How to Create a Click to WhatsApp Link and QR Code for Your Shop

1. Three links every seller should know

Every shop on WhatsApp ends up sharing three kinds of links. They all look alike at first, because each one starts with a short web address. The job each link does is quite different, and picking the right one saves your buyer time and saves you repeated questions.

The chat link opens a conversation with you. A buyer taps it and lands in a chat with your shop, ready to type or to send a message that you have already written for them. Use this link when you want a person to ask a question, place an order or book a service. It is the right link for visiting cards, shop boards and social media pages where the next step is a talk with you.

The catalog link opens your in app catalog. Inside WhatsApp Business you can add products with photos, prices and descriptions, and the catalog link takes a buyer straight to that list. Use it when a buyer asks what you have or what is new this week. It answers with pictures instead of a long typed list.

A catalog page on the web opens in any browser, even for a buyer who has not opened WhatsApp yet. This is where a service like Catalink fits for many sellers. One page shows your whole range in a clean order, and when a buyer taps a product, the page brings them back into your WhatsApp chat about that exact product. Use it when you want to share the full range in one place, such as in your Instagram bio.

2. Build your chat link

Before you build the link, make sure the number you plan to use already runs your shop account. If it does not yet run WhatsApp Business, set that up first with our guide on how to create a WhatsApp Business account. Once the account is live, you can build your link in a minute.

You build the chat link from your own number, written in one fixed pattern. The link starts with wa.me/ and then your number in full international format. For India that means the country code 91 followed by your ten digit mobile number, all written together with no plus sign, no spaces and no brackets. The pattern looks like this: wa.me/91XXXXXXXXXX where each X stands for one digit of your own number.

• Decide which number buyers should reach. Use the number that carries your WhatsApp Business account, not an old personal number that you rarely open during the day.
• Write the country code and the number together as one long string of digits. For an Indian number, the part after wa.me/ should hold twelve digits in total, the code 91 plus your ten digits.
• Read the digits back once, slowly, and match them against the number written on your shop board or your visiting card.
• Type the full link in your phone browser and open it. It should take you to a chat screen for your own shop.

You can also add a ready written message to the link. Add ?text= after the number and write the message with %20 in place of each space. For example, wa.me/91XXXXXXXXXX?text=I%20want%20to%20order adds a short opening line. When a buyer taps such a link, that sentence sits ready in the chat box, and the buyer only has to press send.

You can change those words to name a product or a service. A boutique can ask about the new kurta set, a bakery about a birthday cake, and a salon about a booking slot. A buyer who starts with a product name gives you a clear first reply to work with, instead of a bare hello.

3. Get your catalog link

Your catalog link works in a similar way, but it opens your catalog instead of a blank chat. Its pattern is wa.me/c/ followed by the same number in full international format, so a sample Indian link looks like wa.me/c/91XXXXXXXXXX. A buyer who taps it sees your products first and can start a chat from any product.

• Open WhatsApp Business and go to the catalog area from your business tools or from your profile. Menu names vary a little between versions of the app.
• Add at least a few products with clear photos, correct prices and short descriptions, so the link opens on a page that is worth sharing.
• Open your catalog and tap the share option that the app shows you.
• Copy the link the app gives you and paste it where you want to use it, exactly as the app wrote it.

Do not retype this link by hand and do not try to shorten it. Catalog links from the app are auto generated and cannot be customised, and editing one can break it. A single changed letter can send the buyer to a dead page, so always copy and paste.

Test the copied link once before you share it. Paste it into your browser or send it to a family member. You should see your catalog with your shop name and your products. If you see an error page, go back to the app and copy the link again.

4. Turn the link into a QR code

A link works well on a screen, but a shop also needs a way for a person standing in front of you to reach the same place without typing. That is the job of the QR code. The buyer points a phone camera at the code, and the phone opens your link.

The Business app shows your short link together with a QR code under its business tools. Menu names vary a little between versions, so look for the short link option inside that area. From there you can share the code, save it as an image, or send it for printing.

If you need a printed code in a bigger size, you can also make one from your link with any QR maker on the web. Paste the full link, download the code image, and check that the maker has not changed the address in any way.

• Print one code for the shop counter, near the billing desk, where buyers wait and have a free minute to look at their phones.
• Add a small code to your packaging, carry bags and parcel cards, so a happy buyer can order again without searching for your number.
• Put the code on bills and receipts with one plain line above it that tells the buyer what the code does, such as scan to see our full catalog or scan to order again.

5. Put the links where buyers already look

A link earns its keep only when buyers see it at the moment they want to buy. Place each link where that moment already happens, and match the link to the place. A chat link suits a place where a question comes first. A catalog link suits a place where the buyer wants to browse before talking to you.

• Instagram bio. Your bio link is prime space, because a person who saw your reel is one tap away from a chat. Our guide on turning Instagram messages into sales without a website shows how that path works from post to order.
• WhatsApp status. When you post a new arrival on status, add the catalog link or the chat link in your reply to viewers, so passing interest turns into a real chat on the same day.
• Visiting card and shop board. Print the QR code in a clear size and write the short link below it in large letters. A buyer who takes a photo of your board can still reach you weeks later from that photo.
• Bills, packaging and delivery notes. A small code here reaches a person who has already bought once and trusts you, which makes a second order far easier to win than a first one.
• Broadcasts to saved contacts. When you send an offer to people who know your shop, add the right link inside the message so one tap takes them to the product. Our guide on broadcast messages for sellers covers how to send offers without annoying people.

Keep the set small and steady. Use the same links in the same places for a few months, so repeat buyers learn where to tap. Update a link only when your number or your catalog changes, and then update it in every place at once.

6. Mistakes and testing

Most link problems are small typing errors that are easy to miss. A buyer who taps a broken link rarely writes to tell you. They simply move on to the next shop. A short test saves that silent loss.

• Wrong country code. A link built with only the ten digit number and no country code will not open the right chat for many buyers.
• An old personal number. If your link points to a number you no longer use for the shop, orders sit unseen in the wrong chat list for days.
• Spaces typed into the link. A space in the middle breaks the address, and a plus sign or brackets copied from your contacts can do the same harm.
• Editing the catalog link. The app made that link in a set format, and a hand edit can break it even when the edited version looks neat and short.
• Never testing as a customer. Your own phone can hide errors because it already knows your account, so a test on your phone alone is not enough proof.

Test every link from a second phone before you share it widely. Tap it as a buyer would and check three things. The chat or catalog that opens should carry your shop name, the ready written message should appear if you added one, and the number shown should be your shop number. Test the printed QR code the same way, using the printed sheet.

Repeat the test after you change your number, your phone or your catalog. Links sit at the door of your shop, and a door that opens cleanly is worth ten minutes of care.

7. Frequently asked questions

Is a wa.me link free?

Yes. A wa.me link is just a link format that WhatsApp accepts, and building one costs nothing. You type the address, share it, and buyers tap it. You pay only for printing if you choose to print the QR code at a print shop.

Can I change the number inside my link later?

A new number means a new link, because the number is part of the address itself. Build the link again with the new number, update it in your bio, your cards and your saved messages, and print fresh QR codes. Keep the old number active for some time so buyers using old cards can still reach you.

What is the difference between the chat link and the catalog link?

The chat link opens a blank chat, with an optional ready written message sitting in the box for the buyer to send. The catalog link opens your product list inside WhatsApp, where the buyer can browse first and then start a chat from a product. Use the chat link for questions and bookings, and the catalog link for browsing.

Can I see how many people clicked?

The app does not give you a click count for these links. Judge the result by the chats that start and the orders that follow after you place a link in a new spot. If a new placement brings more first messages that name a product, the link there is doing its job.

Get started

Pick one link from this guide and place it well today. Build your chat link, test it on a second phone, and put it in your Instagram bio or print its QR code for the shop counter. Small steps like this turn passing viewers into chats that you can actually answer.

If updating a catalog inside the app feels slow, Catalink gives your shop one clean catalog page on the web that you can share anywhere. The first month is free, then it is Rs 500 per month for unlimited products, and no card is needed for the free month. Orders land in your own WhatsApp chat.