In Saudi Arabia many sales end in a WhatsApp chat. A customer sees a post, taps the button and asks about the price, the location or the delivery time. Whoever answers fast and clearly gets the order. This guide shows how to set up WhatsApp Business properly in one afternoon, so every chat starts well even when you are busy.
The app or the API?
- The WhatsApp Business app is free and fits most small businesses: one number, a phone and a few linked devices.
- The WhatsApp Business API, through a provider, fits when several people reply at once, when you need automated flows, or when you run many click to WhatsApp ads. Meta charges per message for some message types, so check the current rates before you move.
Set up the profile first
- Name: the same name customers see on Instagram, so they know it is you.
- Category and description: what you sell and where, in one or two lines.
- Address and hours: with the map pin, and update the hours for Ramadan and Eid.
- Links: your website and your Instagram account.
- Profile photo: your logo icon, readable at a tiny size.
Add a catalog
The catalog lets you list up to 500 products or services with photos, prices and short descriptions, and send any of them inside a chat in one tap. It has no checkout, so end each item description with how to order: reply in the chat, or use the link to your store.
Messages that work while you are busy
- Greeting message: sent automatically to a new customer, and to anyone who writes after two weeks of silence. Welcome them and say what you can help with.
- Away message: sent outside your hours. Say when you will reply.
- Quick replies: up to 50 saved answers you send by typing / and a shortcut, such as /hours or /location.
Get six ready replies for your business, in Saudi Arabic or English, with our WhatsApp replies kit.
Labels keep orders from getting lost
Labels colour your chats by stage, such as new customer, new order, paid and delivered. You can make up to 20 of them, and filter your chats by label at the end of the day to see who is still waiting.
Broadcasts and the law
A broadcast list sends one message to up to 256 people, and only people who saved your number receive it. Before you send any offer, remember that the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law asks for people's consent before marketing messages. Ask customers if they want to hear about offers, keep a note of who said yes, and make it easy to stop.
Connect it to Instagram and know where chats come from
Add the WhatsApp button to your Instagram business profile, and link it in your bio. To see which platform brings the chats, give each one its own ready message: a link like wa.me/966XXXXXXXXX?text=Hello%20from%20Instagram fills in the first message, so you can count chats by source. For links to your website, use our <a href="{p}/services/analytics-reporting/#track-links">tracked link builder</a>.
When to get help
Our social media management service sets up your WhatsApp, Instagram and the link between them, replies to messages every day on the packages that include it, and reports how many chats became orders.
Frequently asked questions
Is WhatsApp Business free?
The WhatsApp Business app is free. The API, used through a provider, has a monthly provider fee and Meta charges per message for some message types.
How many people can I send a broadcast to?
Up to 256 people per broadcast list, and only people who saved your number receive it.
Can I send offers to all my customers on WhatsApp?
Only to people who agreed to receive marketing messages. The Saudi Personal Data Protection Law asks for consent first.
What is the difference between the greeting and the away message?
The greeting message goes to new customers and to people who write after two weeks of silence. The away message goes to anyone who writes outside your working hours.
Want every WhatsApp chat to end in an order? Book a free call.