How to set up a WhatsApp Catalogue and drive sales in Malaysia?
With WhatsApp’s catalogue feature, you can showcase products directly in chat, making it easier for customers to browse and buy without switching apps. This tool is perfect for small and medium-sized businesses in Malaysia looking to reach more customers and streamline the shopping experience.
Read on to discover all of its beneficial capabilities and how to set it up.
The basics of WhatsApp catalogue in the business app
WhatsApp, being one of the fastest-growing social messaging apps with over 2 billion users worldwide, has invited business owners to incorporate WhatsApp Business for sales, marketing, and customer support to better engage prospects and customers.
However, many businesses have yet to fully discover the various features of WhatsApp Business, including the WhatsApp catalogue, which can be a real game-changer for their brand.
WhatsApp Business catalogue is tailored to help brands effectively increase sales by acknowledging customer behaviour. The name or title of the products or services with other options such as price, description, website link, and product code are important identifiers that make it easier for customers to view, shop, and purchase.
Additionally, businesses in Malaysia can add product descriptions in Malay or Mandarin alongside English to cater to the country's diverse language preferences, making the catalogue accessible to a broader range of customers.
WhatsApp Business users can have up to 500 products or services in their WhatsApp catalogue, and uploading a complete, updated WhatsApp product catalogue allows both existing and prospective customers full access to your product information. They can also share any items that they’re interested in with your business to make enquiries or send them to friends or families to place orders together.
Besides, there are also other useful and user-friendly mini features like product grouping, where each category of your products can be placed into different collections for easier browsing, and a quick link to the whole WhatsApp product catalogue, which can be shared to reach out to more potential customers outside of WhatsApp through various social media platforms.
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How to make a catalogue in WhatsApp for your business
Whether you’re managing your WhatsApp Business account on an Android device, iPhone, or even web and desktop, we’ve got your back. Just check out our guide below!
Create a WhatsApp catalogue from Android
On your WhatsApp Business App, tap on ⋮ (the three vertical dots) at the top right corner for more options, then go to “Settings” > “Business Tools” > “Catalog”.
Select “Add new item” to add a new catalogue.
Tap on + (the plus icon), then select “Add images”.
Select “Gallery” to upload images from your Photos or “Camera” to take new photos of your products. You may upload up to 10 images.
Insert the name of the product or service and add in other optional details such as price, description, link, and code.
Tap on “Save”.
Create a WhatsApp catalogue from iPhone
On your WhatsApp Business App, tap on “Settings” in the bottom right corner and go to “Business Tools” > “Catalog”.
Select “Add new item” to add a new catalogue.
Tap on + (the blue plus icon) or “Add new item”, then select “Add images”.
Select “Choose Photo” to upload images from your phone or “Take Photo” to take new photos of your products. You may upload up to 10 images.
Insert the name of the product or service and add in other optional details such as price, description, link, and code.
Tap on “Save”.
Create a WhatsApp catalogue from Web and Desktop
Open WhatsApp Web or the WhatsApp Business App on your desktop, tap on ⋮ (the three vertical dots) above your chat list, and select “Catalog”.
Select “Add new item”.
Click on “Add new images” and select up to 10 images to upload.
Type in the name of the product or service and add in other optional details such as price, description, link, and code.
Click on “ADD TO CATALOG” to add the product uploaded to your WhatsApp catalogue.
How to create a WhatsApp catalogue link
After completing the steps above, you’re halfway through reaching more potential customers. With a complete WhatsApp catalogue created, it’ll be a waste not to blast them out to your target audience; thus, the next step is to learn how to create a link for easy sharing!
Share a WhatsApp catalogue link from Android
On the WhatsApp Business App, tap on ⋮ (the three vertical dots) at the top right corner for more options, then select “Settings” > “Business Tools” > “Catalog” to go to the Catalog Manager.
On the top right corner, tap on the 🔗 link icon.
Choose one of the sharing options to send the WhatsApp catalogue link to others:
*Links are auto-generated and cannot be customised.
Share a WhatsApp catalogue link from iPhone
On your WhatsApp Business App, tap on “Settings” in the bottom right corner and go to “Business Tools” > “Catalog”.
Tap on ⋯ (the three horizontal dots) for more options > “Share”.
Copy the link to share the catalogue within WhatsApp Business or via other apps.
Share a WhatsApp catalogue link from Web and Desktop
Open WhatsApp Web or the WhatsApp Business App on your desktop, tap on ⋮ (the three vertical dots) above your chat list, and select “Catalog”.
Tap on the 🔗 link icon to copy the link and share your WhatsApp catalogue.
WhatsApp catalogue is the future of shopping in Malaysia
Social commerce in Malaysia is predicted to grow 45.2% annually to reach over USD 10 billion by 2028, and many have started to invest in selling on social media.
We first need to think from the consumer’s perspective to attract customers. When we want to buy something, we will explore our options, look up more information, and maybe ask for a bit of assistance before finally making the purchase. Most of the time, obstacles or hiccups in the customer journey will easily affect purchase decisions, such aslack of details online or unresponsive customer support.
WhatsApp catalogue maximises convenience and avoids the situation above. Other than uploading detailed product information, brand owners can easily hide specific items in the catalogue when the stocks run out. This means that the consumers will be able to access up-to-date information before placing the order right on WhatsApp.
From the shop button under your brand name on the WhatsApp Business profile, they can browse the catalogue and immediately add the items they want to their cart by tapping on + (the plus button). Once the items in the cart are confirmed, the customer can select “Send to Business” for you to receive their order. Some benefits of these shopping tools include:
Orders can be placed quickly and easily
Items can be purchased immediately after making enquiries on WhatsApp
Multiple items can be purchased at once
By introducing these free, user-friendly features, WhatsApp Business empowers business owners to enhance the shopping experience for both younger and older generations.
Many older adults are already comfortable using chat apps to connect with friends and family, making it easier for them to engage in shopping through social messaging platforms like WhatsApp. Navigating traditional e-commerce websites can be challenging for the elderly, shopping via WhatsApp simplifies the process for them significantly.
Meanwhile, millennials and Gen Z are well-versed in online shopping across various platforms. By making your e-commerce business accessible on WhatsApp Business, you can foster a stronger connection with shoppers of all ages.
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Hybrid shopping is the new trend. If you’re assuming that having an online store is enough, or worse, still solely relying on brick-and-mortar stores, it’ll be like wasting the free food at a buffet set up right outside your house. Business owners must be able to grab these opportunities to constantly expand and profit for the company. Choosing the right tools to advance the business is critical.
Now, don’t get it wrong, this does not mean that physical stores are not important. Making hybrid shopping convenient, or in other words, incorporating omnichannel selling, means selling on the many channels that your target audience will be on, is still crucial for the development of your business. This is why more companies are now utilising an all-in-one platform to manage omnichannel marketing to attract consumers.
SleekFlow, tailored to assist businesses across all popular channels, including WhatsApp, is a comprehensive solution for retail sales growth. Using O2O social commerce, the complete social order-to-payment ecosystem can be established for your brand. After exploring your variety of products on the WhatsApp catalogue, SleekFlow allows you to generate a simple payment link to be sent to the customers. They can then pay right away in the chat!
Since the free WhatsApp Business App is designed for SMEs, enterprises may desire more features such as:
WhatsApp broadcasting to blast messages
Blue check verification on business profiles
Multiple, simultaneous logins on many devices
WhatsApp buttons and interactive messages
Discover the limitless potential of WhatsApp Business API by reading our ultimate guide.
I would recommend SleekFlow to companies which produce fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) as they face a lot of customers every day. It also helps educational apps to communicate with kids and parents.
Tai Seng Yee
Executive Director, ZENXIN
See how ZENXIN Organic achieved optimal success with WhatsApp Business API on SleekFlow.
As a premium solution, the WhatsApp Business API answers all the extra functions listed above. It enables more customisation and personalisation for brands to maximise profits and scale business operations. Therefore, we urge you to go beyond the WhatsApp catalogue on the WhatsApp Business App to unlock more benefits and strike a breakthrough for your business!
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