Glossary

WhatsApp Marketing Glossary

Clear definitions of the WhatsApp Business terms every Shopify merchant runs into: the API, message templates, conversation pricing, opt-in rules, and more.

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50 terms explained

Abandoned Cart Recovery

Abandoned cart recovery is the practice of messaging shoppers who added items to their cart but left without buying, to encourage them to complete the purchase.

AI Agent

An AI agent is a conversational assistant that autonomously answers customers, qualifies their needs, and guides them to a purchase, going beyond the scripted replies of a classic chatbot.

Authentication Template

An authentication template is a message template used to deliver one-time passcodes and verification codes, letting customers confirm their identity or complete a login.

Away Message

An away message is an automated reply the WhatsApp Business App sends when the business is unavailable, telling customers their message was received and when to expect an answer.

Broadcast

A broadcast is a message sent to many WhatsApp contacts at once, typically a marketing campaign delivered to a segment of opted-in customers.

BSUID (Business-Scoped User ID)

A BSUID (business-scoped user ID) is the pseudonymous identifier a business receives in place of a phone number when a WhatsApp user with a username keeps their number private.

Business Solution Provider (BSP)

A Business Solution Provider (BSP) is a Meta-approved company that gives businesses access to the WhatsApp Business Platform, usually through a dashboard built on top of the API.

Carousel Template

A carousel template is a WhatsApp message template that displays a horizontal set of swipeable cards, each with its own image or video, text, and buttons, in a single message.

Click-to-WhatsApp Ads

Click-to-WhatsApp ads are Facebook and Instagram ads that open a WhatsApp chat with the business when tapped, instead of sending the user to a website.

Coexistence

Coexistence is a WhatsApp capability that lets a business use the same phone number on the WhatsApp Business App and on the API at the same time, instead of choosing one or the other.

Conversation-based Pricing

Conversation-based pricing is the WhatsApp billing model where businesses are charged per 24-hour conversation rather than per individual message.

Conversational Commerce

Conversational commerce is the practice of selling and supporting customers through messaging channels like WhatsApp, where buying happens inside a chat.

Customer Service Window (24-hour window)

The customer service window is the 24-hour period, opened by a customer message, during which a business can reply with free-form messages instead of approved templates.

Drip Campaign

A drip campaign is an automated sequence of messages delivered over several days, triggered by an event such as a signup, a first purchase, or an abandoned cart.

Embedded Signup

Embedded Signup is Meta's guided onboarding flow that lets a business create or connect a WhatsApp Business Account from inside a third-party platform, through an OAuth popup, in minutes.

Frequency Capping

Frequency capping is a WhatsApp mechanism that limits how many marketing template messages one user can receive over a given period, counted across all businesses combined.

GB WhatsApp

GB WhatsApp is an unofficial, modified version of WhatsApp distributed outside the app stores. Using it violates WhatsApp's terms of service and is a common cause of account bans.

Interactive Message

An interactive message is a WhatsApp API message containing elements the customer can tap, such as reply buttons or a list menu, instead of having to type an answer.

Marketing Template

A marketing template is a message template categorized as promotional, used for offers, product launches, and campaigns. It requires opt-in and is the most heavily reviewed template category.

Message Template

A message template is a pre-formatted message that a business submits to WhatsApp for approval, then uses to start conversations or message customers outside the 24-hour window.

Messaging Limits

Messaging limits define how many unique customers a business can start conversations with in a rolling 24-hour period. New numbers start low and scale up with good quality.

Meta Verified

Meta Verified is a paid subscription that gives businesses a verified badge on WhatsApp along with impersonation protection and enhanced support, succeeding the legacy green tick program.

Official Business Account (green tick)

An Official Business Account is a WhatsApp business account that has earned a verified badge, the green tick, shown next to its name to confirm Meta has verified the brand.

On-Premise API

The On-Premise API is the legacy version of the WhatsApp Business API that businesses hosted on their own servers. Meta has been deprecating it in favor of the Cloud API.

Opt-in

An opt-in is the explicit permission a customer gives a business to contact them on WhatsApp. It is required before a business can send any message.

Opt-out

An opt-out is a customer's request to stop receiving WhatsApp messages from a business, typically expressed by replying with a keyword like STOP or tapping an unsubscribe button.

Quality Rating

The quality rating is a score WhatsApp assigns to a business phone number based on recent customer feedback, mainly blocks and reports. It influences messaging limits.

Quick Replies

Quick replies are saved message shortcuts in the WhatsApp Business App that insert a frequently used answer when the user types a slash command.

RCS (Rich Communication Services)

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the messaging standard that upgrades SMS with images, buttons, read receipts, and verified senders, promoted by Google and supported on iPhone since iOS 18.

Segmentation is the practice of splitting a WhatsApp contact list into groups based on traits like purchase history, behavior, or engagement, so each group receives messages that are actually relevant.

Session Message

A session message is a free-form WhatsApp message a business sends inside the 24-hour customer service window, without needing an approved template.

Template Pacing

Template pacing is a WhatsApp delivery mechanism that spreads out the send of a marketing template, measuring how early recipients react before delivering to the rest of the audience.

Utility Template

A utility template is a message template that delivers information tied to a specific transaction or account, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, and appointment reminders.

wa.me Link (Click-to-Chat)

A wa.me link is WhatsApp's official click-to-chat URL. Opening it starts a conversation with a specific number, without the visitor saving the contact first.

WABA (WhatsApp Business Account)

A WABA (WhatsApp Business Account) is the account-level container on Meta's side that holds everything a business owns on WhatsApp: phone numbers, message templates, and the business profile.

Webhook

A webhook is an automatic notification WhatsApp sends to a business application whenever an event happens, such as an incoming message or a delivery status update.

WhatsApp Business API

The WhatsApp Business API is the programmatic interface that lets medium and large businesses send and receive WhatsApp messages at scale, without using a phone or the chat app.

WhatsApp Business App

The WhatsApp Business App is a free mobile application designed for small businesses to chat with customers, with a catalog, quick replies, and automated greeting messages.

WhatsApp Business Platform

The WhatsApp Business Platform is the umbrella name for the set of products and APIs that Meta offers businesses to message customers programmatically at scale.

WhatsApp Catalog

A WhatsApp catalog is a mobile storefront inside a business account where customers can browse products, with images, prices, and descriptions, without leaving the chat.

WhatsApp Channels

WhatsApp Channels are a one-to-many broadcast feature in the Updates tab, where admins post to an unlimited audience of followers who can react and vote but not reply.

WhatsApp Chatbot

A WhatsApp chatbot is software that replies to customer messages on WhatsApp automatically, either by following predefined rules or by using AI to understand free-form questions.

WhatsApp Cloud API

The WhatsApp Cloud API is the version of the WhatsApp Business API hosted directly by Meta in the cloud, so businesses do not need to run their own servers.

WhatsApp Communities

WhatsApp Communities group several related WhatsApp groups under one umbrella, with an announcement channel where admins can reach all members at once.

WhatsApp Flows

WhatsApp Flows is a feature for building structured, multi-step experiences inside a chat, such as forms, surveys, bookings, and guided product selection.

WhatsApp Pay

WhatsApp Pay is WhatsApp's in-chat payment feature, which lets users send money and pay businesses without leaving the conversation, available mainly in India and Brazil.

WhatsApp QR Code

A WhatsApp QR code is a scannable code that opens a chat with a business, turning offline touchpoints like packaging, receipts, and store displays into WhatsApp conversations.

WhatsApp Username

A WhatsApp username is a unique @handle, rolling out in 2026, that lets people find and message an account without ever seeing its phone number.

WhatsApp Web

WhatsApp Web is the official browser client that mirrors a WhatsApp account on a computer, so users can read and send messages with a desktop keyboard.

WhatsApp Widget

A WhatsApp widget is a chat bubble installed on a website or online store that opens a WhatsApp conversation with the business when a visitor clicks it.

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