# 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.

Source: https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-marketing-glossary/whatsapp-widget  
Last updated: 2026-10-08

The widget usually floats in a corner of the page and opens WhatsApp directly, in the mobile app or WhatsApp Web, sometimes after showing a small teaser window with a greeting and an expected response time.

Compared with a classic live chat, the conversation does not die when the tab closes. It lives in the customer's WhatsApp, the business gains a durable contact, and the exchange can continue hours later without starting over.

For an online store, the widget is both a pre-sale question desk and an opt-in entry point. Kanal ships a customizable widget for Shopify storefronts, so product questions land in the same inbox as campaigns and automations.

## Go deeper: articles

- [WhatsApp Customer Support for Shopify: 12 Essential Flows](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-customer-support-shopify): Build WhatsApp customer support for your Shopify store: 12 essential flows, AI tier-1 automation, Gorgias and Zendesk integrations and the metrics to track.
- [WhatsApp Click-to-Chat Links: Generate, Track & Convert (2026)](https://getkanal.com/blog/whatsapp-click-to-chat-link): Create WhatsApp click-to-chat links that turn Shopify visitors into customers: link generator, URL syntax, tracking and Click to WhatsApp Ads comparison.
- [WhatsApp in Shopify Messaging: Pricing, Features and Limits](https://getkanal.com/blog/shopify-messaging-whatsapp-channel): WhatsApp is live in Shopify Messaging: what the channel does, per-message prices by country ($0.106 UK, $0.172 France), limits and the US rule, October 2026.

## Related terms

- [wa.me link (click-to-chat)](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-marketing-glossary/wa-me-link)
- [Opt-in](https://getkanal.com/whatsapp-marketing-glossary/opt-in)