Hub 01 · WhatsApp Commerce
WhatsApp Commerce
WhatsApp is the channel Indian D2C buyers already answer on, and thus it carries support, order updates, and recovery before any other channel gets a look. We run this stack on WATI for brands selling across India and the UAE. This page states what the setup does, who it is for, and where the WhatsApp Business API stops being optional.
The problem this hub solves
Most brands run WhatsApp as a personal inbox on one phone, and thus every conversation dies with the person holding it. Order updates are typed by hand, broadcast lists cap out at 256 contacts, and no record of the conversation reaches the CRM or the ad account. The leakage is invisible because nothing is measured.
The WhatsApp Business API is the point where a phone stops being enough. It arrives when more than one person answers chats, when template messages have to go out on order events rather than by hand, and when the conversation history has to survive the person who had it. Below that point the free Business app is the correct answer and we say so.
Cost is the second constraint. WhatsApp charges per conversation on top of whatever the platform charges per month, and thus a broadcast plan written without a conversation-cost estimate is a plan that overspends in month one.
Who this is for
Brands shipping 300 orders a month or more, where order updates are already going out by hand.
Teams where two or more people answer customer chats, so a single phone no longer holds the history.
COD-heavy catalogues, where a confirmation message before dispatch changes the return rate.
Brands running paid traffic that want click-to-WhatsApp as a live entry point rather than a form.
Who should not buy yet
Pre-launch brands with no order flow yet; the free WhatsApp Business app covers you until volume arrives.
Teams with nobody available to answer inside business hours, because automation raises reply expectations rather than removing them.
Brands with no product catalogue or price list ready, since template approval needs finished content.
Anyone treating WhatsApp as a broadcast megaphone; that route earns blocks and a quality-rating downgrade.
The tool we run: WATI
WATI is the WhatsApp Business API platform we operate for client delivery, and it is the only tool on this site with revenue already attached to it in our own account.
WATI
WATI is a WhatsApp Business API platform covering a shared team inbox, broadcasts, template management, chatbot flows, contact attributes, and click-to-WhatsApp ad routing.
India plans run at Rs. 2,499, Rs. 5,999, and Rs. 16,999 per month as published on 22 Aug 2026, tiered by stored contacts and agent seats. WhatsApp conversation charges are billed on top by category and are Meta’s charge rather than the platform’s, and thus a broadcast plan written without a conversation-cost estimate overspends in month one.
What it replaced in our delivery: a personal WhatsApp account, a spreadsheet of customer numbers, and manual order-update messages. What it added: conversation history that survives staff changes, and broadcast segmentation that reports delivery.
The full WATI page, with pricing detail, limitations, and the delivery setup, publishes on 26 Aug 2026.
How we run it in delivery
01
Number and API access
We confirm which number carries the API, since a number moved to the API can no longer be used in the normal WhatsApp app. Display name and business verification go in before any template is written.
02
Template approval
Order, shipping, and payment templates are submitted first, because approval takes time and the marketing templates depend on a clean quality rating. Every template carries an opt-out line.
03
Inbox and routing
The shared inbox is set up with operators, teams, and assignment rules, so a chat lands with a named person rather than a queue. Canned replies cover the questions that repeat.
04
Broadcast and segments
Contacts are tagged by order behaviour rather than by campaign, and thus a broadcast targets a segment that exists in the data instead of the full list.
05
Measurement
Click-to-WhatsApp traffic is tagged into GA4, and lead attribution runs through WhatConverts where the client bills against source. A channel with no attribution does not get budget.
Work out whether the API is your next step
15 minutes on your current volume, your team size, and your order flow. You leave knowing whether the WhatsApp Business API earns its cost at your stage, whether or not that involves us.
Links marked /go/ are partner links. We earn a commission at no cost to you, and rankings never reorder for payout. See the Disclosure.