--- title: "WhatsApp Business: catalog, quick replies and broadcasts" description: "How a small business can use the free WhatsApp Business app: profile, catalog, quick replies, labels and broadcast lists, without turning into spam." url: https://dumbcmo.com/blog/whatsapp-business-basics category: "Building an audience" tags: ["whatsapp", "whatsapp business", "messaging", "repeat customers"] published: 2026-10-25 updated: 2026-10-25 reading_time: 4 min author: "The DumbCMO" --- # WhatsApp Business: catalog, quick replies and broadcasts > **TL;DR:** The free WhatsApp Business app gives you a shop profile, a product catalog, saved replies and broadcast lists. Broadcasts only reach people who saved your number, so ask customers to save it. Message people who said yes, and don’t spam. [Notebook](https://dumbcmo.com) › [Blog](https://dumbcmo.com/blog) › Building an audience › WhatsApp Business: catalog, quick replies and broadcasts Mr. Kulkarni’s hardware store has been on the same road for 30 years. Last year his son set up WhatsApp Business on the shop phone. Now regulars send a photo of a broken tap, and get back a photo of the right replacement part with a price. They pick it up on the way home. Some days, a third of the counter sales started as a WhatsApp chat. No ads. No website. Just a phone the customers already had. ## In normal-people words **WhatsApp Business** is a free app, separate from regular WhatsApp, made for small businesses. It looks the same to customers, but gives you shop tools: - a **business profile** with address, hours and a description - a **catalog** of products with photos and prices - **quick replies**: saved answers to questions you get ten times a day - **labels** to sort chats (“new order”, “paid”, “delivered”) - **broadcast lists** to message many customers at once **It’s your shop counter, in the app your customers already open fifty times a day.** ## The chai stall version Your regular chai customer texts, “Usual, 4 cups, office, 11am?” You reply “Done 👍”. No app, no website, no menu. Just trust and a phone number. **WhatsApp Business is that, organised.** ## Set it up in 20 minutes **WhatsApp Business setup** 1. **Install WhatsApp Business.** Use the shop’s number. You can move an existing number over, but back up chats first. 2. **Fill the profile.** Shop name, category, address, hours, a one-line description. 3. **Add a catalog.** Start with your 10 bestsellers: photo, price, one-line description. 4. **Save quick replies.** Timings, location, delivery charges, payment options. Type “/” to use one. 5. **Set a greeting and away message.** So nobody waits in silence after closing time. ## Broadcasts: the catch nobody tells you A broadcast list sends one message to many people, but each person gets it as a normal one-to-one chat. Two rules matter: **Will your broadcast arrive?** - **If** The customer saved your number in their phone **→ then** They get it. - **If** They didn’t save your number **→ then** They get nothing, and WhatsApp doesn’t tell you. - **If** You want to reach hundreds **→ then** Each list holds up to 256 people. Make several lists, by area or interest. So the most important line in your shop might be a small card at the counter: **“Save our number for offers and order updates.”** > **The DumbCMO:** Broadcasting “50% OFF!!!” three times a day is how you go from “useful shop” to “blocked”. Once a week. Something actually useful. ## What to send, and what not to **Good broadcasts vs blocked broadcasts** | Send this | Not this | | --- | --- | | New stock that regulars asked about | Daily “good morning” images | | A festival order deadline | The same offer every day | | Your Diwali holiday timings | Forwards that have nothing to do with your shop | ## Email or WhatsApp? **Which to use for what** | What | WhatsApp | Email | | --- | --- | --- | | Speed of reading | Minutes | Hours or days | | Feels like | A personal chat | A letter | | Good for | Orders, updates, local customers | Longer newsletters, receipts, online shops | | Risk | Getting blocked if you spam | Landing in the promotions tab | Either way, only message people who said yes. Never buy a list of numbers: that’s in [Scam Watch](/scam-watch#data-lists) for a reason. ## Do this today - [ ] Install WhatsApp Business on the shop phone and fill in the profile. - [ ] Add your 10 bestsellers to the catalog. - [ ] Save five quick replies for the questions you answer every day. - [ ] Print a “Save our number” card for the counter. ## Not-so-frequently asked questions ### Is WhatsApp Business free? The app is free. The bigger WhatsApp Business Platform (for software that messages thousands of people) charges per conversation. Most small shops never need that. ### Can I use it on two phones? You can link it to other devices, like a computer, so staff can reply. Check WhatsApp’s help pages for the current device limit. ### Should I make a WhatsApp group instead? Groups show everyone’s numbers to everyone. Broadcasts keep them private. For customers, broadcasts are usually kinder. ### How do I get people to save my number? Ask at the counter, put it on bills and bags, and send a thank-you message after their first order. ## Things your agency won’t say - For a local shop, a good WhatsApp setup often beats a fancy website. - “Bulk WhatsApp marketing” tools that blast thousands of strangers get numbers banned. - Replying fast is the whole strategy. Nobody remembers your broadcast. Everyone remembers the shop that replied in two minutes. ## Jargon Jail **Locked up: “Opt-in”** Agencies say “build an opt-in list”. **It means people who said yes to hearing from you.** No yes, no message. ## Where to go next - The bigger picture: [What is social media marketing?](/blog/what-is-social-media-marketing) - What a repeat customer is worth: [CAC and LTV, explained](/blog/cac-and-ltv-explained) - Words you’ll hear: [opt-in](/glossary#opt-in), [broadcast list](/glossary#broadcast-list), [open rate](/glossary#open-rate) - Everything on this topic: [Social media, dumbed down](/social-media) ## Sources 1. SleekFlow, [“WhatsApp broadcast list guide”](https://sleekflow.io/en-sg/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-list-guide): the saved-number rule and the 256-recipient limit per list. 2. Blueticks, [“Why your WhatsApp broadcast isn’t delivering”](https://blueticks.co/blog/whatsapp-broadcast-not-delivering): no error is shown for people who haven’t saved your number. 3. Mr. Kulkarni’s store is an illustration, not a real business. ## Related notes - [Instagram’s October 2026 update: Features, Series, Live, and TV](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/instagram-october-2026-features-series-tv): Instagram is testing horizontal Features up to about 90 minutes, Clips as Reels, episodic Series, and more discoverable Lives — plus Apple TV in the US. Most of it is invite-only, with no YouTube-style ad share yet. Steal the clip-to-long habit; don’t rebuild your week around a beta. - [What is social media marketing?](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/what-is-social-media-marketing): Social media marketing is showing up where your customers already scroll, often enough that they remember you when they need you. Pick one platform, post for the people who’d actually buy, and count messages and orders, not followers. --- From [DumbCMO](https://dumbcmo.com): The marketing notes you were too embarrassed to take.