Catalog on WhatsApp Business: how to create and sell more

O WhatsApp Business catalog is the showcase within the app: products with photos, prices and descriptions that the customer browses without leaving the conversation — and that you share in one tap, without searching for photos in the gallery. Free and underused. This guide assembles yours and shows you how to use it to close faster.

How to create the catalog (step by step)

1. Open WhatsApp Business → Settings → Business Tools → Catalog.
2. Tap "Add Item".
3. Upload up to 10 photos per item (the first is the thumbnail — choose the best).
4. Fill in name, price, description, link (optional) and product code.
5. Save. The item goes through Meta's automatic review (minutes to a few hours) and is visible on your profile.

What to enter in each field

• Name: clear and searchable — "Black Runner Shoes 38-44", not "Model X123".
• Price: always. A catalog without a price raises the question of what the catalog existed to avoid. If the value varies, use "from".
• Description: 2-4 lines — which is, for those who are, different. Include measurements/variations to cut back and forth.
• Link: product page on website, if any — extra path to close.
• Code: your internal SKU; Saves time when picking orders.

Photos that sell (without studio)

• Natural light + neutral background resolves 90% of cases.
• First photo: entire and centered product. Too much: details, scale, real use.
• Same proportion for all items — messy catalog looks like sloppiness.
• No photos with a giant watermark or prints from another website.

How to use the catalog in the conversation (where the sale takes place)

The catalog is not just a passive showcase — active use is what converts. In the conversation, tap the clip/attachment → Catalog → choose the item: the customer receives the card with photo, name and price, all together. Game-changing scenarios:

• Customer asks "what do you have about X?" → send 2-3 catalog items in sequence, not one text.
• Undecided customer → "I separated these two options" + the two cards side by side.
• After-sales → product card complementary to what he purchased.

Customers can also assemble cart: select items from the catalog and send the grouped order — you receive the ready-made list in the conversation.

Native catalog limits (and how to work around them)

• Out of stock: the catalog does not control quantity — out-of-stock product remains visible until you manually hide it. Create a weekly review routine.
• No structured variations: color/size are in the description or in separate items.
• No full integrated payment: the closing continues in the conversation — combine with payment link (Pix, card) sent by quick reply.
• No interest tracking: the app doesn't say who saw what. With labels by product of interest (in the Zapext extension), each conversation about an item becomes a segment for a future campaign — "launched new accessory → clicks on the interested-sneakers tag". See segmented campaigns.

Catalog + funnel: the complete flow

The catalog shortens the presentation; the funnel guarantees the rest. Recommended flow: customer calls (via link wa.me or Status) → welcome qualifies → catalog cards feature → label marks interest → Kanban accompanies until closing → after-sales scheduled. Consumer preference for resolving everything via message^[1] only works in your favor if the entire process fits into the conversation.

Sources

1. [1] How people use messaging to connect with businesses — Meta Newsroom (2024-01). accessed 2026-05-19.