How to Sell on WhatsApp Business: Catalog, Orders and Your Own Store

You sell clothes, jewellery, home food or handmade items, and your customers already message you on WhatsApp. But orders get lost between personal chats, and you answer the same questions about price and size again and again.

This guide shows you how to set up WhatsApp Business the right way, keep orders organised, and decide when it is time to add a proper store website.

WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Business: which one should a seller use?

The normal WhatsApp app is made for personal chats. The WhatsApp Business app is a separate, free app made for small businesses. It gives you a business profile, a product catalog and tools to reply faster.

How to set up WhatsApp Business for selling

Step 1: Install the app and verify your number

Download WhatsApp Business from the Play Store or App Store. Enter your business number and verify it with the code you receive.

Step 2: Complete your business profile

Customers check your profile before they trust you. Fill in every field you can:

• Business name: the same name you use on Instagram or Facebook.
• Category: for example, clothing store or shopping and retail.
• Description: one or two lines on what you sell and where you deliver.
• Hours: when you reply to messages.
• Website or Instagram link: so customers can see more.
• Profile photo: your logo or a clean product photo, not a selfie.

Step 3: Write your away message

An away message replies automatically when you are busy or outside working hours. Keep it short and useful, for example: "Thanks for your message. We reply between 10 am and 8 pm. Please share the product name and your pin code so we can check delivery."

How to create a WhatsApp Business catalog

The catalog is a small product list inside your WhatsApp profile. According to the WhatsApp help centre, you create an item like this:

1. Open the app and tap the three-dot menu (⋮), then Catalog. On some phones, it is under Business tools.
2. Tap Add new item.
3. Tap Add images. You can upload up to 10 images per item.
4. Enter the product name. You can also add price, sale price, description, website link and product code.
5. Tap Add to catalog.

Each item is reviewed against WhatsApp's policies. Approved items appear automatically. If an item is rejected, you will see a red warning icon on it. You can open the item and tap Request another review if you think it was a mistake.

What makes a good catalog item

• Clear photos on a plain background, in daylight, with front, back and close-up shots.
• A specific name, like "Cotton Kurti, Blue, Floral Print" instead of "New design".
• The real price, plus delivery charges in the description if they apply.
• Sizes and colours listed clearly, so customers do not have to ask.
• A product code you can match to your stock list.

How to handle WhatsApp orders without losing them

The catalog brings interest. A simple order process turns that interest into delivered orders.

Use labels for every order stage

Labels let you tag chats. Create a small set, such as: New order, Payment pending, Paid, Shipped, Delivered. Move each chat along as the order moves. At the end of the day, open each label to see what is pending.

Ask for details in one fixed format

Save a short message that asks for everything at once:

Please share: product code, size, quantity, full name, full address with pin code, and phone number.

This saves many back-and-forth messages and avoids wrong deliveries.

Keep a simple order sheet

Copy each confirmed order into a sheet with columns for date, customer, product code, amount, payment status and tracking number. WhatsApp chats are not a record book. A sheet is.

Be careful with payments

Share payment details only in the chat with the customer, and confirm payment in your bank or UPI app before you ship. Never trust a payment screenshot alone. If you offer cash on delivery, our guide on reducing COD returns has practical checks.

Where to get customers for your WhatsApp shop

• Add your WhatsApp link to your Instagram bio, Facebook page and Google Business Profile.
• Put a "Chat on WhatsApp" button on your website or product pages.
• Print your number or a QR code on parcel slips, so happy customers can order again.
• Ask existing customers to share your catalog with friends, without offering fake reviews or rewards for ratings.

For more ideas on getting the first few buyers, see our guide on getting the first orders for a new online store.

When should you add your own store website?

WhatsApp works well when you have a few dozen products and a manageable number of orders. It starts to strain when:

• You spend hours a day answering "price?" and "available?" messages.
• Your product list is too long to scroll through on a phone.
• You want customers to place orders and pay without chatting first.
• You want to show up in Google search, not only to people who already know you.

A store website solves these. Customers browse, choose a size and place the order themselves. You then use WhatsApp for what it is best at: order updates, questions and repeat customers.

If you are comparing ways to build that website, our guide on Shopify vs WooCommerce vs a store script explains the trade-offs. You can also try our demo store or look at the Meesho-style shopping store script to see how a ready-made store works before you decide.

Final word

WhatsApp Business is one of the easiest ways to start selling in India. Set up a full profile, build a clean catalog, and use labels and a fixed order format so nothing slips. When the chats become too many to manage, add a store website and let WhatsApp handle support.

Next step: today, add your five best-selling products to your WhatsApp catalog with good photos and clear prices. Then share the catalog with your existing customers and see what they ask about.