One of the important good features of the application (WhatsApp) is its support and benefit to small businesses that do not have the necessary resources to create a website or expensive marketing. In 2018, WhatsApp released a dedicated business app with interesting features for small businesses that help them in various business areas. Now WhatsApp, which is a subsidiary of Facebook, has provided its users with a new feature called Catalog in the new update of this application. In the rest of this article from Dr Tricks, we will talk about the WhatsApp business catalog and how to use it.
Introducing WhatsApp business catalog
Before the launch of the WhatsApp business catalog, if someone on WhatsApp asked you to send them a picture of your product, you could send the picture either through your mobile phone gallery or by sending your Instagram address or website address (if available). This method was not very pleasant for both the customer and the business owner. Because the owner of the goods had to constantly look for pictures on his phone and spend time on that. In the same way, the customer doesn’t like it when you tell him to go to another platform like Instagram to see an image.
To avoid all these conditions, WhatsApp Business has introduced a new feature called Catalog. But what are Catalog ideas in WhatsApp Business and how does it work? We suggest that after reading this article, you must read the Video tutorial on using a live location WhatsApp article for more information.
1. What is a catalog?
A catalog in the business world refers to a series of similar products that are produced and sold by a company. You probably heard the name of a catalog when you were going to buy a product or when a marketer came to you. The marketer or seller will provide you with a beautiful brochure containing photos and a product introduction, so you can flip through it and view the available products.
The catalog in WhatsApp has the same meaning and refers to the same thing. In the WhatsApp business catalog, you can easily view a showcase of a business’s products. Every business owner has a digital store in WhatsApp Business. In this store, you can create catalogs for the customer. Each catalog has a price tag, description, images, product name, and number. You can even include a website or Instagram address for each of your catalogs.
You can use catalogs to group similar products or use a catalog for a specific product that has different images. For example, if you sell various t-shirts of Harry Potter, you can create a catalog called Harry Potter t-shirts and upload their pictures along with the price and specifications, so that the customer can easily view them. Similarly, if you have a clothing store, you can create a catalog called Just T-shirts and another catalog called Sneakers, and put information about each in that catalog.
2. How to create a WhatsApp business catalog?
To create a catalog in WhatsApp Business, follow the steps below.
Step 1: First run the WhatsApp application
Second step: For Android phones, just touch the three dots in the upper right corner and after the menu opens, then touch Settings. iPhone phones with the iOS operating system are done in the same way, but the Setting option is at the end of the list.
Third step: In the next step, touch the Business Setting option and enter the Catalog section.
Step 4: In this step, you have entered the management section of the WhatsApp Business Catalog. If you are using this feature for the first time, there is an option called Add Product or Service. But if a catalog has already been created in this section, you can start creating a catalog in WhatsApp Business by just touching the green icon with the + sign on it.
Step 5: On the next page, you will see various blank spaces related to the product name, price, description, site, and product code. In this section, you should add information related to your product and then touch the save option in the upper right section.
Step 6: Remember that your product will not be available to the public quickly. That’s why you’ll see a small green clock at the top of each created catalog. This clock icon indicates that WhatsApp is checking your product. Once this product is approved by WhatsApp, the green clock icon will disappear and your product will be exposed to the public.
Note: WhatsApp will check your products in the catalog because the products and images you have uploaded must be following WhatsApp’s guidelines. You cannot upload products related to drugs, alcohol products, adult products, etc. in this section.
3. How long does it take to approve and approve products?
It will not take much time to check the products on WhatsApp. This will usually take between 1 and 2 minutes, and then you can display your product catalog to users and customers.
4. How to edit and delete products?
If you want to edit the WhatsApp business catalog or delete it from your WhatsApp business forever, you need to go to the Catalog Manager again. To do this, go to WhatsApp Settings. Open the Business Settings section and go to the Catalog section. Touch the product or catalog you want to edit or delete. For editing, there is an icon at the bottom of the screen with a pencil symbol on it. Touch it and then start editing your product. But to delete your product, touch the three dots at the top right of the screen and then touch the Delete option in the menu that opens.
5. How to share your WhatsApp business catalog?
Once you have created your WhatsApp business catalog, you will be able to share it in three ways.
First method: Product subscription for one person
To do this, WhatsApp has designed a special button so that the business owner can share any product and his WhatsApp business catalog. To do this, just open your conversation page with a customer or person, then touch the paper clip symbol. The same icon by which you send images. This icon is marked (+) on iPhone phones. Then, when the list opens, touch the catalog icon. After that, you can easily share it with the desired person by touching the catalog or the product you want.
The second method: sharing the product with 2 to several people
If you want to send the WhatsApp business catalog to several people, for this you need to go to the section (Catalog Manager) in the WhatsApp Business section. To do this, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open WhatsApp Business from WhatsApp Settings.
Step 2: Go to the catalog section of WhatsApp Business settings.
Step 3: Touch the product you want to share and then select the product sharing icon. Then select the people you want to share this product with and hit the send option.
The third method: sharing the product with friends
As a customer or viewer who has come across a seller’s products on WhatsApp, you can send viewed catalogs to your friends. By sharing a catalog, your friends will be able to view that product and contact the seller directly.
To do this, tap on the WhatsApp business catalog that you want to share with your friends. Then click on the share icon on Android. On the iPhone, this is done in the three dots section at the top of the screen and then the Send option.
6. How to recognize a WhatsApp business catalog on the conversation page?
WhatsApp business catalog on the conversation or chat pages have a different appearance compared to normal images. Catalogs, unlike normal images, have a name, section, and option (View). When you touch the view option, you will get more information about that product.
7. How can WhatsApp business catalog have access?
Apart from the fact that you can see the catalogs in the chats, you will be able to see them in the business information section of the business owner’s WhatsApp. To do this, open the dialog page with the seller. Then tap on his name at the top of the screen. In this section, you will see an option called Catalog where his products and services will be visible.
Now you can click on the catalogs to view each one to see prices, pictures, and descriptions.
8. How to privatize the WhatsApp business catalog?
Anyone who has saved your WhatsApp number can see the catalogs you have created or added. Apart from that, if customers have shared these catalogs with their friends, they will also be able to view your WhatsApp business catalog easily.
9. What does catalog hosting mean?
When you create a WhatsApp business catalog, your images are stored in the cloud, and more clearly, you have saved your images on WhatsApp. This means that if you delete these images from your phone’s gallery or lose them for any reason, they will still be visible in the WhatsApp business catalog. You can even delete the images you have uploaded in the WhatsApp business catalog from your phone gallery to create more free space for yourself. This issue is also useful for the customer.
Previously, to display your products, you sent images to the customer, which were automatically saved on their phone and took up space anyway.
When a customer receives a catalog, they can easily view the images without such an issue. However, if they want, they will be able to save it to their phone with just a simple tap on the images.
10. Access to the WhatsApp business catalog is possible in different countries
The catalog feature on a WhatsApp business is available for both Android and iPhone users. When launching this feature, some countries such as Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, England, and the United States of America will have access to it, and then gradually this feature will be available to people in other parts of the world.
Conclusion
WhatsApp business catalog feature is an interesting and exciting possibility. Many small business owners use this WhatsApp feature to promote and sell their products and benefit greatly from this feature. Because it has saved both time and money.
Even customers will enjoy this feature and don’t need to switch between different platforms to buy or view a product. Customers will easily be able to view his products without even sending a message to the business owner. The WhatsApp catalog feature is like a small online store within this popular messaging app.
WhatsApp Rating
Ease-of-use
Customer Support
Value for money
Functionality
Total Rating