WhatsApp catalogue questions: how customers ask, and how your AI agent should answer
The catalogue in the WhatsApp Business app lets customers browse what you sell without leaving the chat. It also creates a particular kind of message: a customer taps an item, sends it to you and writes "is this available?" or nothing at all. This guide explains how those questions arrive, what an AI agent connected through Spaces can and cannot do with them, and how to keep the catalogue and the agent's notes saying the same thing, so nobody is quoted a price you changed months ago.
What the catalogue is, in plain words
The catalogue is a list of products or services attached to your WhatsApp Business profile. Each item can have a name, a photo, a description, a price if you want to show one, and a link to your website. Customers find it from your business profile, from a catalogue button in the chat, or from a link you share.
It is a shop window, not a shop. In the WhatsApp Business app, a catalogue does not take payment, check stock or book appointments by itself. It shows customers what you offer and gives them an easy way to point at something. Everything after that, from "yes, we have it in a medium" to "it is ready to collect on Friday", still happens in the conversation.
That is why the catalogue and the chat need to agree. Menu names and positions change between app versions and phones, so if something looks different on yours, look for the nearest match or check the platform's own help pages, which are always more current than any guide.
How customers actually ask about catalogue items
Catalogue questions come in a handful of shapes. Knowing them helps you write notes your agent can follow.
| What the customer does | What usually arrives in the chat | What they really want to know |
|---|---|---|
| Taps an item and sends it to you | The item, often with its name, picture and price, and sometimes no words at all | Is it available, can I have it, how do I get it |
| Sends an item with a question | "Do you have this in blue?" with the item attached | A variation the catalogue does not show |
| Sends several items, or a basket where the app offers one | A list of items and quantities | A total, a delivery or collection time and how to pay |
| Screenshots the catalogue | A photo of one or more items | The same as above, but the agent has to read the picture |
| Asks without looking | "What do you sell?" or "Prices?" | A short answer and a pointer to the catalogue |
| Quotes an old price | "It says £18 on your catalogue" | Whether you will honour what they saw |
How a shared catalogue item shows up can vary between phones, app versions and connected tools. It may arrive as a product card, as text with the item name, as a link or as a picture. Tell your agent to ask which item the customer means whenever it is not clear, rather than guess.
What your AI agent can and cannot do with the catalogue
You scan a QR code with the phone that has the number, the same way you would link WhatsApp on a computer. Once connected, your AI agent reads the conversations on your number and replies in them. It can open photos and files customers send, which helps with screenshots, and it can reply with text or photos of its own.
| The agent can | The agent cannot |
|---|---|
| Read the item or screenshot a customer sends and answer in the chat | Edit, add or remove catalogue items. You do that in the WhatsApp Business app. |
| Answer price, size and availability questions from the facts in its notes | Check live stock in your till or shop system through Spaces. Spaces does not connect to shops. |
| Take down an order or a reservation in the chat and tag it for you | Take payment in the chat through Spaces. |
| Hand the chat to a person when it needs one | Know about a price change you made in the catalogue but not in its notes |
If you want the agent to check stock or create an order in another system, that is something the AI agent does through its own tools, if you set that up. Spaces is the part that lets it read and answer your WhatsApp safely.
Keep the catalogue and the agent's notes in step
The single biggest problem with catalogue questions is two sources of truth. The catalogue says one price, the agent's notes say another, and the customer screenshots the one that suits them. Decide which is the master copy and update the other at the same time.
| In the catalogue | In the agent's notes |
|---|---|
| Item name exactly as customers see it | The same name, plus any nicknames customers use |
| Price, if you show one | The same price, and what to say if a customer quotes an older one |
| Short description | The details people ask about: sizes, colours, materials, allergens, lead times |
| Photo | Nothing needed, but say whether the photo shows the exact item or an example |
| Website link | When to send the link and when to take the order in the chat |
| Items you have hidden or removed | A line saying they are no longer available and what to offer instead |
A simple habit works well: whenever you change the catalogue, change the notes in the same sitting. If you use a business brief in Spaces, your agent can update one part of it, such as a new price, when you tell it to.
A worked example
Names and details are examples.
| Who | Message |
|---|---|
| Customer | [Sends the "Linen apron, sage" item from the catalogue] |
| AI agent | Hi Ellie, thanks for your message. The sage linen apron is £24 and we have it in stock in one size with an adjustable strap. Would you like to collect it from the shop or have it posted? |
| Customer | Posted please. Do you do it in navy? |
| AI agent | Navy is sold out at the moment and due back next month. I can post the sage one today, or put a navy one aside for you when it arrives. Which would you prefer? |
| Customer | Sage is fine. Same address as last time. |
| AI agent | Lovely. I have noted one sage apron to post to the address on your last order. Priya will send you the payment link shortly and confirm the postage. |
Notice what the agent did. It named the item so there was no doubt, gave the price and the one thing customers always ask about, offered a choice, and passed payment to a person because the owner's notes said so. It did not invent a restock date: "next month" came from the notes.
Before and after: answering a silent item
A customer who sends an item with no words is still asking a question. Here is the same message answered two ways.
| Reply | Why it works or does not |
|---|---|
| "Hi, how can I help?" | It makes the customer do the work. Many will not reply. |
| "Hi Sam, that is our walnut chopping board, £38, in stock and ready to post or collect. Would you like one?" | It shows you understood, answers the likely question and asks for the next step. |
When a customer sends several items
Where the app lets customers send a basket, or when someone sends three items one after another, the agent should repeat the list back before anything else. A clear summary avoids the most common mix-up, which is the wrong size or quantity.
Customer basket, read back:
- 2 x Sourdough loaf, white
- 1 x Cinnamon bun box (6)
- 1 x Oat milk, 1 litre
Total from our price list: £21.50
Collection: Saturday from 9:00, or local delivery on Friday afternoon.
"Is that all correct, and which would you like?"If anything in the basket is no longer sold, the agent should say so first, offer the nearest alternative, and only then give the total.
Notes to give your AI agent
WhatsApp catalogue:
- Our catalogue and these notes must agree. If they differ, use these notes and tell me.
- When a customer sends an item, name it, give the price and stock from these notes, and ask one next-step question.
- If you are not sure which item they mean, ask. Do not guess.
- If a customer quotes an older catalogue price, honour it once if the difference is under £5, otherwise hand the chat to me.
- We take payment by link. Tag the chat "order" and hand it to Priya to send the link.
- Removed items: oak boards, gift box (old style). Offer the walnut board instead.
- Restocks: say "due back next month" for navy aprons. Never give a date.How the limits fit catalogue chats
Catalogue questions are nearly always replies to customers who wrote in, which is the safest thing an account can do. Spaces paces replies at least 10 seconds apart, and a reply to someone who wrote in is never held back by the daily limits.
Starting new chats is different. If you want the agent to message past customers about a new catalogue item, remember that the first message to someone new is plain text, with no links, photos, files or voice notes. New chats and follow-ups go out between 8:00 and 21:00 local time. A reply to someone who wrote in the last two hours goes out at any time. The same or nearly the same message goes to at most 2 new people a day, so your agent writes each first message for the person it is going to.
Spaces also always refuses one thing: the same cold message sent to many people. Spaces refuses copy-paste blasts. A new catalogue item is a reason to mention it in replies, not a reason for a broadcast.
Common mistakes
- Changing a price in the catalogue and forgetting the agent's notes, or the other way round.
- Leaving sold-out or seasonal items visible for months, so customers keep asking for them.
- Using catalogue photos that show a colour or size you do not sell.
- Letting the agent promise delivery dates the notes do not contain.
- Asking "how can I help?" when the customer already showed you exactly what they want.
- Sending catalogue links as the first message to people who never wrote to you.
What if...
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| A customer sends an item you removed | Tell the agent in its notes what to offer instead, and say clearly that the old item has gone. |
| The catalogue shows no price | Give the agent the price list, or tell it to ask a couple of questions and hand the chat over for a quote. |
| The customer wants something made to order | Have the agent collect the details, such as size, colour and date, then hand the chat to you. |
| A screenshot is too blurry to read | The agent should ask which item it is, in one friendly line. |
| You want to stop the agent while you fix the catalogue | Pause all sending in your dashboard. Reading keeps working, and you resume when you are done. |
A five-minute monthly catalogue check
- Open your catalogue as a customer would and scroll through every item.
- Hide anything sold out for more than a few weeks or no longer made.
- Check every price against your till or price list.
- Read your agent's notes and fix anything that now disagrees.
- Look at last month's catalogue questions and add the most common answer to the item description.
Who you message
Summing up
The WhatsApp catalogue turns "what do you sell?" into "I want this one", which is a better conversation to be in. Your AI agent can answer those questions well as long as it knows what the catalogue says. Keep one master copy of prices, update the notes whenever the catalogue changes, and teach the agent to name the item, answer the obvious question and ask for the next step.
Pricing
FAQ
Can my AI agent see my WhatsApp catalogue?
It sees catalogue items when a customer sends one into the chat, and it can open photos and screenshots customers send. It does not browse or edit the catalogue itself, so give it the same prices and details in its notes.
Can the agent add or change items in my catalogue?
No. Spaces works with your conversations, not your catalogue. You add, edit and hide items in the WhatsApp Business app as usual.
What should the agent say when a customer quotes an old price?
Decide in advance and put it in the notes. Many owners honour a small difference once and hand anything bigger to a person, which keeps the agent from making promises you would not make.
Can customers pay for catalogue items in the chat?
Not through Spaces. Most small businesses send a payment link or take payment on collection. The agent can tag the chat as an order and hand it to the person who sends the link.
Can the agent check live stock?
Not through Spaces, which does not connect to shops or stock systems. If you want live stock answers, set that up in the AI agent's own tools, or keep stock notes current for the items people ask about most.
Should I show prices in the catalogue?
If your prices are fixed, yes, because it saves a round of questions. If prices depend on the job, leave them off and give the agent a few questions to ask before handing the chat over for a quote.
Can the agent message past customers about a new item?
Only carefully. A new chat on WhatsApp only goes to people who messaged your number before or whom you marked as opted in, the first message is plain text, and the same message goes to very few new people a day. Mention new items in replies instead.
What if a customer sends an item and says nothing?
Treat it as a question. The agent should name the item, give the price and availability, and ask whether they would like it, rather than replying "how can I help?".