Commerce
How to Build a WhatsApp Product Catalog in Inaiy
Build a WhatsApp product catalog in Inaiy: add products with a photo, price, stock, and SKU, check the WhatsApp preview, and publish them to your catalog.
Updated · 6 min read
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A WhatsApp product catalog lets customers browse your products, see prices, and add items to a cart without leaving the chat. In Inaiy, go to Catalog, click Add product, enter a name, category, photo, price, stock, and SKU, and click Create product. Then open the product's Publishing tab and click Publish to WhatsApp to send it to your WhatsApp catalog.
Inaiy is the source of truth: you manage products here, and Inaiy keeps the WhatsApp copy in sync.
Who this is for and what you need first
This guide is for shop owners and catalog managers who sell over WhatsApp.
You need:
- A connected WhatsApp number with a Meta catalog linked to it. See Meta commerce catalog for WhatsApp.
- For each product: a clear photo, a name, a price, and a stock count.
- A unique SKU for every product. WhatsApp uses it to send product cards.
- Permission to manage products in Commerce.
Steps to build a WhatsApp product catalog
1. Open Catalog
Click Catalog under Commerce. The Products page shows everything you sell, with tabs for All, Active, Draft, and Archived. Switch between Cards and Table. The table is easier for comparing SKUs, prices, and stock.
Each card shows whether the product is on WhatsApp. On WhatsApp means customers can see it. Not on WhatsApp (callout 2) means it is in Inaiy only. Other states are Partly on WhatsApp and Failed.
Click Add product (callout 1).
2. Enter the product basics
New product asks only for what you need to start selling:
- Primary image: click Select to choose a photo. This photo shows in WhatsApp. Add more under Gallery images.
- Name and Category (callout 1), both required. Click New category if none fits.
- Price, Currency, Stock, and SKU.
- Show this product to customers on WhatsApp: leave it ticked to make the product active. Untick it to keep the product as a draft.
- Description: one or two short lines. Customers read it on a phone.
The WhatsApp preview (callout 2) shows how the product will look in a catalog message as you type.
3. Add more details if you need them
Click More details for extra tabs: Organization (status, visibility, and flags such as Featured, Best seller, and New arrival), Media gallery, Pricing detail, Stock detail, and Variants for sizes or colours.
The Publishing tab (callout 1) says Save the product first, because publishing is only possible once the product exists. Click Create product (callout 2), or Save and add another to keep going.
4. Publish the product to WhatsApp
Open the product and click the Publishing tab. You will see:
- Publishing status (callout 1), Last published, and Last failure.
- Connected channels: the Meta catalog, the product's external ID (its SKU), and its state.
- Actions: Validate, Publish to WhatsApp (callout 2), Republish, Unpublish, and Refresh.
Click Validate first to check for gaps, then Publish to WhatsApp. Publishing runs in the background, so the status shows publishing for a moment before it updates.
To publish many products at once, use the bulk Publishing page, covered in Meta commerce catalog for WhatsApp.
5. Keep it up to date
Once a product is on WhatsApp, edit it in Inaiy only. When you change its name, price, photo, or stock, Inaiy sends the update to WhatsApp for you. Deleting a product also removes it from your WhatsApp catalog.
To show products in chats, use a workflow such as WhatsApp Shop (Category → Products). See WhatsApp workflow automation.
How to confirm it worked
- The product card shows On WhatsApp on the Products page.
- On the Publishing tab, Last published shows a recent time and Last failure says None.
- Open your business profile in WhatsApp on your phone and tap the catalog. The product should be there with the right photo and price.
Common mistakes
- No SKU, or a repeated SKU. WhatsApp identifies products by SKU. Give every product a unique one before publishing.
- Editing the product in Meta Commerce Manager. Inaiy is the source of truth, so changes made only in Meta can be replaced when Inaiy next syncs the product. Make every change in Inaiy.
- Poor photos. Dark, cropped, or text-heavy images are hard to see in a small card on a phone screen. Use a clear square photo on a plain background.
Related guides
- Link your catalog and publish in bulk with Meta commerce catalog for WhatsApp.
- Let customers pay for what they pick with WhatsApp checkout.
- Keep buyers informed after they order with WhatsApp order tracking.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my product say Not on WhatsApp?
Creating a product adds it to your Inaiy catalog only. It reaches WhatsApp when you publish it from the Publishing tab or the bulk Publishing page. If it still shows Not on WhatsApp after publishing, open the Publishing tab, check Last failure for the reason, fix it, and click Republish.
Do price and stock changes update on WhatsApp automatically?
Yes, for products that are already published. When you change catalog details such as the name, price, or photo, or stock moves, Inaiy queues an update to your WhatsApp catalog in the background. Use Refresh on the Publishing tab to see the latest state if a change seems slow.
Can I sell products with sizes or colours?
Yes. Open More details on the product and use the Variants tab to add options such as size or colour, each with its own SKU, price, and stock, or the parent price if you leave it blank. Customers then see the right price and availability for the option they choose.
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