WhatsApp commerce
WhatsApp commerce is the practice of selling, supporting, and re-engaging shoppers through WhatsApp. Indian D2C brands use the WhatsApp Business app or the WhatsApp Business API to share catalogues, answer queries, send order updates, recover abandoned carts, and close sales using payment links, UPI, or WhatsApp Pay.
WhatsApp commerce is the practice of selling, supporting, and re-engaging shoppers through WhatsApp. Indian D2C brands use the WhatsApp Business app or the WhatsApp Business API to share catalogues, answer queries, send order updates, recover abandoned carts, and close sales using payment links, UPI, or WhatsApp Pay.
For Indian D2C brands, WhatsApp is often the first place a customer asks a question, sees a product, and confirms an order. Many shoppers feel more comfortable typing on WhatsApp than filling out a checkout form, especially for COD, sizing questions, or first-time purchases from an unfamiliar brand.
A WhatsApp commerce setup usually has three layers. A WhatsApp Business profile with a catalogue, a Business API connection through a provider like Interakt, AiSensy, Wati or Gallabox, and a flow that sends order confirmations, shipping updates, abandoned cart nudges, and re-engagement messages. The actual payment can happen on WhatsApp Pay, on a payment link from Razorpay or Cashfree, or by sending the shopper back to the store checkout.
It works best as a layer on top of your store, not a replacement. Discovery on the website or on Instagram, conversation on WhatsApp, payment through the store or a UPI link, fulfilment through Shiprocket or Delhivery.
On beyondRegular
beyondRegular sits on your store, where most product discovery happens through shoppable video. WhatsApp commerce sits next to it. A shopper might watch a clip on your site, tap a tagged product, then move to WhatsApp to ask about fit or COD, and finish the purchase on your normal checkout running on Razorpay, Cashfree or Shopify Payments. The widget brings the shopper in, WhatsApp handles the conversation, your store handles the money.
Common questions
Do I need the WhatsApp Business API or is the free Business app enough?
The free WhatsApp Business app is fine if you are small, replying by hand, and using a single number. The API becomes useful once you want automated order updates, abandoned cart messages, broadcasts to large lists, and a shared inbox for a support team. The API is accessed through providers like Interakt, AiSensy, Wati or Gallabox, who handle Meta approval, templates, and billing per conversation.
Can shoppers actually pay inside WhatsApp in India?
Yes. WhatsApp Pay supports UPI inside chats, so a shopper can pay without leaving the conversation. Many brands still prefer to send a Razorpay, Cashfree or PayU payment link, or push the buyer back to the store checkout, because it keeps order data, GST invoices, and analytics in one place. Pick whichever path matches how your finance and fulfilment stack already works.
Related resources
Conversational commerce
Conversational commerce is selling through chat surfaces like WhatsApp, Instagram DM, Messenger, and live chat, where a shopper asks questions, sees product options, and places an order inside the conversation. In India it leans heavily on WhatsApp, with payment links, COD confirmation, and order updates handled in the same thread.
Cash on delivery (COD)
Cash on delivery, or COD, is a payment method where an Indian shopper orders online but pays in cash to the courier at the doorstep when the package arrives. The store ships first and collects later. It is the most trusted checkout option for first-time buyers in India, especially outside metros.