-form reply is only possible within 24 hours of the customer’s last message.

### What is the difference between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business is the free app for businesses: a profile with opening hours and address, a catalogue, quick replies and labels. To reply as a team on the same number, with an owner for each conversation, you go through Meta’s platform, which is what WYP.chat does, and you can keep the app if you wish.

### How do I use WhatsApp Business to sell?

Put your products in the catalogue, share them in the conversation, then turn the request into an order: collection date, payment by link or in store, a message when it is ready. With WYP.chat, every step has an owner and the whole team can see it.

### How do I sell online with WhatsApp?

The customer fills a basket in your catalogue and sends it; you confirm and send the “Pay” button linking to your bank’s or provider’s payment page. Payment never happens in the chat. For the platform catalogue, Meta asks for your website address.

### Can a wine merchant sell wine on WhatsApp?

No. The WhatsApp Business policy forbids buying, selling or promoting alcohol on WhatsApp, whatever licences you hold, and the UK is not on the list of exceptions. Keep alcohol out of your catalogue, orders and campaigns.

### How much does WhatsApp Business cost a shop?

The app is free. With WYP.chat: free plan (50 conversations a month), then €29 per month excl. VAT. From Meta, your replies within 24 hours are free up to 1,000 per month per number; a marketing message costs €0.0526 in the UK.

## Similar industries

### [WhatsApp for bookshops](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/bookshops)

A book that is not on the shelf is ordered by message, the customer hears when it arrives, and author events go to readers who opted in.

### [WhatsApp for online shops](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/ecommerce)

WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, website chat and email in one inbox: pre-purchase questions, orders, payment links and shipping updates. Shopify is coming soon.

### [WhatsApp ordering for restaurants](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/restaurants)

The WhatsApp catalogue basket becomes an order to confirm, the summary goes out in the customer’s language and the payment link is one tap away.

## How to do it in WYP.chat

Help centre articles that walk through each setting, screen by screen.

- [Receive and confirm an order](https://wyp.chat/en/help/commandes-whatsapp)
- [Veilleur: replying when you are closed](https://wyp.chat/en/help/veilleur)
- [WhatsApp links and QR codes: entry points](https://wyp.chat/en/help/points-entree)
- [Send a WhatsApp campaign](https://wyp.chat/en/help/lancer-campagne)

- [WhatsApp Business use cases: every industry](https://wyp.chat/en/industries)
- [WhatsApp Business guides, one question at a time](https://wyp.chat/en/guides)
- [The whole WYP.chat help centre](https://wyp.chat/en/help)

**Guides**

- [WhatsApp Business catalog](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-business-catalog)
- [WhatsApp message pricing](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-message-pricing)
- [WhatsApp auto reply](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-business-auto-reply)

**WYP.chat**

- [Restaurants](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/restaurants)
- [WhatsApp campaigns](https://wyp.chat/en/features/whatsapp-campaigns)
- [SnapCall](https://wyp.chat/en/integrations/snapcall)
- [WhatsApp CRM](https://wyp.chat/en/features/whatsapp-crm)
- [Teamwork](https://wyp.chat/en/features/teamwork)
- [Pricing](https://wyp.chat/en/pricing)

## Official sources

1. WhatsApp, Business Messaging Policy: [business.whatsapp.com/policy](https://business.whatsapp.com/policy)
2. Meta, Commerce Policies: [www.facebook.com/policies\_center/commerce](https://www.facebook.com/policies_center/commerce)
3. WhatsApp Help, Using the cart: [faq.whatsapp.com/1475761576240237](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1475761576240237)
4. WhatsApp Help, Broadcast lists: [faq.whatsapp.com/861663048350950](https://faq.whatsapp.com/861663048350950)
5. 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/)
6. Meta, Getting opt-in: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/getting-opt-in/](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/getting-opt-in/)
7. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Articles 14 and 44: [eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169)

Pages checked on 10 October 2026.

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Source: https://wyp.chat/en/industries/retail · Updated on 16 October 2026