You do not need a website, a Shopify subscription, or a developer to start selling products online in the Philippines. If you have a smartphone and a SIM, you already have most of what you need. This is a practical, tested walkthrough of how to set up a WhatsApp catalog in the Philippines so customers can browse your products, tap what they want, and order — all inside one chat.
WhatsApp is not the biggest chat app in the PH (that title still goes to Messenger and Viber), but it is the one buyers trust for money conversations, OFW families abroad use it daily, and it has a built-in catalog feature that Messenger's native tools do not. If you sell to overseas Filipinos, resellers, or anyone who wants a cleaner "shop" feel than a Facebook album, a WhatsApp catalog earns its place.
What a WhatsApp catalog actually is
A WhatsApp catalog is a mini product gallery that lives inside your WhatsApp Business profile. Each item has a photo, a name, a price in pesos, an optional description, and a link. Customers open your chat, tap Catalog, scroll, and add items to a cart or message you directly about one. No landing page, no checkout plugin, no hosting bill.
Two things it is not: it is not an automatic payment system (you still collect via GCash, Maya, QR Ph, or COD), and it is not a full storefront with inventory sync. For a sari-sari-scale seller or a home-based food/beauty/fashion business, that is fine — and often better, because there is nothing to maintain.
Before you start: the free app vs the API
You can build a catalog on the free WhatsApp Business app in about 20 minutes. That is where almost everyone should begin. You only outgrow it when you have multiple staff replying, need to send order updates to hundreds of buyers, or want a bot answering "magkano po?" at 2am. At that point you move to the WhatsApp Business API and a smart inbox — the trade-offs are laid out plainly in Outgrowing the Free WhatsApp Business App: When Filipino SMBs Need the API and a Smart Inbox. Start free; upgrade only when the volume forces it.
Step 1: Set up WhatsApp Business (not regular WhatsApp)
Download WhatsApp Business from the Play Store or App Store. Use a number you can dedicate to the shop — a spare SIM (Globe, Smart, DITO) or your existing business number. During setup, fill in the business profile properly, because buyers read it before they trust you with money:
- Business name exactly as customers know it
- Category (e.g. Retail, Food, Beauty)
- Address or "Online only" and your service area
- Hours so people know when to expect a reply
- A clear logo or product photo as the display picture
Step 2: Add your products to the catalog
Go to Settings → Business tools → Catalog (on some phones it is under the shopping-bag icon in the chat list). Tap Add product or service and, for each item:
- Upload up to 10 photos — shoot in daylight, plain background, real product (not a stock image).
- Enter the product name and price in PHP.
- Write a description with the details buyers always DM to ask: size, flavour, variant, "how many pcs per order", shipping notes.
- Add a link if you have one (a Facebook post, a Google Form, or leave it blank).
- Tap Save, then Add to catalog.
Do not dump 60 items in one sitting. Start with your 8–12 best sellers, get the flow working, then expand. A tight catalog converts better than an overwhelming one.
A quick note on prices and BIR
If you are selling regularly for profit, you are a business in the eyes of the BIR even without a physical store. Listing prices publicly is exactly the visibility that makes registration worth sorting early. If you are unsure whether a Facebook or chat seller needs to register, BIR Registration for Online Sellers: Do Shopee, Lazada & Facebook Sellers Need It? answers it directly for PH sellers.
Step 3: Share the catalog so people actually see it
A catalog no one opens sells nothing. Push it where your buyers already are:
- Share the catalog link (Catalog → Share) in your Facebook and Instagram bio and posts.
- Pin a "🛒 View our catalog" message with the link.
- Add it to your click-to-WhatsApp ads and comment-to-DM replies.
- Include it in your email signature and Viber broadcasts.
Many PH buyers first meet you on Messenger or Instagram, then move to WhatsApp to pay. Getting all those chats into one place saves you from missing orders across four apps — the setup for that is covered in One Inbox for Viber, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram: How Filipino SMBs Stop Juggling Chat Apps.
Step 4: Take the order and get paid
Here is the loop that closes the sale. Buyer taps a product → hits Message business → the item drops into the chat with its photo and price → you confirm stock, total, and delivery. Then you collect payment. Your realistic options in the PH:
| Payment method | Best for | Speed | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| GCash | Most buyers, small ticket | Instant | GCash number or send-money link |
| Maya | Buyers who prefer Maya | Instant | Maya number / QR |
| QR Ph | Any bank/e-wallet, one code | Instant | A QR Ph merchant code |
| Bank transfer | Larger orders | Same-day | Account details |
| COD | First-time / hesitant buyers | On delivery | Courier (J&T, Flash, LBC) |
The cleanest move is to send a payment link or QR right in the chat instead of dictating an 11-digit number that gets mistyped. How to do that end-to-end is spelled out in How to Accept GCash Payments in Chat: Send Payment Links and QR Ph Right From Your Inbox. And if you want one QR that accepts GCash, Maya, and every bank at once, How to Get a QR Ph Merchant Code and Take Payments Anywhere (GCash, Maya, Banks) walks through getting the merchant code.
Step 5: Automate the repetitive replies
Once a few orders a day come in, you will retype the same three things constantly: the price list, the delivery fee, and "how to pay po". Use the free app's quick replies and greeting/away messages to handle these. When even that is not enough — you are asleep, or five people DM at once during a live-sell — a chat bot that quietly takes the order and delivery details for you is the next step. That is a Remarketly job: it plugs into the same WhatsApp number, answers in Taglish, sends the catalog, and captures name-address-item without you lifting a finger. The order-taking flow is broken down in How to Set Up a Chatbot That Takes Orders and Delivery Details Automatically (PH Sellers).
Common mistakes to avoid
- Blurry or borrowed photos. PH buyers screenshot and compare. Real, sharp photos build trust.
- No price shown. "PM for price" kills momentum. List it.
- Ignoring seen messages. Reply within minutes during your posted hours, or set an away message that says when you will.
- One number for personal + shop. Keep them separate so your catalog and business hours stay clean.
Start small, sell today
You can have a working WhatsApp catalog live before lunch: install the Business app, add your ten best products with honest photos and peso prices, share the link, and be ready to send a GCash or QR Ph request when the first "interested po" lands. Add a bot and a unified inbox only when the orders outgrow your thumbs.
If you would rather have the catalog, the Taglish order bot, and GCash/QR Ph payments working together from one WhatsApp number, that is exactly what Remarketly sets up for Filipino sellers — book a quick walkthrough and we will get your first catalog live with you.