11:40 at night. A message lands on the phone of a home baker in Durgapur: “Didi, chocolate cake for Saturday? Price? Eggless?”
She is asleep. By morning the customer has ordered from someone else, someone whose WhatsApp replied on its own with a price list and a cheerful “We will confirm by 9 am!”
WhatsApp Business is a separate, free app from Meta, made for small businesses. It looks and works like the WhatsApp you know, so customers notice no difference, but it adds tools for you: a business profile, a catalog, automatic messages and ways to sort your chats.
First: which number?
- Your current number. You can move your existing WhatsApp account to the Business app and keep your chats. The catch: one number can only be on one of the two apps at a time, so your personal and business chats will share it.
- A separate number (a second SIM). Cleaner if you get many orders: personal chats stay on ordinary WhatsApp, business on the Business app, and you can run both on one dual-SIM phone.
- The shop landline. WhatsApp Business can be registered on a landline, verified by a voice call. Customers then reach the number already painted on your signboard.
Set it up in this order
Install and verify
Download WhatsApp Business (the green icon with a “B”) from the Play Store or App Store, enter your number and verify it.
Fill in the business profile
Business name, category, a short description, address (or just your area), opening hours, and a link if you have one. Your free My West Bengal page works as that link. Use your shop’s photo or logo as the profile picture, not a selfie.
Build a catalog
Add your items or services with a photo, price and one line of description: “Chicken biryani (2 pc) ₹180”, “Fan repair, visit charge ₹150”. Customers can browse it from your profile, and you can send any item into a chat instead of typing prices again.
Turn on the greeting and away messages
In Business tools, set a greeting message for first-time customers (“Namaskar! Today’s menu is in our catalog. Order by 11 am for lunch.”) and an away message for outside your hours, so nobody is left on “seen”.
Make quick replies
Save answers you type ten times a day, such as your UPI ID, your address and landmark, or delivery charges, as quick replies. In a chat, type “/” and pick one.
Label your chats
Use labels like “New order”, “Payment due” and “Delivered” to see at a glance who is waiting for what.
Getting the number out there
- A chat link. wa.me/91 followed by your ten-digit number opens a chat with you in one tap. Put it in your Instagram bio, your Google Maps profile and your directory listing. The app also gives you a QR code to print for the counter.
- Status for daily specials. Post today’s menu, a new stock arrival or a Puja offer as a Status. It disappears after 24 hours. By default only people you have saved, and who have saved you, see it, so save your regular customers’ numbers, or change who can see your Status in its privacy settings.
- Broadcast lists, used gently. A broadcast reaches only people who have saved your number. Send what they asked for (the weekly menu, a restock alert), not three forwards a day.
Questions people ask
Is WhatsApp Business free?
The app is free to download and use, including the catalog, labels and automatic messages. Meta charges only for its separate paid services for larger businesses.
Will I lose my chats if I switch?
Moving the same number from WhatsApp to WhatsApp Business keeps your chat history. Back up first, as you would before any phone change.
Can customers pay inside WhatsApp?
Most small shops in Bengal simply share a UPI ID or QR code in the chat, saved as a quick reply. Check the amount in your own UPI app before handing over the order.
Can I use it on a computer?
Yes. WhatsApp Web and the desktop app work with WhatsApp Business, which helps when you are typing out a long menu.