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Ledger entryNo. 021006

Catalog Message

Also called: catalog_message · View catalog message · Catalogue message

Definition
An interactive WhatsApp message with a View catalog button that opens the business's whole product catalogue inside the chat.

Commerce & payments

Mode · chat

Work it out

From "what do you have?" to an order

5 / 5
Sweet Lane IndoreBusiness account

Today

  1. Customer: Hi! What sweets do you have this week?10:30
  2. Sweet Lane Indore: Sweet Lane catalogueFresh stock is in! Browse our mithai and order right here in chat.Same-day delivery in IndoreView catalog10:31Read
  3. Customer: Please pack them separately2 × Kaju katli, 500 g1 × Soan papdi, 250 gView sent cart10:32
  4. Sweet Lane Indore: Order #SL-3318Thanks! Here is your bill for 3 items. Pay by UPI to confirm same-day delivery.Order summaryKaju katli 500 g × 2Soan papdi 250 g × 1Review and pay10:33Read
  5. Sweet Lane Indore: Payment received. Your box leaves our kitchen by 4 pm.10:34Delivered

Message 5 of 5

Sweet Lane IndoreTextDelivered (two grey ticks)

A free-form confirmation inside the open window, charged at the service rate in India.

Free-form text. A business can send it only within 24 hours of the customer’s last message.

A customer asks what is in stock, gets a catalog message, browses and sends a cart, and the business answers with the bill. Step through each bubble to see what it is and what your system receives.

Message 5 of 5: Sweet Lane Indore, Text, Delivered (two grey ticks). A free-form confirmation inside the open window, charged at the service rate in India.

What is a catalog message?

A catalog message is the Cloud API's interactive message type catalog_message. The customer sees a header image taken from one of your products, your body text, an optional footer and a View catalog button. Tapping it opens your entire WhatsApp catalog inside the chat, where the customer can browse items, open product details and, if the in-chat cart is enabled, add products and send the cart back to you as an order.

It needs an e-commerce catalogue, built in Meta Commerce Manager or through the catalogue API, connected to your WhatsApp Business Account: one catalogue per WABA, shared by all of its phone numbers. The only setting inside the message is thumbnail_product_retailer_id, the Content ID of the item whose image becomes the header. Leave it out and WhatsApp uses the first item in the catalogue.

As an interactive message it is a session message: it can be sent only while the 24-hour customer service window is open, and in India it is charged at the service rate (₹0.145 since 1 October 2026). To start a conversation with the same View catalog button, use a catalog template, a marketing template with a CATALOG button. Unlike single- and multi-product messages, a catalog message picks no items: it is the shop's front door, not a curated shelf.

Key takeaways

  • A catalog message is the Cloud API's catalog_message interactive type: one View catalog button that opens the whole catalogue in chat.
  • It picks no products; its only setting, thumbnail_product_retailer_id, chooses which item's image fills the header.
  • It can be sent only inside an open 24-hour customer service window; to start a chat, use a catalog template (marketing).
  • Carts sent from the catalogue reach your webhook as type: "order" with product IDs, quantities and prices.
  • The catalogue must be connected to the WABA, and is_catalog_visible (default false) switched on for the number.

The figures

A catalog message: key facts and limits

Body text
Up to 1,024 characters
Footer
Optional, up to 60 characters
Header image
thumbnail_product_retailer_id, else the first item
Button
View catalog (label set by WhatsApp)
Catalogues per WABA
One, shared by all its numbers
Cart
Up to 99 units per item; cannot be edited once sent
India price
₹0.145 per message in the window, since 1 Oct 2026
Outside the window
Catalog template (marketing, CATALOG button)

In code

A catalog message in code

curl -X POST "https://graph.facebook.com/v26.0/{PHONE_NUMBER_ID}/messages" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
    "recipient_type": "individual",
    "to": "919812345678",
    "type": "interactive",
    "interactive": {
      "type": "catalog_message",
      "body": { "text": "Fresh stock is in! Browse our mithai and order right here in chat." },
      "action": {
        "name": "catalog_message",
        "parameters": { "thumbnail_product_retailer_id": "KAJU-KATLI-500G" }
      },
      "footer": { "text": "Same-day delivery in Indore" }
    }
  }'

Omit parameters and WhatsApp uses the first catalogue item's image as the header.

How does a catalog message work?

  1. Connect a catalogue

    Create an e-commerce catalogue in Commerce Manager, or through the API, and connect it to the WABA. Items need a Content ID, title, price, image and availability; items rejected in policy review do not show.

  2. Switch on the storefront

    Call POST /{PHONE_NUMBER_ID}/whatsapp_commerce_settings with is_catalog_visible=true (the documented default is false). Cart is on by default (is_cart_enabled defaults to true); set it to false only if customers should browse without ordering.

  3. Send the message inside the window

    POST to /{PHONE_NUMBER_ID}/messages with interactive.type: "catalog_message", body text of up to 1,024 characters, an optional footer of up to 60, and action.name: "catalog_message".

  4. The customer browses and orders

    View catalog opens the catalogue. The customer can add up to 99 units of each item to a cart tied to that chat; once sent, the cart cannot be edited.

  5. Handle the order webhook

    A sent cart arrives as a messages webhook with type: "order": catalog_id, optional text, and product_items with product_retailer_id, quantity, item_price and currency.

Why does a catalog message matter?

Many chats open with "what do you have?". A catalog message answers with the whole shop in one tap instead of a wall of text, a PDF price list or a link out to a website. Because browsing and cart building happen inside WhatsApp, the order comes back as structured data (product IDs, quantities and prices) that your systems can act on without anyone retyping it.

Example: A sweet shop's festive week

An Indore sweet shop gets dozens of "menu please?" messages a day in the week before Diwali. Its bot answers each one with a catalog message whose header shows its best-selling kaju katli. Customers browse, add boxes to the cart and send it; the order webhook creates a pickup or delivery order, and the shop replies with a payment request. Staff stop typing out price lists and spend their time on the questions the catalogue cannot answer.

Costly mistakes

Common mistakes with a catalog message

  • Sending it to a cold contact

    A catalog message is not a template, so outside the customer service window it fails. Use a catalog template, which is categorised as marketing, to start the conversation.

  • Catalogue connected but invisible

    With is_catalog_visible off, the storefront icon disappears and View catalog buttons may not open the catalogue for customers. Check GET /{PHONE_NUMBER_ID}/whatsapp_commerce_settings after setup.

  • A thumbnail that sells out

    The header comes from thumbnail_product_retailer_id. Point it at a stable, in-stock hero product rather than a limited drop that may be gone by the time the customer taps.

  • Ignoring the order webhook

    If your handler only parses text messages, sent carts vanish. Route type: "order" to order creation and confirm back to the customer within minutes.

  • Using it when you know what the customer wants

    For "do you have it in blue?", a single-product message for that item is more direct. Catalog messages suit open-ended browsing.

Catalog Message FAQs

What is the difference between a catalog message and a multi-product message?
A catalog message opens the whole catalogue from one button and picks no items. A multi-product message shows up to 30 items you choose, in up to 10 sections, for when you already know what to suggest.
Can I send a catalog message to a customer who hasn't messaged me?
Not as an interactive message: it needs an open 24-hour customer service window. Use a catalog template, categorised as marketing, to start the conversation.
Can I change the View catalog button text?
No. WhatsApp sets the button label. You control the body text, the optional footer and which product's image appears in the header.
Do I need payments set up to use catalog messages?
No. Customers can browse and send a cart without in-chat payment. You then collect payment your own way: a payment link, a UPI request or, for eligible Indian businesses, an order details message.

Best practices for a catalog message

  • Write body text that tells the customer what to do next: browse, add to cart, send.
  • Keep catalogue prices and availability synced with your store through a product feed, so orders never arrive for sold-out items.
  • Use the catalog template for broadcasts and the interactive catalog message for replies: same button, different rules.
  • Answer every order webhook with a confirmation or a payment request within minutes.

See InfiQ pricing

* Per-message rates for India, ex-GST: marketing, utility and authentication effective 1 July 2026; service messages ₹0.145 since 1 October 2026 (they were ₹0 until 30 September 2026). Volume commitments earn discounts — final rate is confirmed on your account; applicable GST extra. Rates for other countries differ (see the international rate table on /pricing).

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