How to take orders on WhatsApp
To take orders on WhatsApp, a customer needs three things from you: what you sell and what it costs, a way to say what they want and where it goes, and a way to pay. You can give them those by hand in the chat, with the catalogue built into the WhatsApp Business app, or with an ordering system that runs the conversation for you. Which one fits depends on how many orders you get and how much of your day goes on typing.
Three ways to take orders on WhatsApp
| What changes | In the chat, by hand | WhatsApp Business app catalogue | An ordering system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who answers | You, every time | You, with quick replies | The system, step by step; you step in when needed |
| Prices and options | Typed by hand | From your catalogue | From your product list |
| Payment | A UPI ID or QR code you send | A UPI ID or QR code you send | A payment step in the order |
| The record | Your chats and a notebook | Your chats and labels | One list of orders, each with a number |
| Cost | Your time | Free | The system’s price, plus Meta’s message charges |
| Works well for | A few orders a day | A small, steady menu | Daily orders, more than one person answering, regulars |
Many businesses start with the first, add the catalogue when they’re tired of sending the same photos, and move to a system when the chats become hard to keep up with. None of these needs a website.
What to set up before your first order
- Your business profile. Name, a short description, hours and address in WhatsApp, so people know they’ve reached the right place.
- Products and prices. Every size, flavour or option with its own price. Customers stop asking “how much?” when the answer is already in front of them.
- Where you deliver. The areas or pincodes you cover, the delivery charge, any minimum order, and whether people can pick up instead.
- How much notice you need. Same day, next day, or two days for a custom cake. Say it before someone orders, not after.
- How people pay. UPI, bank transfer, cash on delivery, or a mix. Decide whether you prepare before or after payment.
- What happens when you’re closed. A short away message that says when you’ll reply.
Taking UPI payments without the mix-ups
UPI is how most customers in India will want to pay, and it’s where most order mix-ups happen. A few habits prevent nearly all of them:
- Send the exact amount with the order number. A payment link or a QR code with the amount filled in means nobody pays ₹68 for a ₹680 order.
- Ask for the UPI reference, not just a screenshot. The 12-digit reference (sometimes called the UTR) lets you find the payment in your bank or UPI app in seconds.
- Check the money arrived before you prepare. Screenshots can be old, cropped or edited. The only proof is the money in your account.
- Match each payment to one order. If the same reference comes in twice, one of them isn’t a new payment.
Keep every order in one place
Chats are good for talking and bad for keeping records. Give every order a number the customer can quote, and keep two things about it separately: where it is (new, accepted, being made, out for delivery, delivered) and whether it’s paid (unpaid, to check, paid, refunded). Mixing them is how a delivered order goes unpaid for a week. At the start of each day, you should be able to see what needs you: payments to check, orders to accept, deliveries to send.
Keep customers told
Most “is my order coming?” messages are avoidable. Send three short updates: when you confirm the order (with the total and when it will arrive), when it leaves, and when it’s delivered. Use the order number each time.
The WhatsApp rules worth knowing
If you use the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, you reply to people as you would to a friend. Ordering systems use the WhatsApp Business Platform, which has rules of its own:
- The 24-hour window. When a customer messages you, you can reply freely for 24 hours. Outside that window, a business can only send messages from templates Meta has approved.
- Templates have categories. An order update is a utility message; an offer is a marketing message, which needs the customer’s agreement and costs more.
- Meta charges for some messages. In India, from 1 Oct 2026, each business number gets 1,000 free service messages a month (your replies inside the 24-hour window); after that, Meta charges ₹0.115 plus GST a message. Templates sent outside the window are charged by category, with marketing the most expensive.
When to move from chats to a system
Moving makes sense when the chats start costing you orders. The usual signs:
- You type the same prices and the same delivery questions many times a day.
- You’ve prepared an order that was never paid, or missed one that was.
- You scroll back through old chats to find an address.
- Customers wait hours for an answer when you’re busy.
- You can’t say who your regular customers are, or who hasn’t ordered in a while.
An ordering system answers in your chat with your own products and prices, asks for the address and the payment, and gives you one list of orders to work from. Sellly is one: it runs ordering, and bookings, quotes, enquiries and plans, on your own WhatsApp number. See how WhatsApp ordering works in Sellly.
Sources
- Sending messages and the customer service window (Meta for Developers)
- Template categories (Meta for Developers)
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta for Developers)