Store events (a new order, a fulfillment, a tracking update…) flow from Shopify into WhatsDesk, which sends the message through Meta's official Cloud API to your customer's WhatsApp. You connect your own WhatsApp Business number, so messages are billed by Meta directly to you (no markup).
Meta charges per message by template category and the recipient's country; the replies you send inside the 24h window are free. Example rates for United States (per message, in USD):
| Message type | Per message |
|---|---|
| Marketing (promotions) | $0.0250 |
| Utility (order & shipping updates) | $0.0040 |
| Authentication (codes) | $0.0135 |
| Service (your replies within 24h) | Free |
In your Meta app, open WhatsApp → API Setup and copy these values into WhatsDesk → Connection:
After saving, WhatsDesk shows a Callback URL and a Verify token. Paste both into your Meta app → WhatsApp → Configuration (the Webhooks section) and subscribe to the messages field. This is what lets you receive replies and delivery statuses.
WhatsApp requires approved templates to start conversations (anything outside the 24-hour window). In WhatsDesk → Templates you can sync the ones already approved on Meta, or create new ones (they go to Meta for approval, usually minutes).
{{1}}, {{2}}… in the body. Later you map them to order data.Under Automation you create rules that fire on store events. Each rule = one event + one approved template + variable mapping.
Events: New order → staff / New order → customer / Order paid / Order fulfilled / Tracking update (fires when tracking is added) / Order delivered / Order cancelled / Refund created / New customer.
{{1}}, {{2}}…) with placeholders. You can mix free text and several placeholders inside a single variable — e.g. put the whole message in {{1}} like "your order {order_number} ships to {customer_first_name}". Placeholders include {order_number}, {order_total}, {products}, {customer_first_name}, {tracking_url} and more. The live preview updates as you type.Conversations is a WhatsApp-Web–style inbox for two-way chat. You can reply with text, emoji and media within the 24-hour customer service window (the window opens each time the customer messages you).
Outside the window you can only send templates. If you set a default template (Settings, §8), WhatsDesk lets you type free text any time and delivers it through that template. Click a contact's name to see their Shopify profile, recent orders and products.
Direct message lets you send a 1:1 WhatsApp to any customer: search by name, email or phone, pick the number, type your message — it's delivered via your default template, so it works even outside the 24h window.
For proactive marketing, capture consent. WhatsDesk offers four opt-in surfaces — no theme code needed, you add the block from Shopify's editors:
Opt-in is also captured automatically from an order attribute or customer tag named whatsapp_optin.
{{1}} template used to send free text (direct messages + outside the 24h window). Pick one without a media header for the most reliable delivery.Analytics shows conversations and Meta cost over 7/30/90/365 days, broken down by month and day. Meta bills per delivered template by category and country — see Meta's pricing.
Pro unlocks four features that set WhatsDesk apart:
An assistant that reads each incoming WhatsApp message and drafts a reply grounded in your real store data — order status, tracking, product search, store policies — it never invents. You bring your own Anthropic API key (from console.anthropic.com), so you only pay Anthropic for usage. Two modes: Copilot (it suggests a reply in Conversations; you tap Send, Edit or Dismiss) and Autopilot (it answers automatically inside the 24h window — free). Set it up in Settings → AI customer agent: enable, paste your key, pick mode and model, and optionally add a brand voice and an FAQ/policy note. It replies in the customer's language.
WhatsDesk credits the revenue it helped create: when an order arrives from a customer you'd messaged on WhatsApp in the previous 7 days, that order is attributed to WhatsApp. See the total in Analytics → «Revenue from WhatsApp». Nothing to configure.
Sell straight from the chat. In Conversations, tap the 🛍️ button, search your catalogue and pick a product — WhatsDesk drops a tidy message (title, price and link) into the composer for you to send. Inside the 24h window this is free.
Send an interactive in-chat form — returns request, COD confirmation, NPS survey, lead capture. Build and publish a Flow in WhatsApp Manager → Flows, paste its Flow ID (and a button label and message) into Settings → WhatsApp Flows, then send it from the inbox with the 📋 button. The customer's submitted answers are logged in the conversation (and feed the AI agent).
One of the highest-ROI uses of WhatsApp. When a shopper starts a checkout but doesn't finish, WhatsDesk sends a reminder with a one-tap link straight back to their cart.
{{1}} (the recovery link) in the body or a URL button.read_products/read_orders permissions and the checkout webhooks (active after the app is deployed).Reach many customers at once, or schedule a message for later — from the Campaigns page.
VIP). Use {first_name} / {last_name} in the variables to personalise each message.Make the inbox effortless and always-on.
Send a welcome on a customer's first message and an away notice outside your business hours (split shifts supported, in your store timezone). Configure a version per installed language in Settings → Auto-reply; the customer gets it in their language. They go inside the 24h window, so they're free.
Save canned answers (with a shortcut and a language) and insert them into the chat with one tap on the ⚡ button — no retyping.
If a customer replies STOP / unsubscribe (in any language), WhatsDesk unsubscribes them automatically, confirms it, and stops proactive messages to that number — protecting your number's reputation. START re-subscribes.
Free: 1 number, two-way live chat, quick replies, welcome auto-reply, 1 automation, templates, opt-in & STOP compliance, message log. Pro ($7.99/mo or $79.99/yr): the AI agent, abandoned-cart recovery, campaigns, out-of-hours away messages, conversational catalog, WhatsApp Flows, revenue attribution, unlimited automations, direct messages, analytics, multiple numbers, multi-language and priority support. You always pay Meta separately for the messages themselves.