WhatsApp Catalog Setup Guide: List Products & Drive Sales in 2026

What Is the WhatsApp Catalog?

The WhatsApp Catalog is a built-in product showcase inside WhatsApp Business that lets customers browse your products and services without leaving the app. Think of it as a mini storefront directly inside your customers' most-used messaging app.

Once you set up your WhatsApp product catalog, customers can:

• Browse products with photos, prices, and descriptions
• Add items to a cart and share their order with you
• Send inquiries about specific products

With 2.7 billion WhatsApp users globally, a well-configured catalog turns every WhatsApp conversation into a potential sale.

WhatsApp Catalog Requirements

Before starting your WhatsApp catalog setup, make sure you have:

• WhatsApp Business app (free, available for Android and iOS) or access via the WhatsApp Business platform
• A verified business phone number
• Product images (minimum 640 × 640 pixels recommended)
• Your country must support WhatsApp Catalog (available in most countries)

Note: The WhatsApp Catalog is only available on WhatsApp Business, not the standard WhatsApp app.

How to Set Up Your WhatsApp Catalog (Step by Step)

Step 1: Open WhatsApp Business Settings

1. Open the WhatsApp Business app on your phone
2. Tap the three-dot menu (Android) or Settings (iOS)
3. Select Business tools
4. Tap Catalog

Step 2: Add Your First Product

1. Tap the + (add) button
2. Tap Add images — upload up to 10 photos per product
3. Fill in the required fields:

- Product/service name (required)

- Price (optional but highly recommended)

- Description (optional, up to 500 characters)

- Link (optional, e.g., your product page URL)

- Product code (optional, for inventory tracking)

1. Tap Save

Repeat for each product or service.

Step 3: Organize with Collections

Once you have multiple products, create Collections to group similar items:

1. In your Catalog, tap Collections
2. Tap Create collection
3. Name it (e.g., "Summer Sale", "Electronics", "Services")
4. Select the products to include
5. Tap Save

Collections make it easier for customers to navigate larger catalogs.

How to Share Your WhatsApp Product Catalog

There are four ways to share your catalog with customers:

1. Share in a Chat

Open any chat, tap the attachment icon, and select Catalog. You can share your entire catalog or a single product.

2. Share a Product Link

In your Catalog, tap any product and select Share. This generates a direct link customers can open in WhatsApp or a browser.

3. Enable Catalog Visibility on Your Profile

Go to Business tools → Catalog and toggle on Catalog visibility. This adds a View catalog button to your WhatsApp Business profile, making it discoverable to anyone who visits your profile.

4. Automate Catalog Sharing

For high-volume businesses, manually sharing the catalog in every conversation is inefficient. Walytic lets you automate catalog messages based on triggers — for example, automatically sending your catalog link whenever a customer messages "Hi" or asks about products.

Walytic uses WhatsApp's linked device technology to connect to your existing WhatsApp Business number. No API approval, no per-message fees, and setup takes under 10 minutes.

WhatsApp Catalog Best Practices

Use High-Quality Images

Blurry or poorly lit photos reduce conversions. Use a clean white background and aim for images at least 800 × 800 pixels.

Write Benefit-Focused Descriptions

Don't just list features — tell customers what problem the product solves:

• ❌ "Blue cotton t-shirt, size M"
• ✅ "Premium breathable cotton t-shirt — stays cool all day. Available in all sizes."

Always Include Prices

Customers are far less likely to inquire when there's no price. Even an approximate range helps (e.g., "From $29").

Keep Your Catalog Updated

Remove out-of-stock items promptly. An outdated catalog frustrates customers and damages trust.

Add Tracking Links to Products

If you're linking to your website from a catalog product, add UTM parameters so you can measure WhatsApp-driven sales in your analytics:

`https://yourstore.com/products/item?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=catalog`

WhatsApp Catalog Limits

WhatsApp Catalog vs. Full E-Commerce

WhatsApp Catalog is a discovery layer, not a checkout system. Here's how they compare:

Best approach: Use WhatsApp Catalog as the browsing experience and direct customers to your website for payment.

Automate Catalog Responses at Scale

The biggest limitation of WhatsApp Catalog is that every inquiry still requires manual follow-up. If you're receiving 50+ catalog inquiries per day, that's hours of repetitive typing.

Walytic solves this with automated conversation flows built on linked device technology:

1. Customer sends a message asking about products
2. Your chatbot sends your catalog link automatically
3. When the customer replies with interest, the bot captures details and notifies your sales team
4. Set up follow-up sequences — for example, send a discount 24 hours later if no purchase was made

No coding required. Connect your WhatsApp Business number by scanning a QR code, build your flow visually, and go live in minutes — with a flat monthly fee and no per-conversation charges.

Start Using WhatsApp Catalog Today

Setting up your WhatsApp product catalog is one of the fastest wins for any business using WhatsApp Business — under 30 minutes to turn every customer conversation into a browsable storefront.

When you're ready to automate beyond manual replies, start a free 14-day trial with Walytic to set up catalog automation, follow-up sequences, and broadcast campaigns — no credit card required.