Free digital catalog: how to make one and get orders on WhatsApp

“Can you send me prices?” “Do you have it in black?” “How much is shipping?” If you sell on Instagram or WhatsApp, you answer the same questions every day and send loose photos that get lost in the chat. A digital catalog fixes that: all your products with photos, prices and options in one link, plus a button so people can place their order.

Your customers are already in the chat. In a Kantar survey for Meta across 22 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, 73% prefer messaging to talk to a business, and 72% are more likely to buy from a brand that offers it (WhatsApp Business, 2025). In the United States, 56% of Hispanic adults use WhatsApp, compared with 32% of all adults (Pew Research Center, 2025), and in Brazil, 54% of the users surveyed have already bought products on WhatsApp (Opinion Box, 2025).

In this guide you'll see the 3 free ways to have your catalog, which one suits you, how to set up each one step by step, and how to bring your Instagram followers all the way to the order.

The 3 free ways to have a digital catalog

You don't have to pick just one. What works best is combining the last two: the WhatsApp catalog for people already in your chat, and a catalog page for everyone who comes from somewhere else, with a button that ends in a WhatsApp order that's already written.

What a digital catalog that sells needs

• Real photos of your products, with good light and a clean background. Several per product if it has details or different uses.
• The price in plain sight. No “DM for price”: many people who can't see the price don't even ask.
• Clear options: size, color, scent or finish, so nobody has to ask.
• A short description with what people ask about: measurements, material, care and delivery time.
• Sold-out items marked as sold out instead of deleted, so nobody asks for something you don't have.
• How to buy: how people pay and how they get it (shipping, hand delivery or pickup).
• An order button that sends the order on WhatsApp with everything the person picked.
• It opens instantly, without downloading an app or signing up.

Here's what a catalog with all of that looks like. Scroll it, tap a product to see its photos and options, and build an order; you can switch between the 8 designs above:

Option 1: the WhatsApp Business catalog

The WhatsApp Business app is free and comes with a catalog that shows on your business profile (WhatsApp Business). Here's how to set it up:

1. 1

   Open the catalog

   In the WhatsApp Business app, go to your business tools and tap Catalog.

2. 2

   Add an item

   Tap Add new item and upload up to 10 photos of the product.

3. 3

   Fill in the details

   Type the name and choose the country of origin, which is required. If you like, add the price, a sale price, a description, a link and a code.

4. 4

   Save it and wait for the review

   Tap Add to catalog. WhatsApp checks every image before showing it to your customers (WhatsApp).

• Up to 500 items, each with up to 10 photos or videos (WhatsApp Business).
• The cart: the customer adds products, changes quantities and sends you the cart as a message. The order is placed once you confirm it, and payment is arranged in the chat (WhatsApp).
• To share it, you can send a link to the catalog or to a product, and post it to your status (WhatsApp).

Option 2: your online catalog with WhatsApp ordering

A catalog page opens in any browser, so you can put it in your Instagram bio, on TikTok, in your WhatsApp status or on a QR code. With SocialMaker catalogs you can build yours in a few minutes:

1. 1

   Choose “Catalog” and start

   In the SocialMaker Studio, create a Catalog and start from the example or from scratch. If your price list is already in a photo, a PDF or some text, AI copies it exactly as it is, without making up products or prices (this uses AI credits, which come with the paid plans).

2. 2

   Review your products

   Add your products with a name, price, description and up to 9 photos. You can add options like size, color or scent, a crossed-out previous price and a label like “New,” and mark what's sold out. If you have your list on your phone, paste it in all at once.

3. 3

   Pick the design

   There are 8 catalog designs, from clean and simple to boutique, handmade or tech, each with its own colors and fonts. Switching designs doesn't delete anything.

4. 4

   Add your WhatsApp and publish

   Add your WhatsApp number and publish your catalog: it gets its own address, ready for your bio, your stories or your status. If you change a price, it updates instantly.

Whoever opens your catalog picks products and options, sees the total and taps Send on WhatsApp. WhatsApp opens with the order already written, and all they have to do is send it to you:

Animation: in the Barro y Palma catalog, someone adds a palm tote and a pair of earrings, opens their order and taps “Send on WhatsApp.” WhatsApp opens with the order already written: each product with its option and price, the total and “Can you help me with shipping?” The shop replies that it will send the total with shipping and how to pay.

socialmaker.ai/p/barro-y-palma

Added to your order.

Your order1 item · $58View order

Your order

1 × Woven palm toteNatural$58

1 × Filigree earringsGold$34

Total$92

Send on WhatsAppWhatsApp opens with your order already written; just send it.

Barro y Palmaonline

Hi Barro y Palma! I'd like to order:

• 1 × Woven palm tote (Natural) — $58

• 1 × Filigree earrings (Gold) — $34

Total: $92

Can you help me with shipping?

6:42 PM ✓✓

Thanks for your order! I’ll send you the total with shipping and how to pay.

6:43 PM

The order arrives already written: products, options and total, with no back-and-forth.

You can create and publish one catalog for free, with the Shop design, which already includes WhatsApp ordering, and the SocialMaker brand at the bottom. With the Starter plan you get all 21 designs for menus, catalogs and portfolios, no branding, a QR code to print and credits so AI can build your catalog from a photo or a PDF. The details are on Pricing.

How to bring your Instagram followers to your catalog

Lots of people discover your products on Instagram but end up buying on WhatsApp. Your catalog is the bridge between the two:

• In your bio: put your catalog link on your profile, or your SocialMaker link in bio, with your catalog, your WhatsApp and your socials on one page.
• In your stories: share a product with the link sticker and save those stories to a highlight called “Catalog.”
• In your WhatsApp status: post what's new with the link, for people who already have your number.
• With a QR code: on your bags, your business cards or your market stall, so people can see everything on their phone.
• For people who comment: with a SocialMaker automatic reply, anyone who comments “CATALOG” on your post gets the link by private message instantly, even while you're packing orders.

Examples for different businesses

Mistakes that stop orders

• Hiding your prices or only sending them by private message.
• Dark photos or photos taken from the internet: if they're not your products, people get suspicious.
• A heavy PDF that takes a while to open or that people have to zoom into.
• Not marking sold-out items: people ask for something you don't have and the conversation ends with “it's gone.”
• Not saying how people pay or how they get it: those are the two questions that stall a purchase the most.
• Taking too long to answer the order: having it arrive already written doesn't help if you confirm it the next day.

Frequently asked questions

A good digital catalog saves you messages and turns questions into orders. If you run a restaurant, also see how to make a digital menu with a QR code, and if you want to put your catalog together with your WhatsApp and your socials, see what to put in your link in bio.