How to connect WooCommerce to WhatsApp, step by step
WooCommerce stores have more moving parts than Shopify: plugins, custom order statuses, caching and hosting all affect whether events reach your WhatsApp tool. Most setup problems come from those, not from WhatsApp.
This guide covers the WooCommerce-specific steps, then the automations to switch on.
Prepare your checkout
- Make the phone field required and validate the country code.
- Add a WhatsApp opt-in checkbox that names your store.
- Check that the phone field saves to the order, not only to the customer profile.
Connect the store
- Start Meta's signup inside your WhatsApp provider and connect your number.
- Install the provider's WooCommerce plugin or connect with API keys, following its instructions.
- Grant read access to orders and, for cart recovery, to carts or checkouts.
- Place a test order and confirm the event arrives in the provider.
Map your order statuses
| Status | Message | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Processing (prepaid) | Order confirmation | Utility |
| Processing (cash on delivery) | Confirm, cancel or pay now | Utility |
| Shipped (custom status or shipping plugin) | Shipped with tracking | Utility |
| Completed | Delivered | Utility |
| Cancelled | Cancellation confirmation | Utility |
Custom statuses and shipping plugins
Many WooCommerce stores add a shipped status through a shipping plugin. Make sure your WhatsApp tool can see it; otherwise the shipped update will never fire. If it cannot, use the completed status for a combined shipped message and skip the delivered one.
Caching and security plugins
Exclude cart and checkout pages from page caching, and allow your WhatsApp provider's requests through any security plugin. Blocked requests are the most common reason cart recovery silently stops working on WooCommerce.
Templates to approve first
- Order confirmation (utility).
- COD confirmation with buttons (utility).
- Shipped with tracking (utility).
- Cart reminder (marketing).
Switch on in this order
- Order confirmations.
- COD confirmation, if you offer cash on delivery.
- Shipped and delivered updates.
- Cart recovery, with a stop rule tied to new orders.
- Campaigns, only to opted-in customers.
Turn off old notifications
If you used a WhatsApp notification plugin before, switch it off once the new setup is live, or buyers will receive two messages for every order.
Testing checklist
- A prepaid order and a COD order each trigger the right message.
- The shipped message fires when your shipping plugin marks the order.
- A cart left on a phone receives one reminder, and none after ordering.
- Variables such as names and totals display correctly.
Costs
Order messages are utility, ₹0.115 each to Indian numbers from 1 October 2026; cart reminders and campaigns are marketing at ₹0.8631. Check whether your provider adds a markup to either.
Troubleshooting
- No messages at all: template not approved, or the number lacks a country code.
- Cart reminders not firing: cart events blocked by caching or security plugins.
- Shipped message missing: the shipped status is not visible to the provider.
- Duplicates: an old plugin still sending.
Our pick: Tadlo AI
Tadlo AI
Our top pick
Best for: WooCommerce stores connecting WhatsApp
Tadlo AI's Growth plan, ₹2,499 a month, includes WooCommerce order events on the same terms as Shopify: order updates, COD confirmation with prepaid switch and cart recovery, with no markup on Meta's charges.
Price: Free forever plan with up to 10 messages a day. Starter ₹999, Growth ₹2,499, Pro ₹5,999 and Scale ₹11,999 a month, priced on unique contacts engaged per month. Meta's message charges are billed by Meta directly to your own account, and Tadlo adds no markup. Prices exclude GST.
Strengths
- No markup on Meta's message charges: Meta bills your own WhatsApp Business Account directly, and Tadlo only charges a flat plan
- Built for D2C: abandoned cart recovery, COD to prepaid nudges and order updates from Shopify and WooCommerce (Growth plan and above)
- Instagram comments to WhatsApp chats, which most WhatsApp-only tools cannot do
- Priced on unique people reached, not on every message, so you can follow up without counting sends
- Number health checks every 15 minutes, gradual ramp-up for new numbers and automatic opt-out handling
- Your WhatsApp Business Account is created inside your own Meta business account, so it stays yours
Limitations
- Newer than AiSensy, WATI or Interakt, with a shorter track record
- Commerce automations start on the Growth plan (₹2,499 a month)
- Tadlo AI is onboarding brands in stages, and you request access on its WhatsApp page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect WhatsApp to WooCommerce?
Use a WhatsApp Business Platform provider with a WooCommerce plugin or integration, map order statuses to approved templates, and add opt-in at checkout.
Do I need a developer to connect WooCommerce to WhatsApp?
Usually not. Most providers offer a plugin or step-by-step connection. A developer helps if your store uses custom order statuses or heavy caching.
Why are my WooCommerce WhatsApp messages not sending?
Usually a template that is not approved, phone numbers without a country code, or caching and security plugins blocking events.
Can WooCommerce send COD confirmations on WhatsApp?
Yes, through a provider that reads COD orders. Tadlo AI asks buyers to confirm, cancel or switch to prepaid from its Growth plan.
Which WhatsApp tool works best with WooCommerce?
We recommend Tadlo AI, which includes WooCommerce events from Growth. WATI has an official WooCommerce integration, and AiSensy includes it on paid plans.
Sources
- tadlo.ai: Tadlo AI WhatsApp automation. Plans, features, Meta rates and onboarding checked 16 October 2026.
- Meta WhatsApp Business Platform pricing,
developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/pricing. Rates effective 1 October 2026; page updated 30 September 2026. - WATI WooCommerce integration,
support.wati.io/en/articles/11463110-how-to-integrate-wati-with-woocommerce.