How to Sell on WhatsApp Business in India

App or API: which one you need

Start with the app. Move to the API when replying by hand becomes the bottleneck, usually somewhere past a few dozen orders a day.

Step 1: Set up your business profile

1. Install WhatsApp Business (a separate app from WhatsApp) and register a number you will keep for the business.
2. Fill in the profile: business name, category, description, address, hours, email and website.
3. Use your logo as the profile photo. Buyers decide whether to trust you in the first few seconds.
4. Link the number to your Instagram and Facebook pages so the WhatsApp button appears there.

Step 2: Build your catalog

The catalog is a mini storefront inside your profile. Each item has photos, a name, price, description and an optional link. Customers can browse it, add items to a cart, and send the cart to you as a message.

• Use clear photos on a plain background, with the first image showing the whole product.
• Put size, material and delivery time in the description so you answer fewer repeat questions.
• Group items into collections once you have more than about ten products. Full walkthrough: how to create a WhatsApp Business catalog.
• Check WhatsApp's commerce policy before listing. Some categories, such as alcohol, tobacco and medicines, are not allowed.

Step 3: Bring buyers into the chat

A click-to-chat link opens a conversation with you, with a message already typed:

Replace the Xs with your ten-digit number. Then put the link everywhere a buyer might be:

• Instagram bio, story stickers and post captions.
• A WhatsApp button on your website and product pages.
• A QR code on packaging, bills and your shop counter.
• Click-to-WhatsApp ads on Instagram and Facebook, which open a chat instead of a web page.

Step 4: Take the order

Save these as quick replies so every order follows the same script:

1. Confirm the items, size or variant, and quantity.
2. Ask for full name, address with landmark, PIN code and an alternate phone number.
3. State the total including shipping, and the delivery estimate.
4. Offer prepaid first, then Cash on Delivery.
5. Send a written order summary and ask the buyer to reply "Confirm".

Use labels (New order, Payment pending, Paid, Shipped) to keep track of where each chat stands.

Step 5: Collect payment

• UPI. Share your UPI ID or QR code, or a payment link from your gateway. Ask for a screenshot and check that the money has actually arrived before you ship.
• Payment links. Links from a payment gateway mark the order paid automatically and are safer than screenshots at volume.
• Cash on Delivery. Expect more returns than on prepaid orders. Always get a written confirmation of the address before dispatch. See how to reduce RTO on COD orders.

Step 6: How to send products sold on WhatsApp

Once an order is confirmed and paid (or confirmed as COD), you have three ways to get it to the buyer:

Packing and dispatch checklist

1. Weigh the packed parcel and measure the box. Couriers charge on whichever is higher: actual weight or volumetric weight.
2. Copy the address exactly as the buyer confirmed it in chat, with PIN code, landmark and phone number.
3. Put the invoice inside the parcel and the shipping label on the outside.
4. Seal it so tampering shows, and take a photo or short video of the packed parcel in case of a dispute.
5. Mark the chat label as Shipped and record the tracking number against the order.

Follow up in the same chat

• Send the tracking link as soon as the parcel is picked up.
• Message on the day of delivery, with the amount to keep ready for COD.
• Ask for a review or photo a few days after delivery.
• Issue a GST invoice if you are registered, and send it as a PDF in the chat.

When to move to the WhatsApp Business API

The app stops scaling when:

• Several people need to answer on the same number at once.
• You want order confirmations and shipping updates sent automatically.
• You need WhatsApp connected to your store, inventory and courier.

How API pricing works

Meta charges per delivered message, and the rate depends on the message category and the recipient's country. There are four categories:

• Marketing: offers, product suggestions, cart reminders.
• Utility: order confirmations, delivery updates, alerts.
• Authentication: one-time passwords.
• Service: replies to a customer who messaged you. These are free within the 24-hour window that opens when the customer writes to you.

When a customer reaches you through a click-to-WhatsApp ad, a 72-hour window opens in which your messages are not charged. Rates change, so check Meta's pricing page for current India figures. Solution providers usually add their own platform fee on top.

Rules that apply on the API

• You need the customer's opt-in before sending business-initiated messages.
• Messages that start a conversation must use templates approved by Meta.
• Too many blocks and reports lower your quality rating and can limit how many messages you may send.

Common mistakes

• Using a personal number. You will want to hand the phone to staff one day.
• Adding people to groups or broadcasts without consent. It gets you reported and blocked.
• Shipping on a payment screenshot alone. Screenshots are easy to fake.
• Keeping orders only in chat. Record every order in a sheet or store system, so stock and accounts stay correct.
• Replying slowly. Most WhatsApp buyers are comparing two or three sellers at the same time.

Doing this with ARSAVO

ARSAVO connects a web storefront, WhatsApp ordering and inventory in one place. COD orders are confirmed on WhatsApp automatically, UPI is the default checkout, and GST invoices are generated for each order, with 0% commission on sales. ARSAVO opens in private beta in January 2027 for 15 founding merchants.

Frequently asked questions