As we are nearing the end of year 2021 we suddenly find a lot of catalogs on WhatsApp. In case you haven’t noticed we are talking about the store icon right next to the call button on a WhatsApp chat screen. Since the beginning of the year, WhatsApp has been making their business app more friendly towards small business. Rather than loading with features the folks at Facebook are focusing on one thing, integration. WhatsApp Catalog is an integration of an online store with payment options.
What do small business want
Brand owners today have a clutter of options. Ecommerce website, store apps, product integrators, social networking, messaging apps and whole lot of tips. They are burdened with a fear that if they miss out any option, they might lose business. Maintaining an Ecom store is not easy. You have to monitor it 24 x 7. Creating an Ecommerce store costs a lot of money and time. Glitches with the internet connection or payment gateway means you have to monitor refunds and customer queries. Finally there is the delivery to be done too.
WhatsApp catalog with WhatsApp payments has suddenly given brand owners a single place to create a store and receive payments. No longer you need to have a full fledged E-commerce website. That is a lot of saving in initial and recurring costs.
WhatsApp Catalog
To create a catalog click on the three dot menu on top right and select Business Tools and choose Catalogue. If the option is not visible update your app on Play Store. This opens the Catalog Manager.
Click on Add new item. It gives you option to add product pictures, Item name, Price, Description, Link, Item Code and Country of Origin. Last three items are hidden under More Fields. The killer feature here is the link field which allows you to post a link to either the item description or even a store link.
Just hit the save button and your listing will go under review. Once live you should be able to see the Message Business and Add to Cart buttons.
Add to Cart
Just having a catalog is not enough. That is why in Dec 2020, WhatsApp added an Add to Cart button. This helped customer to add all their purchases to a single link shared with the brand owner. Customers can also add or remove items from the cart before finalising their purchase. Orders from multiple customers are easily segregated in multiple chat conversations. This helps business owners to manage each order separately.
Shopping Button
Each business owner gets a prominent Store icon on the chat conversation. This allows your contacts to notice that there is a catalog available. Business owners no longer need to advertise the availability to products on sale. Customers can click on the store icon and directly go to the catalog.
Other features and final verdict
WhatsApp has integrated UPI payments for all users. Plus the catalog can be created even on WhatsApp for Web. This allows business owners to create a catalog on their laptops or computers. After the cart has been shared with the business owner, the payment can be initiated. Location sharing option of WhatsApp also enables customers to track their order on a map.
A messenger is universally accepted as a source of communication between a client and customer. That is why all social network app has a DM option. So what happens when you have a store option integrated with a messenger. Small business owners rush to it in droves.
WhatsApp for business is also tightly integrated with Facebook where you can carry out promotion activities. Do not forget to add a whatsapp button to your Facebook and Instagram profiles for complete integration.
WhatsApp Catalog is the most economical option for business owners to interact with their customers and fulfil orders.
I am an MBA graduate with dual qualification in Finance and HR. I have done a Google Certified course in Digital Marketing. With many such qualifications under my belt, I am now focused on women entrepreneurship. With brands like SukaOne and Narisakti, I help women to make their idea to reality and navigate their way through the maze of digital work.