WhatsApp Catalogue Commerce for Indian D2C (Orders + Payments)

WhatsApp catalogue commerce India means the shopper browses your products inside WhatsApp, adds items, and places an order on the same thread — not a PDF price list and not a grey “WhatsApp shop” Chrome extension.

That stack is official Cloud API:

1. A Meta Commerce Manager product catalogue (INR, images, availability).
2. The catalogue linked to the WABA.
3. WhatsApp Orders so ops can take address, prepaid or COD, and fulfil.
4. A payment mode you actually operate (Meta Payments and/or Razorpay — details on payment links).

It is not a replacement for Shopify abandoned-cart recovery. Many Indian D2C brands run both: Shopify for the website checkout they already have, catalogue for chat-native browse-and-buy (CTWA, inbox, repeat buyers). One store platform per WatsBerry org (Shopify or WooCommerce). Catalogue is Meta commerce, not a second Shopify.

WatsBerry features include catalogue messaging; solutions cover the convert / recover / support jobs around it. Access is invite-only — join the waitlist.

WatsBerry does not invent a parallel product database you must keep in sync by hand.

Step	Where it happens	What WatsBerry does
Create / edit products	Meta Commerce Manager	Pull-only sync after you connect
Grant access	Embedded Signup Catalogs step (or reconnect)	Needs catalog_management on a fresh token
Link to WhatsApp	Catalogue ↔ WABA	Connect on WhatsApp Catalogue
Browse in chat	Official catalogue cards / cart	Send from inbox, bots, or the profile shop
Hide / show shop	WhatsApp commerce settings	Cart + catalogue visibility toggles

India-practical catalogue hygiene

• Titles and INR prices that match the site — bait-and-switch trains blocks.
• Images that work as a small card (one clear product, not a festival collage).
• Availability you can fulfil. Selling “in stock” you cannot ship is how COD RTO starts.
• Variants you actually keep (size / colour) so the cart is not a guess.

Reconnect if an older token never received catalogue permission. Edit in Commerce Manager, then Sync. See how to get the API if the WABA is not live yet.

A catalogue tap is not a packed shipment. Indian D2C still needs address quality and a COD vs prepaid decision.

Recommended journey on WatsBerry WhatsApp Orders:

1. Catalogue order
2. Address form (physical goods)
3. Pay now / COD
4. You fulfil: Pending → Confirmed → Packed → Shipped → Out for delivery → Delivered
5. Optional Returned (RTO)

Automations that already ship (defaults you should review, not invent as “industry KPIs”):

• Auto address request after a new catalogue order.
• Require address before payment for physical goods.
• Pay now and/or COD buttons after address.
• Optional auto-confirm when COD is chosen.
• Shipping / COD / platform fees and optional free-shipping threshold.
• Payment reminders on unpaid invoices (count + hours you set).
• Transactional status messages — not marketing templates.
• Pause chatbots during checkout so an FAQ bot does not interrupt UPI.

Ops desk: filter unpaid vs COD, request payment, sync payment status, add tracking, mark cash received on COD. Optional Slack alerts for new catalogue orders and payment captured.

This is native WhatsApp checkout, not Shopify’s abandoned-checkout webhook. Keep the two paths straight so you do not double-message.

Pick exactly one shop checkout mode. Do not stack Meta Review & Pay, Razorpay keys, and a personal UPI QR “just in case.”

Mode	Who it is for	Gateways
WhatsApp native (Review & Pay)	In-chat UPI apps + card when Meta Payments is available on the WABA	Razorpay, PayU, BillDesk, or Zaakpay linked in WhatsApp Manager — WatsBerry stores the Meta configuration name, not those PG API keys
UPI Intent + Payment Link fallback	You have Razorpay keys but no Meta payment configuration yet	Razorpay only — QR / intent, then a Payment Link with a Pay now button
Manual UPI ID + QR	No PG integration; you tick Paid yourself	Your VPA — no auto-paid from Razorpay

Customer money on shop orders settles in your gateway (or bank), not in WatsBerry Billing. Platform plans and Meta conversation fees are separate invoices — pricing.

Deep walkthrough of links inside forms and flows: Razorpay WhatsApp payment link.

COD-heavy catalogues should still offer a clean prepaid button. Recovery-style discounts belong on Shopify cart sequences, not on every catalogue SKU.

Catalogue commerce is a channel, not a guaranteed conversion rate. We will not publish a “typical India WhatsApp AOV” or a fake testimonial.

Model:

• Meta utility / service traffic for order updates (verify category and live rates).
• Marketing templates only when you are actually promoting.
• PG MDR / convenience fees on your Razorpay or PayU invoice — WatsBerry does not settle those.
• Dual billing: Meta + WatsBerry plan and wallet.

Next: features for catalogue and orders, solutions for convert / recover / support, pricing for plan cards. Ready to sell on official Cloud API? Join the beta waitlist.

Is WhatsApp catalogue the same as a Shopify store?

No. Catalogue commerce is Meta’s in-chat product set and native checkout. Shopify remains your store for site checkout and abandoned-cart recovery. WatsBerry can run both jobs; one store platform (Shopify or WooCommerce) per organisation.

Does WatsBerry edit products inside WhatsApp?

WatsBerry is pull-only for catalogue items. Change titles, price, and stock in Meta Commerce Manager, then sync. That keeps WhatsApp and ads catalogues consistent.

Can customers pay COD on a WhatsApp catalogue order?

Yes if you enable COD on WhatsApp Orders automations. Prepaid uses Meta Review & Pay or a Razorpay path — see /resources/razorpay-whatsapp-payment-link. Money from shop checkout settles in your payment-gateway account, not WatsBerry Billing.

Do I need unofficial WhatsApp shopping plugins?

No. Official catalogue messaging needs a WABA and a Commerce Manager catalogue. Grey Web shops are not this product. Join /waitlist for invite-only beta access.