Selling on WhatsApp with your own online catalog: customers choose, the order arrives ready
Selling on WhatsApp with your own online catalog means customers pick products, options and quantities on your website, and when they finish, WhatsApp opens with the order already written: number, items, delivery and payment method. You just confirm it instead of piecing it together message by message.
Selling on WhatsApp with your own online catalog means customers choose on their own, on your website, what they want, in which option and how many. When they tap “send order,” WhatsApp opens with everything written out: order number, items, quantities, pickup or delivery, address and how they'll pay. You read it, confirm it, done.
It's for businesses that already sell through WhatsApp and want to keep doing it, but are tired of piecing every order together: a photo, a voice note, “does that come in blue?”, “how much with delivery?”. The chat stays. What changes is that it starts with the order already put together.
What a WhatsApp order looks like today
A customer sees your Instagram story and writes “hi, price?”. You send a photo of the list. They ask about size or flavor, say they want two of one thing and one of another, add something else, ask about delivery, and at some point send the address. A small sale took a long thread, and you had to rebuild the order by scrolling up.
With several customers at once, mistakes creep in: the forgotten item, the wrong option, the order lost between chats. If that's happening to you, it's not that you're disorganized. Chat just wasn't built for taking orders.
How the flow works with your own catalog
- The customer opens the catalog from your Instagram, your Google profile or a link you send. They see photos, prices, options and availability.
- They build the order like in any store: choose, add quantities, see the total.
- They pick delivery or pickup and one of the payment methods you accept.
- They tap “send order on WhatsApp” and the chat opens with your number and a tidy message, with an order number and every detail.
- You confirm availability, timing and payment in the same conversation.
- The order is saved in your admin with its status, even if the chat gets deleted or someone else handles it.
What the message should say
The message that lands in your chat is the heart of the whole thing, so it's worth designing carefully. At the top, the order number and the customer's name. Then each item on its own line with its option and quantity. At the bottom, the total, pickup or delivery (and where), the payment method and any note. All of it readable on a phone at a glance, with no strange codes.
The order number looks like a small detail, but it changes the conversation: “I'm writing about order 1520” is much clearer than “I messaged you yesterday about the candles.” And if several people answer, anyone can look it up in the list. For connecting that chat to what happens inside the business, see WhatsApp integration for your business.
List in the chat vs a catalog that sends the order
| Moment | List in the chat | Catalog that sends the order |
|---|---|---|
| Customer asks for prices | You send photos or a PDF | You send a link and they see everything |
| Choosing options | Back-and-forth messages | They choose on the product page |
| Working out the total | You do it by hand | They see it before sending |
| Placing the order | Mixed into the conversation | One tidy message with a number |
| Days later: “what did I order?” | You scroll up | You find it in the list |
A real one with WhatsApp at the end: EQUIBOX
EQUIBOX builds horse stalls and stables near Buenos Aires. I built their 3D quoting tool, where customers design their stable (size, model, walls and accessories), download the spec sheet or quote as a PDF and request the final price on WhatsApp. The sales rep gets an inquiry with everything defined instead of “hi, info?”. It's a much bigger product than a grocery order, but the logic is the same: the customer chooses on their own and the conversation starts with the important part already settled. I wrote about it from the manufacturer's side in WhatsApp and 3D quoting.
See the EQUIBOX caseCatalog with WhatsApp orders, or a store with checkout?
This setup works when customers want to talk to you before paying, when you take cash on delivery or bank transfers, or when every order needs a confirmation (today's stock, delivery time). If you sell a lot at hours when you can't answer, a store with online payment saves you more. There's a middle option too: a catalog with no cart at all, for one-of-a-kind or made-to-order products, which I compared in online catalog without checkout.
If you're still deciding between a website and social media alone, read website or Instagram?. And if you already have a site, the first step can simply be a well-built WhatsApp button. I work remotely from Buenos Aires (UTC−3) and quote per project.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't WhatsApp Business's built-in catalog enough?
To start with a handful of products, it can be. Once you have options, lots of categories, delivery rules, or you want the catalog to show up on Google under your own brand, your own catalog gives you more control. Orders are also saved on your site, not just in the chat.
What if the customer changes something after sending the order?
You sort it out on WhatsApp like always, but starting from an order with a number and full details. If you want, the order can be edited from your admin so the final version is on record.
Does it work if several people answer the same WhatsApp?
Yes, and that's where it helps most. Every order has a number and sits in a list with its status, so it doesn't depend on who read it first and nothing gets lost between chats.
If you sell through WhatsApp and want orders to arrive ready to confirm, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email contacto@facundocampo.com.ar. I answer in English and Spanish. Tell me what you sell and how people order today, and I'll show you what the flow would look like.