How to integrate WhatsApp with Shopify for your store

WhatsApp is the silver bullet in sales.  Over 69% of consumers are more likely to finish a purchase from ecommerces that allow them to interact via WhatsApp.

If you haven’t started using a WhatsApp Shopify integration for your online store , SleekFlow is here to give you the ultimate how-to guide. 

What is the WhatsApp Shopify integration?

The WhatsApp Shopify integration is a powerful tool that enables Shopify store owners to connect their online stores with WhatsApp, allowing for seamless communication with customers. 

This integration leverages WhatsApp’s widespread usage and convenience to enhance customer engagement, improve support, and boost sales. Here are the key features and benefits of the WhatsApp Shopify integration:

• Real-time Customer Support:

Store owners can provide instant customer support through WhatsApp, addressing inquiries, resolving issues, and assisting with purchases directly within the chat.

• Order Notifications:

Customers receive automated notifications about their orders, including order confirmation, shipping updates, and delivery status, ensuring they are always informed about their purchase status.

• Personalised Marketing:

Businesses can send personalised marketing messages, promotional offers, and product recommendations to customers, leveraging WhatsApp's high open and response rates.

• Abandoned Cart Recovery:

The integration can send reminders to customers who have abandoned their carts, encouraging them to complete their purchases and thus reducing cart abandonment rates.

• Increased Sales and Conversions:

By facilitating direct and personalised communication, the integration can help increase sales and conversions, as customers are more likely to make purchases when they receive prompt and relevant responses.

Overall, the WhatsApp Shopify integration offers a seamless way to enhance customer experience, streamline communication, and drive sales, making it a valuable addition for Shopify store owners looking to leverage the popularity and convenience of WhatsApp.

Why integrate WhatsApp with Shopify?

Integrating WhatsApp with Shopify streamlines customer communication and enhances support. Businesses can offer real-time assistance, quickly addressing inquiries and resolving issues, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. Automated order confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery notifications keep customers informed, reducing uncertainty about their purchases.

Beyond support, WhatsApp integration elevates marketing efforts with personalized promotions, product recommendations, and cart recovery reminders—all delivered directly to customers' WhatsApp inboxes. With high open and response rates, businesses can drive more conversions. Plus, rich media like images and videos create a more engaging and interactive shopping experience.

Setting up the integration is simple and requires minimal technical expertise. Businesses also gain access to analytics and insights, helping them track customer interactions and campaign performance. This data-driven approach optimizes marketing strategies, increases sales, and strengthens customer relationships.

How to integrate WhatsApp in Shopify?

For start using a WhatsApp Shopify integration, you first gonna need a WhatsApp Business API account.

WhatsApp Business free application allows businesses to create a profile to display their company name, logo, website, location, working hours and product catalogue. It offers some basic tools to automate replies and check messaging statistics. 

Medium to large companies often use the WhatsApp Business API, a powerful tool designed to handle business communications at scale. This allow:

• A large team of customer service representatives can access one WhatsApp Business account at the same time.

• Develop marketing automation tools to broadcast personalised messages at scale. 

• Integrate with your existing e-commerce store to send targeted messages like order notifications and shipping updates.

• Green tick official verification and company name displayed on the profile even if the customer has not saved the business in their contact list, giving customers a confidence boost and reducing spam complaints.

• Create advanced chatbots with AI technology.

How to integrate WhatsApp with Shopify

Step 1: Create an Official WhatsApp API account through a WhatsApp Partner

Contact a WhatsApp Business API official provider like SleekFlow, and apply. You will need a valid phone number and a Facebook Business Account  to submit the application. The whole process could take up to 2 weeks.

Read our guide if you want to know more about WhatsApp Business API?

Step 2: Connect your official WhatsApp Business account to SleekFlow

Once your Official WhatsApp API account is approved and provisioned, connect it to SleekFlow and manage WhatsApp messages in the inbox.

Other than being a WhatsApp manager, SleekFlow also allows you to connect to other channels, including Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM and your live chat widget to check incoming messages from all your existing channels in one place.

Step 3: Integrate Shopify to SleekFlow

Start your Shopify integration on SleekFlow’s ‘Add Integration’ section. Here’s a checklist to complete a  successful integration: 

• An eligible Shopify account 

• Admin access to your linked Shopify page

• Permission of access to private apps

• Permission of read access to Products, Customers and Orders

• Link the private app with SleekFlow

Fill in your Shopify Shop URL and API Password to connect your Shopify store to SleekFlow. If you wish to see your customer’s abandoned cart and order history on Inbox, you can synchronise customer contacts and orders from Shopify to SleekFlow with just their email or phone number. 

After the integration, you can view Shopify order information, including the latest order items, fulfilment statuses and payment records right next to the customer’s inbox. This is particularly useful when customers enquire about their order status through WhatsApp, and you can track it at a glance. 

Step 4: Send Shopify order updates through WhatsApp

Use SleekFlow’s automation tools to send order updates to your customers using WhatsApp messages. Create an automation rule that runs based on event triggers, for example:

• Send order confirmation message once the customer has paid

• Send order shipping status update once the order is delivered

Step 5: Send abandoned cart reminder through WhatsApp

Remind your customers to check out the items in their abandoned carts. You can copy the order URL and approach them on WhatsApp to encourage them to place an order.

Benefits of using the WhatsApp API Shopify integration

Turning casual visitors into paying customers—and keeping them coming back—is one of the biggest challenges for online stores. However, Shopify store owners can integrate WhatsApp to extend their sales efforts beyond the e-commerce site. Here’s how WhatsApp can help:

• Provide instant support – Answer customer questions in real time to remove purchase doubts.

• Encourage quick action – Help customers make faster decisions with immediate, helpful responses.

• Enhance customer service – Send real-time order updates, shipping confirmations, and fulfillment alerts.

• Ensure secure conversations – Chat with end-to-end encryption for added data protection.

• Understand customer behavior – Gain insights into purchase intent and habits to boost retention.

What does WhatsApp Business API pricing model look like? Check out our pricing guide for details.

5 practical ideas to use WhatsApp to boost Shopify shop sales

Looking for ways to increase sales on Shopify using WhatsApp? Here are five practical strategies to drive conversions and improve customer engagement.

Recover abandoned carts with WhatsApp reminders

Set up event-driven automation to send checkout reminder messages when a customer leaves items in their cart. Common reasons for cart abandonment include unexpected costs, slow delivery, or complicated checkout processes. Use chatbots to identify customer concerns and offer solutions—like an instant, time-limited promo code—to encourage them to complete their purchase.

Send automated transactional update messages

Keep customers informed with automated order confirmations, dispatch notifications, and delivery updates. This is especially useful for handling delays or cancellations, ensuring transparency and reducing customer frustration.

Simplify checkout with one-click payment links

Make purchasing seamless by sharing shopping cart details and sending a direct payment link via WhatsApp. With no need for new account sign-ups, customers experience a frictionless checkout process, leading to higher conversion rates.

Manage customer relationships through WhatsApp CRM

Juggling multiple platforms for customer interactions can be inefficient. A Shopify-WhatsApp integration allows you to view a customer’s WhatsApp chat alongside their Shopify purchase history and order status. This enables faster, more personalized responses, improving customer satisfaction and retention.

Collect data and analyse shopping behaviour

Segment customers based on their Shopify purchase history and send targeted WhatsApp messages. Use upselling (e.g., suggesting a phone with better camera features) or cross-selling (e.g., recommending a phone case for a recent phone purchase). Track WhatsApp engagement metrics and link them to actual Shopify sales, turning messaging insights into actionable sales data.

Check out how the healthy meal delivery company Nutrition Kitchen uses SleekFlow to increase sales.

SleekFlow is definitely suitable for any direct-to-consumer business, or anyone who needs to have regular communication with customers.

Wilfred Belsey

Head of Retention & CX