WhatsApp Catalog

A WhatsApp catalog is a digital showcase of products or services hosted inside a company's WhatsApp Business account. Each item is presented with an image, name, price, description and a link or product code, and it is displayed directly in the conversation, so the customer can explore the offering without leaving the chat or opening another app or website.

It is one of the core pieces of conversational commerce: it turns a messaging channel into a point of sale where looking at the product, asking questions and moving toward the purchase all happen in the same thread. The catalog is managed in Meta Business Suite (Meta's console for WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook), and it can share inventory with the Instagram and Facebook shops, because they all use the same Meta product catalog.

In high-volume B2B operations, managing the catalog by hand becomes unworkable: that is where the connection to a CRM comes in. Keeping stock, prices and product listings in sync between the sales system and WhatsApp is part of what Sellium orchestrates, so the sales rep shares up-to-date products without entering anything twice.

How it is built and where it lives

The catalog is not created inside the chat but in Meta's catalog manager (Meta Business Suite or Business Manager). That is where products are uploaded one by one or in bulk through a data source: a CSV/XML file or a feed connected to the online store (for example, an integration with Shopify, VTEX or Tiendanube). Each product requires minimum fields such as title, description, price, currency, availability and image. Once Meta approves it, the catalog is available for the company to share in its conversations.

Inside the chat, the customer reaches the catalog in three ways: by tapping the shop icon on the company's profile, by receiving a product message the business sends, or by opening a direct link to the catalog or to a specific item. From there, they can add products to a cart and send the order as a message, which the company receives to confirm price, stock and payment method.

Why it matters in a Latin American B2B context

In Argentina and across the region, WhatsApp is the dominant channel for sales contact: a large share of sales inquiries come in through it before email or phone. An organized catalog avoids the back-and-forth of sending loose photos and outdated PDF price lists, which age badly and cause errors. For a wholesale distributor or a consumer goods company, being able to show the product line with current prices inside the same chat shortens the cycle between the inquiry and the order.

The real value shows up when the catalog stops being a static showcase and is connected to the sales system. If prices and stock live in an ERP or a CRM, syncing them to WhatsApp prevents selling something that is out of stock or quoting an old price. That is the difference between a display catalog and an operational catalog.

Common mistakes

• Loading it by hand and never updating it: without a connected data source, the catalog falls out of date within weeks and loses credibility.
• Confusing a catalog with a full store: WhatsApp does not process payment within the catalog in every country; the cart generates an order, but payment is usually handled with a payment link or a separate payment gateway.
• Poor images and descriptions: without a clear photo, a price and text that answers the obvious question, the product does not sell itself.
• Ignoring Meta's policies: certain categories (medicines, regulated products) cannot be listed, and a rejected catalog blocks the feature.

How it differs from conversational commerce and the cart

The catalog is one component, not the whole thing. It helps to place it within the ecosystem:

The catalog opens the sales conversation; the shopping cart turns it into an order; and payment is completed outside WhatsApp in most markets in the region. Thinking of them as pieces that link together, and keeping them in sync with the sales system, is what turns a chat into a reliable sales channel.