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WhatsApp store examples: what a buyer actually sees

By Jerish Jacob, Co-founder · Published 27 Oct 2026 · 9 min read

"Price?" "COD hai?" "Do you have this in medium?" Every brand on WhatsApp knows these messages. What happens next depends on what kind of WhatsApp store you run.

"WhatsApp store" means different things depending on who built it. For one brand owner it is a catalogue in the WhatsApp Business app. For another it is a web page shared as a link. For a brand with developers it can be a cart that lives inside the chat. And now there are stores where an AI salesperson does the selling in the chat itself.

Each kind feels different on a buyer's phone. Below: the four kinds side by side, real Indian businesses from Meta's own stories, and three demo stores you can message to see one kind in action.

Quick answer: the 4 kinds of WhatsApp store

KindWhere the buyer shopsWho handles payment, COD and shippingExample
1. WhatsApp Business app catalogInside WhatsApp, in the business profileThe brand, by hand, in chatAny brand using the Business app
2. Link-out store pageOn a website, opened from a link sent in WhatsAppDepends on the store builderStore builders such as catafy.com, wstores.in
3. In-chat cart (WhatsApp Business Platform)Product cards and a cart inside the chatWhatever the brand's developers build after the cart is sentCustom builds on Meta's API
4. AI sales agent storeInside the chat, by talkingThe AI salesperson and the platform behind itVELA, Sugar Corner, Thread & Loom (demo stores below)

For a deeper look at how these fit together, see the types of WhatsApp commerce and catalog vs store.

Type 1: WhatsApp Business app catalog

In the WhatsApp Business app you can "upload up to 500 items so customers can browse without having to leave the app", with up to 10 photos or videos per product. You can group products into collections, hide items that are not in stock, and share a whole collection or a single item inside a chat (WhatsApp Business, whatsappbusiness.com catalog page, read 27 Oct 2026).

What the buyer sees: they open your business profile, scroll the catalogue, tap a product, then message you about it. From there, you sort out price questions, payment, COD and shipping yourself, one chat at a time.

Good for: short catalogues. Harder when: you are copying addresses and UPI screenshots by hand at 11 PM. Our setup guide covers the steps.

Type 2: Link-out store pages shared on WhatsApp

Here the "store" is a web page. You send a link on WhatsApp, the buyer taps it, browses on a website, fills a cart or an order form, and the order comes back to you, sometimes as a WhatsApp message.

Store builders such as Catafy and Wstores work this way. Catafy's page says buyers "select products and submit a structured order form" from a catalogue link, with features aimed at wholesale such as minimum order quantities and private links per buyer (catafy.com, read 27 Oct 2026). Wstores.in says it lets businesses create online stores with product catalogs and ordering through messaging apps (wstores.in, read 27 Oct 2026).

What the buyer sees: a browser window, product pages, a form or cart. The chat is where the link arrived, not where the shopping happens.

Good for: large catalogues and wholesale order forms. Harder when: buyers would rather ask than fill a form. Deciding whether you need a website at all? Read selling on WhatsApp without a website.

Type 3: In-chat cart on the WhatsApp Business Platform

Meta's API lets a business send product messages inside a chat. A multi-product message shows "up to 30 products from your catalog, organized into sections", and the buyer's cart "persists in a chat thread" until they send it to the business. After that, the business defines the next steps, such as asking for delivery details or giving payment options (Meta for Developers, multi-product messages, read 27 Oct 2026).

A template version for marketing messages also shows up to 30 products. When the buyer submits the cart, WhatsApp sends the order to the business's own system. It needs an ecommerce product catalogue, with inventory, connected to the business's messaging account (Meta for Developers, MPM template messages, read 27 Oct 2026).

What the buyer sees: product cards and a cart, without leaving WhatsApp. What happens after "send cart" depends entirely on whoever built the setup.

Good for: brands with developers. Harder when: you have none, since payment, COD checks and shipping still need building.

Type 4: AI sales agent stores

Here the buyer talks instead of browsing: a question in their own language, a recommendation, then the order, payment, COD confirmation and shipping updates, all in the same chat.

This is what Behaf builds. Aria, our AI salesperson, sells to your buyers inside WhatsApp:

More detail on AI sales agents.

Good for: buyers who ask before buying (shade, size, "eggless?") and brands with a lot of COD orders. Buyers who already know what they want just say it, and Aria takes the order.

Real Indian businesses selling on WhatsApp

Meta publishes stories about Indian businesses that use the WhatsApp Business app. All three below used the Business app, so they sit closest to Type 1. The pages show no publish date, and the numbers are what each business told Meta for its story. They are not typical results, and Behaf had nothing to do with them.

The Libas Store, Rohtak (fabric for suits and shirts). Meta's story says founder Shobhit Bansal started The Libas Store in January 2018 and uses the Business app to answer queries and market products, with the business profile, broadcast and quick replies. The story says the store reached an annual turnover of ₹1.4 crore in just over a year, and that referrals through WhatsApp were about 5 percent of the business (WhatsApp Business story, read 27 Oct 2026).

Sambar Stories, Bengaluru (homemade condiments and masala powders). Meta's story says founder Sneha Sirivara uses the Business app to keep customers updated on order status and to take orders from people who are not comfortable ordering online. The story puts volume at about 700 products a month and says business rose 5 percent after they started using WhatsApp (WhatsApp Business story, read 27 Oct 2026).

SareeVenue.com (Banarasi sarees, online). Meta's story says founder Aamir Ansari started the business in 2014 and uses the Business app to give customers real-time order updates, and that nearly 40 percent of their orders came through the WhatsApp Business app (WhatsApp Business story, read 27 Oct 2026).

The common thread is quick replies and order updates in the chat buyers already use.

Three demo stores you can message

These are demo stores for fictional brands, built on Behaf. All three run on Behaf's one WhatsApp number; the link tells Aria which store you are in. Orders are in test mode: they are safe to place and nothing ships.

VELA (beauty)

Message VELA on WhatsApp

What a buyer can try: ask about lipstick shades in Hinglish ("lipstick ka shade batao"), then ask which shade suits an everyday office look. Ask "COD available?" and place a COD order to see the confirmation step before anything would be dispatched.

Sugar Corner (bakery)

Message Sugar Corner on WhatsApp

What a buyer can try: ask "cake eggless hai?", then ask for a cake for 10 people. Ask about delivery time. If you sell food, selling food on WhatsApp goes further.

Thread & Loom (fashion)

Message Thread & Loom on WhatsApp

What a buyer can try: ask in Tamil or Hindi about a product, ask what is in stock in your size, then ask what goes with it. Finish a test order and look at the order summary. Fashion brands can read selling fashion on WhatsApp.

The full list of things to try is on Try Behaf.

Which kind fits your brand

If Type 4 fits, Behaf opens to brands in a few weeks. It costs ₹0 to set up, with no monthly fee: you pay 5% + ₹5 + 18% GST per shipped order at the Founding 100 rate, locked for life for the first 100 brands (details on the pricing page). To get a spot, message us on WhatsApp and we'll set up your store with you.

Message us on WhatsApp →

We’ll set up your store with you.

Frequently asked

What is a WhatsApp store?

Any setup that lets a buyer find and order your products through WhatsApp: a Business app catalogue, a web store shared as a link, an API cart, or an AI salesperson that sells in chat. A catalogue shows products; a store also takes the order. See catalog vs store.

Can I see a live WhatsApp store example before I build one?

Yes. Message VELA, Sugar Corner or Thread & Loom. They are demo stores for fictional brands, and test orders never ship.

How many products can a WhatsApp Business catalog hold?

Meta's WhatsApp Business catalog page says you can upload up to 500 items, with up to 10 photos or videos per product, and sort them into collections.

Can buyers pay inside a WhatsApp store in India?

It depends on the kind. With the Business app catalog, the brand arranges payment in chat. Link-out stores take orders on their web page. With an API cart, the brand decides the payment step after the cart is sent. In a Behaf store, buyers pay through PayU (UPI, cards, netbanking or wallets) or choose COD, which is confirmed with them on WhatsApp before dispatch.

Do I need the WhatsApp Business API to run a WhatsApp store?

Only for some kinds. The Business app catalog runs in the WhatsApp Business app, and a link-out store is a web page you share. An in-chat cart built yourself (Type 3) needs the API. Behaf stores run on Behaf's verified number, so the brand does not apply for the API.

Is a WhatsApp store better than a website for my brand?

Not always. A website suits large catalogues and buyers who browse on their own. A WhatsApp store suits buyers who want to ask before they buy, and a website has no salesperson to answer them. It also suits brands where much of the selling already happens in chat. Some brands use both. More in selling on WhatsApp without a website.

Sources

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