What Exactly Is a WhatsApp Business Catalogue?

Think of the catalogue as your shop's showcase — but living inside WhatsApp. When a customer opens your WhatsApp Business profile, they can tap a small shop icon and see all your products or dishes with photos, prices, and short descriptions. For a dhaba owner in Srinagar, this means a customer can scroll through your dal makhani, roti combos, and chai options before ordering. For a kirana store, it means customers can check if you stock a particular brand before calling. No app download, no website, no extra cost. It is built right into WhatsApp Business and works on any Android or iPhone.

Why Your Business Needs This Right Now

Most small business owners in India still take orders over phone calls or in-person visits. That works, but it eats up your time. Every time you pick up the phone to read out prices or check stock, you are losing minutes you could spend actually running your business. A catalogue solves this quietly. Customers self-serve. They browse, decide, then message you with a clear order. Your conversations on WhatsApp become much shorter and more useful. A salon in Pune using a catalogue reported that 60 percent of new inquiries already knew the service prices before messaging — which meant zero back-and-forth on basic questions.

What Information You Can Add to Each Product

Each item in your WhatsApp Business catalogue can hold quite a bit of useful detail. You can add up to 10 photos per product, which is great for showing a dish from different angles or displaying multiple colour options for a clothing item. You write a product name, a price in rupees, a description of up to 5000 characters, a product code if you use one, and an optional website link. For a restaurant, the description field is perfect for mentioning ingredients, portion size, or spice level. For a kirana store in Nagpur, you can mention brand, weight, and whether home delivery is available for that item.

Collections: Organise Your Catalogue Like a Pro

Once you have more than 10 or 15 items, things can get messy if everything is listed randomly. WhatsApp Business lets you group products into collections. A dhaba can have collections named Breakfast, Lunch Thali, Beverages, and Sweets. A clothing shop in Kochi can group by Men, Women, Kids, or by season. Collections make browsing faster for customers and make your catalogue look organised and professional. You can create a collection while adding products, or go back later and sort existing items. There is no limit on how many collections you create, so do not hold back on being specific.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1
   Open the Catalogue Section in WhatsApp Business Open WhatsApp Business, tap the three dots at the top right, then go to Settings. Select Business Tools, then tap Catalogue. This is your starting point. If you see an empty screen with an Add Product button, you are in the right place.
2. 2
   Add Your First Product or Dish Tap Add Product or Service. Add at least one clear photo — natural daylight photos work best even on a basic smartphone. Type the product name, set the price in rupees, and write a short description. Keep descriptions honest and specific. Tap Save when done.
3. 3
   Create Collections to Group Your Items After saving two or more products, go back to the Catalogue screen and tap Manage Collections or the Collections tab. Tap Create Collection, give it a name like Starters or Daily Essentials, then select which products belong there. Save the collection.
4. 4
   Share a Product Directly in a Customer Chat Open any customer chat, tap the paperclip or attachment icon, and select Catalogue. Pick the product you want to share. The customer sees the photo, name, and price right inside the chat. They can tap View to see full details or reply to order.
5. 5
   Set Your Catalogue Link for Your Profile Your catalogue automatically appears on your WhatsApp Business profile page. Any customer who visits your profile sees a small Shop icon. Make sure your profile is complete with address and business hours so the catalogue page feels trustworthy and complete.
6. 6
   Update Prices and Availability Regularly Outdated prices create customer frustration. Set a weekly reminder — every Sunday evening works well — to review your catalogue. Update prices, mark unavailable items, and add new products. Fresh catalogues build trust and reduce the chance of pricing disputes.

Frequently Asked Questions