WhatsApp Catalogue Creation via Business API: Complete Guide for 2Factor Dashboard

What Is a WhatsApp Catalogue?

A WhatsApp catalogue is a mobile storefront integrated into your WhatsApp Business profile. It enables customers to browse your products or services with photos, prices, descriptions, and direct links—all within the chat interface.

When customers access your catalogue, they can:

• Browse through your complete product range
• View detailed information including prices, descriptions, images, and SKUs
• Add items to cart and send order inquiries
• Share products with contacts
• Access product links for direct checkout

Why Use WhatsApp Business API for Catalogues?

The WhatsApp Business API offers enterprise-grade features far beyond the basic Business app, making it essential for serious e-commerce operations.

Key advantages of API-based catalogues

• Scale — Support up to 10,000 products (vs. 500 in the app)
• Automation — Sync with your e-commerce platform for real-time inventory updates
• API control — Programmatically create, update, and delete products
• Advanced messaging — Send single-product and multi-product messages in campaigns
• Analytics — Track views, clicks, engagement, and conversions
• Integration — Connect with CRM, ERP, and marketing automation tools
• Bulk operations — Update hundreds of products simultaneously via CSV or API

Getting Started with 2Factor Dashboard

To create a WhatsApp catalogue via the 2Factor dashboard, you need an active WhatsApp Business API account. Here's how to access the catalogue features:

1. Log in to 2Factor Dashboard
   Visit your 2Factor dashboard at dashboard.2factor.in and sign in with your credentials.
2. Navigate to WhatsApp Business API
   From the main menu, select WhatsApp Business API section. This is where you manage your WhatsApp Business account, phone numbers, and messaging features.
3. Access Catalogue Management
   Look for Catalogue or Commerce Manager in the WhatsApp API menu. This connects you to Meta's Commerce Manager platform where catalogues are created and managed.
4. Verify Business Account
   Ensure your WhatsApp Business Account is verified. Verified accounts get better features and higher trust from customers.

Creating Your Catalogue via Commerce Manager

WhatsApp catalogues are managed through Facebook Commerce Manager, which is integrated with your 2Factor dashboard. This is Meta's official tool for product catalogue management.

Method 1: Manual catalogue creation

1. Create a new catalogue
   In Commerce Manager (accessible via 2Factor dashboard), click Create Catalogue and select E-commerce as the catalogue type.
2. Name your catalogue
   Give it a clear name (e.g., "MyStore Product Catalogue") and set your currency.
3. Add products manually
   Click Add Items and fill in product details:
   • Product name — Clear, searchable product title
   • Price — Set price in your catalogue currency (required)
   • Description — Detailed product information (features, materials, dimensions)
   • Product ID/SKU — Unique identifier for inventory tracking
   • URL — Link to product page on your website
   • Images — Upload high-quality product photos (square format recommended)
   • Availability — In stock, out of stock, or available for order
4. Organize with collections
   Create product sets/collections to group related items (e.g., "Winter Collection," "Men's Shoes," "Best Sellers").
5. Connect to WhatsApp number
   Link the catalogue to your WhatsApp Business API phone number. Go to catalogue settings and select your phone number from the list of connected assets.

Method 2: Bulk upload via CSV

For large catalogues, use CSV upload to add hundreds or thousands of products at once:

1. Download the CSV template from Commerce Manager
2. Fill in product data (name, price, description, image URLs, SKU, etc.)
3. Upload the CSV file — products are created automatically
4. Review and publish your catalogue

Method 3: E-commerce platform integration

If you use Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, or other platforms, integrate directly with Commerce Manager:

• Shopify — Install Facebook & Instagram app, connect Commerce Manager, auto-sync catalogue
• WooCommerce — Use Facebook for WooCommerce plugin to sync products
• Custom platforms — Use Commerce Platform API or feed upload for automated sync

Once integrated, your product catalogue automatically syncs—updates to price, inventory, and images flow to WhatsApp in real-time.

API Integration and Automation

For developers or businesses wanting full control, use the Commerce Platform API to programmatically manage catalogues.

Key API operations

Operation	Endpoint	Use Case
Create product	POST /{catalog-id}/products	Add new products programmatically
Update product	POST /{product-id}	Change price, description, availability
Delete product	DELETE /{product-id}	Remove discontinued products
Create collection	POST /{catalog-id}/product_sets	Organize products into categories
Get catalogue data	GET /{catalog-id}/products	Fetch product list and details

Example: Creating a product via API

Use the Commerce Platform API to add products from your system:

POST https://graph.facebook.com/v18.0/{catalog-id}/products
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Premium Leather Backpack",
  "description": "Handcrafted leather backpack with laptop compartment",
  "price": "12999",
  "currency": "INR",
  "url": "https://yourstore.com/products/leather-backpack",
  "image_url": "https://yourstore.com/images/backpack.jpg",
  "retailer_id": "SKU-12345",
  "availability": "in stock"
}

Automation via 2Factor API

The 2Factor platform also provides APIs to send catalogue and product messages:

• Send catalogue link — Share your full catalogue with customers
• Send single-product message — Highlight a specific product with image and details
• Send multi-product message — Showcase up to 30 products in sections

Refer to 2Factor API documentation for detailed endpoints and code examples.

Best Practices for WhatsApp Catalogues

Follow these guidelines to create catalogues that drive conversions and deliver excellent customer experience.

Product images

• High resolution — Use at least 1080 × 1080 pixels for clarity on all devices
• Square format (1:1) — WhatsApp displays images as squares; crop accordingly
• Clean background — White or neutral backgrounds make products stand out
• Well-lit — Natural lighting or proper studio lighting shows true colors
• Consistent style — Use the same photo style across all products for professional appearance
• Multiple angles — Upload 2-3 images per product showing different views

Product titles and descriptions

• Clear titles — Include brand, product type, and key feature (e.g., "Nike Air Max Running Shoes - White")
• Detailed descriptions — Cover size, color, material, features, care instructions
• Keywords — Use terms customers search for to improve discoverability
• Benefits over features — Explain how the product helps the customer
• Formatting — Use line breaks for readability; bullet points work well

Pricing and availability

• Accurate pricing — Keep prices up-to-date; outdated prices hurt trust
• Include currency — Always specify currency (INR, USD, etc.)
• Mark out-of-stock — Update availability immediately when products sell out
• Product URLs — Link to product pages for easy checkout and better tracking
• SKU/Product IDs — Use unique identifiers for inventory management

Catalogue organization

• Use collections — Group by category, season, brand, or promotion
• Feature top products — Highlight best-sellers and high-margin items
• Regular updates — Add new arrivals and remove discontinued items
• Seasonal refresh — Update catalogue for holidays, sales, and seasons

Sending Catalogue & Product Messages

Once your catalogue is live, use it in your messaging strategy to drive engagement and sales.

Catalogue message types

• Catalogue link message — Sends your entire catalogue for customers to browse
• Single-product message — Features one product with image, price, and description
• Multi-product message — Showcases up to 30 products organized in sections (e.g., "Best Sellers," "New Arrivals")

When to send catalogue messages

Sending via 2Factor dashboard

Use the 2Factor dashboard to send catalogue messages:

1. Navigate to WhatsApp messaging section
2. Create a new message or template
3. Select Interactive Message type
4. Choose Product or Product List
5. Select products from your catalogue
6. Add message text and send to your contact list

Sending via API

For automated campaigns, use the WhatsApp Cloud API or 2Factor API to send product messages programmatically. This enables dynamic product recommendations based on customer behavior, purchase history, or browsing data.

Tracking Catalogue Performance

Monitor how customers interact with your catalogue to optimize for better results.

Key metrics to track

Metric	What It Measures	Where to Find It
Catalogue views	How many people opened your catalogue	Commerce Manager > Insights
Product views	Which products are viewed most	Commerce Manager > Product Insights
Click-through rate	Percentage who clicked product links	Commerce Manager Analytics
Message engagement	Opens, reads, replies to product messages	2Factor Dashboard > Analytics
Order messages	Customers who sent order inquiries	WhatsApp chat analytics
Conversion rate	Catalogue views that lead to purchases	Connect UTM tracking + your analytics

Optimization strategies

• Review top-performing products — Feature these in multi-product messages and marketing campaigns
• Identify low performers — Update images, descriptions, or pricing for products with high views but low clicks
• Test collections — Try different ways of grouping products to see what drives more engagement
• A/B test product messages — Test single-product vs multi-product messages to see what converts better
• Track product URLs — Use UTM parameters in product links to measure traffic and conversions in Google Analytics