WhatsApp Business Catalog: Shopify Setup Guide (2026)

WhatsApp commerce is no longer a side experiment. The WhatsApp Business app had more than 200 million monthly users in July 2023, according to Meta, and the catalog is becoming the storefront that lives inside the conversation. For Shopify merchants, this means a second sales surface inside the chat that requires no app install.

In this guide you will learn what the WhatsApp Business catalog is, how to set it up on both the free app and the API, how to sync your Shopify products automatically, the image and copy specs that pass Meta review on the first try, and how to send catalog messages in campaigns that drive in-chat purchases.

What is the WhatsApp Business catalog?

The WhatsApp Business catalog is a built-in product showcase inside WhatsApp. Customers tap your business profile, see a grid of products with images, prices, and descriptions, and can add items to a cart that triggers a chat with you. The catalog lives inside Meta's Commerce Manager, the same backend that powers Facebook Shop and Instagram Shop.

Two parts matter:

• Catalog: the list of products (title, image, price, description, link)
• Cart: the buyer-side surface that collects items before they send an order message

The flow is simple. A customer opens your business profile, taps "View catalog", browses products, taps "Add to cart", and submits the cart as a chat message. Your team receives the order with the SKU list, replies with a Shopify checkout link or a WhatsApp Pay request, and closes the loop without the customer ever leaving WhatsApp.

The catalog is free to use, free to host, and free to display. Meta does not charge per product or per view. What Meta charges are the messages you send: a catalog template in a campaign is charged per delivered marketing message, and your replies inside the 24-hour customer service window (the checkout link after a cart, for example) are not charged until September 30, 2026, then cost the utility rate after 1,000 free service messages per business phone number each month (see the WhatsApp Business pricing guide for current rates).

Catalog vs single product link: when to use each

Sending a single product link in a chat works for one-off recommendations. The catalog wins for browsing.

Rule of thumb: under 5 products, send links. Over 5 products, send the catalog or a product set curated for the customer. For conversational commerce strategy at scale, read the conversational commerce guide.

Setup on the WhatsApp Business app (free, manual)

The free path. Works for stores under 500 SKUs that do not need auto-sync.

Step 1: Open the catalog menu

Open WhatsApp Business on your phone, tap the three-dot menu, then Business tools, then Catalog. On first use, WhatsApp asks for your business name and country.

Step 2: Add products one by one

For each product:

• Upload 1 to 10 images (at least 500 by 500 pixels, JPG or PNG, under 5 MB each)
• Add a title (max 200 characters, no all caps)
• Enter a price in your local currency (optional but recommended)
• Write a description (max 7,000 characters, no URLs in this field for some markets)
• Add a product link pointing to your Shopify product page
• Add a SKU code (optional but useful for order matching)

WhatsApp reviews each product against Meta Commerce policies. Approval usually takes under an hour but can stretch to 24 hours for first uploads.

Step 3: Organize into collections

Once you have 10 or more products, group them into collections (Best sellers, Summer, Under 50 euros). Collections appear as tabs on the catalog view and make browsing faster.

Step 4: Share the catalog

Tap any product, then Share, then choose the chat or generate a public link. The link format is https://wa.me/c/<phone-number> and works as a click-to-chat alternative that opens directly on your catalog.

The free app limits: 500 products max, no auto-sync, manual price and stock updates, no analytics, no template messages with catalog blocks. Solid for solo founders, painful past the 50-SKU mark.

Setup via WhatsApp Business API (with Shopify auto-sync)

The professional path. Required if you want auto-sync from Shopify, catalog messages in campaigns, multi-agent shared inbox, or any kind of analytics on catalog views and add-to-cart events. Our 5-minute WhatsApp Shopify setup walks through the connection itself.

Step 1: Get a WhatsApp Business API number

You need a verified WhatsApp Business API number. Read the WhatsApp Business API guide for the full onboarding flow. Plan for 1 to 3 days between application and approval depending on your provider.

Step 2: Create your catalog in Commerce Manager

In Meta Commerce Manager, create a new catalog under your business portfolio. Choose "E-commerce" as the catalog type. Pick the same business portfolio that owns your WhatsApp Business Account, otherwise the catalog will not be selectable in WhatsApp.

Step 3: Connect the catalog to your WhatsApp Business Account

In Meta Business Settings, open WhatsApp Accounts, then the account that holds your number, then Catalog. Select the catalog you just created. This binding is what makes catalog messages possible from the API.

Step 4: Push your Shopify products

Three ways to feed the catalog:

• Manual CSV upload: export Shopify products as CSV, map columns to Meta's expected schema (id, title, description, image_link, price, availability, link), upload to Commerce Manager. Works but breaks the moment stock or price changes.
• Meta Pixel and Shopify native integration: Shopify pushes products to Meta Commerce via the official Meta sales channel. The catalog updates automatically when Shopify products change. This is the standard path.
• WhatsApp platform integration: tools like Kanal connect Shopify and WhatsApp directly, sync the catalog on each product update, and surface in-chat browsing, cart capture, and order attribution natively. This is the path that unlocks revenue reporting per conversation.

After the first sync, every Shopify product becomes a row in your WhatsApp catalog, ready to be shown in chat or sent as a catalog message in a campaign.

Best practices for product images, titles, descriptions

The practices below keep a catalog easy to browse on a phone and clean for Meta review.

Images

• Square format, at least 1080 by 1080 pixels (Meta minimum is 500 by 500, but mobile renders crisp at 1080)
• White or neutral background for the primary image, lifestyle shots for image 2 and beyond
• Show the product, not the lifestyle, in image 1: WhatsApp crops aggressively in catalog grid view
• No text overlays in image 1 (Meta flags them in some markets)
• Same lighting and crop style across all SKUs, otherwise the catalog looks like a marketplace

Titles

• Front-load the product type, then the model, then a distinguishing feature
• Bad: "Beautiful summer floral dress for women perfect gift"
• Good: "Floral midi dress, navy, sustainable cotton"
• Keep under 60 characters so nothing truncates in the catalog grid

Descriptions

• First line is the only one visible without expanding, write it like an email subject
• Use bullet points for specs (size, material, care)
• End with a call to action that prompts a reply: "DM us your size for instant availability"
• Avoid URLs in this field outside the US, UK, and EU (some markets reject them)

Prices

• Always include a price even if it is "From X euros", so customers can shortlist products without having to ask
• For variant pricing, show the cheapest variant price and use the product page for the range
• Update prices through Shopify, not manually in Commerce Manager, otherwise sync conflicts will overwrite your changes

How to send a catalog message in a campaign

This is where catalogs go from passive showcase to active sales channel. A catalog message is a WhatsApp template that contains a catalog block, either showing all products or a curated product set.

Step 1: Create a product set

In Commerce Manager, create a product set (Filter by tag, collection, or manual selection) that matches your campaign. Examples:

• "Summer sale" product set with 12 SKUs tagged "summer" in Shopify
• "Back in stock" product set rebuilt nightly via Shopify tags
• "Cross-sell for buyers of category X" product set, manually curated

Step 2: Build a catalog template

In your WhatsApp platform (Kanal, or your API provider), create a marketing template with a catalog block. The template needs:

• A header (text, image, or video)
• A body with personalization tokens ({{1}} first name, {{2}} cart value)
• A footer (optional)
• A catalog button pointing to your product set
• Approval from Meta (24 to 48 hours)

Step 3: Send to your opt-in list

In your campaign tool, select a segment (For example, customers who bought in the last 60 days), pick the catalog template, and schedule. WhatsApp delivers the template with the catalog button. The recipient taps, lands on the product set inside the chat, adds to cart, and sends the order back.

Compare the click and order rates of catalog templates with your usual static image templates on the same segment. Curating the product set to the segment is the first lever to test.

For full campaign sending mechanics, see the Kanal WhatsApp broadcast guide.

WhatsApp Pay integration (where available)

WhatsApp Pay closes the loop by handling payment inside the chat. The customer reviews the cart, taps "Pay", authenticates with their bank, and the order is paid without leaving WhatsApp.

Available markets in 2026:

• India: UPI-based, broadest deployment, supported in WhatsApp Business API
• Brazil: PIX-based, available for both consumer and business accounts
• Singapore: PayNow-based, supported in WhatsApp Business API

In these markets, the flow becomes catalog browse, cart, in-chat payment, Shopify order created via webhook, all in one conversation.

Outside these markets, the equivalent flow is catalog browse, cart, then a Shopify checkout link sent in the chat. The handoff to a Shopify checkout adds friction but is still the standard for the EU, US, UK, and most of LATAM and APAC. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and one-tap Shop Pay reduce the friction to a near-equivalent experience.

Common catalog mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Mistake 1: Uploading images under 500 by 500 pixels

Meta auto-flags low-res images and the product disappears from the catalog without notice. Always export Shopify images at 1080 by 1080 minimum before sync. A platform like Kanal auto-upscales below-spec images on sync.

Mistake 2: Listing prohibited categories

Alcohol, tobacco, weapons, supplements (in some markets), adult content, and live animals are blocked. Listing goods prohibited by the Meta Commerce Policy can cost more than the listing: under the WhatsApp Business Policy, Meta may prohibit you from using some or all WhatsApp Business services. Audit your Shopify tags before sync and exclude flagged categories.

Mistake 3: Mixing currencies in one catalog

A WhatsApp catalog supports one currency at a time. If your Shopify store sells in EUR and USD, you need two catalogs and two WhatsApp Business numbers (or one number with locale-routed catalogs through a platform). Read the best WhatsApp apps for Shopify comparison for multi-currency setup options.

Mistake 4: Letting stock go stale

If Shopify shows "out of stock" but the catalog still shows the product as available, customers will order it and you will refund. Auto-sync solves this. Manual catalogs do not.

Mistake 5: No order confirmation back to Shopify

A catalog order arrives as a WhatsApp message. Without a connector, your Shopify backend never sees it. The fix is a platform that creates the Shopify draft order automatically from the catalog cart, then sends the checkout link. This keeps inventory accurate and your finance reporting clean.

FAQ

What is the WhatsApp Business catalog?

A native product showcase inside WhatsApp where customers browse items, view prices, and add to cart. Free in the WhatsApp Business app (up to 500 products), unlimited in the WhatsApp Business API with Shopify auto-sync.

Can I sync my Shopify catalog with WhatsApp automatically?

Yes, through the WhatsApp Business API and a platform like Kanal. The free app requires manual entry. API-based sync pushes Shopify product changes to WhatsApp in near real time.

How many products can I add?

500 in the free app, 30,000 per catalog through the API and Commerce Manager.

Do I need WhatsApp Pay to sell?

No. WhatsApp Pay (India, Brazil, Singapore) closes the loop in-chat. Elsewhere, the standard is catalog browse, cart, then a Shopify checkout link in the chat.

Why was my catalog rejected?

Low-resolution images, prohibited categories, missing or duplicate titles, or misleading prices. Audit Meta Commerce policies and re-upload corrected items.

Conclusion

The WhatsApp Business catalog turns chat from a support channel into a storefront. Done right with Shopify auto-sync, it adds a sales surface inside the chat that stacks on top of every other WhatsApp lever you already run.

The three actions to take now:

1. Decide between the free app (under 500 SKUs, manual) and the API path (auto-sync, campaigns, analytics)
2. Connect Shopify to your WhatsApp Business number with the Kanal Shopify integration
3. Launch your first catalog campaign on an opt-in segment to validate conversion before scaling

Want to see a fully synced Shopify-to-WhatsApp catalog flow in production? Book a demo and we will walk you through the catalog sync and a first catalog campaign on your own store.

Resources

• Meta Commerce Manager and catalogs
• WhatsApp catalog help center
• Kanal pricing
• Kanal YouTube channel
• WhatsApp Business API: Complete Guide
• Best WhatsApp Apps for Shopify (2026)
• Conversational Commerce: Complete Guide
• WhatsApp Business Pricing Guide (2026)