WhatsApp's Product List Message or PLM feature allows a business to send a native message type that can configure a list of up to 30 items. It can also be organized into sections or categories.

PLM can be used in the user journey as the bot says or in freeform and not a template, so there are no approvals required to create it.

Each item has a dedicated Product Display Page (PDP) that can be accessed by selecting the item in the PLM. A PDP allows customers to view more information about the items.

From the PDP page, the customer can select the item and quantity and add it to the cart using the Add to Cart button. This cart will persist in the chat thread until the customer sends the cart to the business.

The business receives the cart as ‘Order Message’. The business can then confirm the order and take the next steps such as asking for the delivery address or requesting payment.

PLM provides an enhanced E-commerce experience on WhatsApp

• An easier way to share products with end-user. It is easy to adapt for less tech-savvy users and reduces drop-out rates
• Fewer steps than numbers text-based lists, increase the efficiency of commerce on WhatsApp making it more competitive with a business’s website or app for converting sales
• It’s highly personalized to the customer because the items are populated dynamically (without templates), and as such and can be used for use cases such as re-ordering, increasing relevance for the customer and increasing conversions for the business.

What are some examples of use cases?

What are the policy violations and enforcements for products in the catalog?

• Do not send messages that would violate WhatsApp’s Commerce and Business Policies.
• Product List Messages will also be subject to the existing enforcement and data sharing rules for product catalogs
  • Rejection at Product Catalog Level: WhatsApp has ML models that auto review items added to a WhatsApp Native Catalog. This may cause a small delay between uploading new items and being able to use them in a Product List Message. If a policy-violating item is added to Native Catalog it's flagged and the business is linked to the WA Commerce Policies.
  • Reporting options for the user at the Product Catalog Level: Users can report a PDP on the Native Catalog. If a user reports the product, it gets reviewed for violations and follows a process of rejection and the option to appeal if applicable.
• Businesses can appeal for disapproved items directly in Catalog Manager. If you wish to do this in bulk on behalf of your client, you may file an internal appeal via fburl.com/appeal.

What are the character limits for a Product List Message?

Cart and Order messages

What is the structure of a cart?

• Users can see and edit the number of items currently in the cart from the cart view 
• Entry points to ‘current cart’ will be PLM List View (if something is in the current cart) and PDP
• From the PDP the customer can select the item and quantity and add it to a cart with the business, stored locally on the customer’s device. 
• The business receives the cart as an ‘order message’. The business can then confirm the order and take the next steps, such as asking for the delivery address or requesting payment 
• Cart is scoped to a single chat thread with a single business (no cart across chat or in groups)
• The cart will persist in the chat thread until the customer sends the cart to the business as a message. If a user has an item in the cart and leaves the Product list view, returns to the chat thread, and then navigates back to the product list view, the state of the cart will persist. 

What happens when a user sends a cart to a business?

• Users can ‘send’ their cart back to a business in a 1:1 chat thread. This becomes an Order message.
• A business using WA Biz API can receive the order message as a webhook notification. Cart message contains structured information about the items (including the quantity of items) requested.
• Users can forward a Product List Message to another user.