A WhatsApp Business catalog is a storefront inside your business profile: you upload photos once, with a price and a description if you want them, and every customer who messages you can browse the items without you sending them one by one. It lives only in the WhatsApp Business app, and WhatsApp reviews each item before customers can see it.
In short
- The catalog exists only in the WhatsApp Business app, not in personal WhatsApp; a website is not required, since the website link is an optional field.
- Every item needs a name, photos or videos (up to 10 per item, 50 MB per video) and a country of origin. Price, sale price, description, website link and product code are optional.
- Nothing goes live until WhatsApp approves it; a rejected item shows a red exclamation icon and you can request another review.
- You can share a link to a product or service from your catalog in a chat, on your status or through another messaging app.
- When the catalog stops keeping up, look at what costs you more time, updating listings or answering the same question again: that decides between a bot and a connected system.
How to build the catalog, step by step
- Open WhatsApp Business. From the Tools tab, tap Catalog (on desktop, click the three-dot menu icon and choose Catalog).
- Tap "Add new item," then "Add photos and videos."
- Upload up to 10 photos or videos (50 MB limit per video).
- Enter the item name and select the country of origin: WhatsApp requires it every time you add or edit an item.
- Add whichever optional fields you want: price, sale price, description, website link, product code.
- Tap "Save" (on desktop, the final button is "Add to catalog") and wait for WhatsApp's review before the item goes live.
Source: WhatsApp's help center for Android; the desktop page differs where the steps say so.
What WhatsApp reviews, and how long a collection takes
Catalog items are only visible to your customers after WhatsApp approves them. Images and videos uploaded to the catalog are reviewed against the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy. A rejected item shows a red exclamation icon next to the image: tap it and choose "Request another review" with your reason.
With more than a few items, group them into collections so customers browse by type instead of scrolling the whole list: a dive shop can split "Courses," "Day trips" and "Gear." Per WhatsApp's help page on collections, a new collection is reviewed too, and that review should take no more than 24 hours.
Sharing the catalog outside WhatsApp
The help center says you can share a link to a product or service from your catalog in a chat, on your WhatsApp status, or with a third-party messaging app.
Share it on purpose, with contacts you know are shopping for something specific, instead of waiting for them to ask.
What to get right before you upload
- Photos.Use natural light and plain backgrounds; if you sell food, it should look fresh; if you sell a cleaning service, show the result.
- Description.Write it for the questions you already answer in chat: size, availability, delivery time. Sell the benefit, not the spec sheet: instead of "whole bean, medium roast," say how it tastes and how to brew it.
- Price.The field is optional: if you quote in more than one currency, leave it empty and quote in chat; if you fill it, update it whenever your list changes so it matches what you quote.
- Country of origin.The help center's wording is "Select the country where the item was created." It is required on every item, when you add it and when you edit it.
When the catalog stops being enough
A catalog organizes what you sell, but it does not answer on its own. As the list grows, ask yourself how long it takes you today to update prices and photos one by one; if that is where your week goes, a system that centralizes your inventoryis worth checking.
The same goes for the questions that repeat: a catalog will not answer them or remind a shopper about an item. A WhatsApp botcan do both. At Walabi, for example, our bots turn a voice note into an order and assign it to the closest delivery driver; some of our ready-made products start at $799 MXN a month, and anything different is scoped and quoted for your case.
Not sure what to automate first? Start with where to start automating a business, or, if you only want WhatsApp to answer while you decide the rest, with automated replies.
What to ask before you hire a team to build on top of it
Thinking about hiring a Mexican team to build the bot or the system? Ask what you would ask anywhere: Is the contract month to month? Who owns the code? Are small changes billed? Which language and currency?
At Walabi the answers are these:
- Contract:month to month, with no forced term.
- Code:it is Walabi's; in a custom build for your company, Walabi either sells you the license or, if you pay for the full build, the code becomes yours.
- Small changes:minor ones come at no charge (minor, not unlimited).
- Language and currency:the call is in Spanish, with a person, and the published price is in Mexican pesos (MXN).
If you have outgrown the catalog and are weighing a bot against a full system, book a free 30-minute call, in Spanish and with a real person: you leave with a map of what a ready-made product already solves, what is worth building and what is not worth it yet, not a locked-in quote.
Frequently asked questions
What does "country of origin" mean on a catalog item?
It is the country where the item was created, which is what the help center asks for; it is not a field about your business address. You must select it when you add a new item and when you edit an existing one.
How long does WhatsApp take to approve a collection?
The help page on collections says a new collection is reviewed by WhatsApp's team and that this should take no more than 24 hours; once approved, customers see it in your catalog. Individual items go through their own review first.
Do I need a website to use the catalog?
No. The website link is one of the optional fields; an item is complete with a name, photos or videos and a country of origin. If you add a site later, put the link on each item so customers can buy or read more there.
Want your own website connected to WhatsApp? See our custom-built websites.
Want your customers to get an answer even when nobody is at the phone? See how WhatsApp automation for your business works: what it includes, what it costs and how long it takes.
