A WhatsApp catalog is a simple but powerful feature that lets customers browse your products or services directly within WhatsApp without leaving the conversation, without visiting your website, and without receiving a PDF brochure they will ignore. For Mumbai retail and service businesses, it is the closest WhatsApp gets to an in-app storefront.
What a WhatsApp catalog is
The catalog appears as a "View Catalog" button on your WhatsApp business profile. When a customer taps it, they see your listings images, prices, and descriptions without leaving WhatsApp.
Why it matters for Mumbai businesses
WhatsApp already has 500 million Indian users. Customers who message a business are already on WhatsApp. A catalog keeps them there no "visit our website" friction, no link that opens a browser and introduces 10 competing distractions.
For retail businesses, service providers, restaurants, and small manufacturers who currently share product images and prices via manual WhatsApp messages or PDF brochures, the catalog replaces all of that with a structured, always-current reference.
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Book a Free Strategy Session ?Setting up your WhatsApp catalog: step by step
Step 1: Prepare your product information
For each product or service, you need: name, image (minimum 500 500 px, JPEG or PNG), price, and description. Gather this before starting the setup having it ready makes the process fast.
Step 2: Open WhatsApp Business App settings
On the free Business App: Settings ? Business Tools ? Catalog ? Add new item.
On the API: Catalog management is done through your BSP dashboard or the Commerce Manager in Facebook Business Manager.
Step 3: Add items
For each item, upload the image, add the name, write a clear description (what it is, key details, who it is for), set the price, and optionally add a product code and link to your website for the full product page.
Step 4: Organise by collection (for larger catalogs)
If you have more than 10 15 items, create collections categories that group related products. "Men's Footwear," "Women's Kurtas," "Corporate Packages," "Monthly Plans." Collections make navigation easier for customers.
Step 5: Keep it current
An outdated catalog with discontinued products or old prices is worse than no catalog. Assign someone to update the catalog whenever products change this is a 10-minute task, not a project.
Integrating the catalog with your chatbot
The most powerful use of the WhatsApp catalog: your chatbot references it. When a customer asks "what do you sell?" the chatbot sends a catalog link. When the customer asks about a specific product, the bot pulls the catalog item and shares it directly in the chat.
For automation that proactively shares catalog items "Based on what you told me, here are two options that might work for you" the WhatsApp API's product message format sends specific catalog items into the conversation programmatically.
This integration requires the API (not the free Business App) and connects your product catalog to your chatbot flow. See AI chatbot development for the technical setup.
What the catalog cannot do
The catalog is a display and discovery tool, not a full e-commerce platform. It does not process payments (though you can share a payment link after a customer selects an item). It does not manage inventory in real time. It does not create orders in your system automatically.
For full e-commerce cart management, inventory, payment processing, order management a Shopify or WooCommerce store connected to WhatsApp is the right architecture. The catalog is a conversation layer, not a substitute for an e-commerce platform.
Frequently asked questions
The WhatsApp Business catalog supports up to 500 items. For businesses with larger inventories, this is a display selection rather than a complete product list.
Yes. Each catalog item has an optional link field. Link each item to its product page on your website for customers who want more detail or want to complete purchase there.
Yes. Service businesses list their offerings like products "Social Media Management Starting from ?15,000/month includes X, Y, Z." It works for any business with clearly defined offerings.
Yes. WhatsApp has a cart feature connected to the catalog customers can add multiple items and send the cart as a message. You receive the cart contents and process the order manually or through an integrated system.