Why WhatsApp for a Shopify store
In many markets — much of Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia — WhatsApp is the app people already use to talk to friends, family and, increasingly, the shops they buy from. A message there sits next to their conversations rather than in a promotions tab, and it can carry an image, a product name and a link back to your store.
That reach comes with stricter rules than email. Meta reviews every template you use to start a conversation, customers must opt in, and Meta watches how people react to your messages. A store that respects those rules gets a channel that feels personal; a store that ignores them sees its messaging limits cut. The rest of this page explains how it works and how Trisend handles each part.
How WhatsApp Business messaging works
Your business account and number
Marketing messages go through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform from a WhatsApp Business account that belongs to you. The number and the display name customers see are yours. With Trisend you connect that account once; you don't share a number with other stores.
Message templates
To message a customer first, you send a template: a pre-written message, with optional placeholders like {{1}} for a first name, that Meta has approved. Templates have a category (marketing or utility) and a language. A rejected template has to be fixed and resubmitted before you can use it.
The 24-hour customer service window
When a customer messages you, you can reply with normal free-form messages for 24 hours. Once that window closes, only a template can restart the conversation.
Quality rating and messaging limits
Meta rates each number green, yellow or red based on how customers respond — blocks and reports pull it down. The rating and your messaging limit tier decide how many people you can reach in a day.
WhatsApp in Trisend
Trisend's WhatsApp tools sit next to email and SMS, with the same segments, automations and revenue reporting. WhatsApp is part of the Growth plan and up.
Getting started
- Install Trisend and choose Growth or higherInstall from the Shopify App Store; the plan is billed on your Shopify invoice.
- Connect WhatsAppGo to Integrations → WhatsApp and follow Meta's guided sign-up. Trisend shows the connected number, its quality rating and its limit tier.
- Collect opt-insImport customers with a WhatsApp consent column, let them tick WhatsApp in the preference center, or count checkout SMS consent for WhatsApp too (a setting you choose).
- Create a template and submit itWrite it in Trisend or start from one of the ready-made WhatsApp templates, then wait for Meta's approval.
- Send a broadcast or add it to a flowPick a segment and send, or add a WhatsApp step to an automation such as abandoned cart.
Opt-in and opt-out rules Trisend enforces
- Consent first. Broadcasts and automation steps only go to contacts with recorded WhatsApp consent. It is never assumed.
- Opt-outs are honoured automatically. A “STOP” reply or Meta's marketing opt-out button unsubscribes the customer, and the opt-out is kept even if the contact is later deleted and re-imported.
- Approved templates only. A campaign whose template isn't approved pauses instead of failing message by message.
- Undeliverable numbers are marked. Numbers that can't receive WhatsApp messages are flagged and left out of future sends.
- Quality protection. If Meta rates your number red, Trisend pauses new broadcasts until it recovers.
Best practices for WhatsApp campaigns
- Send less than you would by email. WhatsApp feels personal; frequent promotions get blocked, and blocks hurt your rating.
- One message, one reason. A back-in-stock product, an order follow-up or a cart reminder works better than a generic newsletter.
- Personalise the placeholders. Map
{{1}}to the first name and keep a sensible fallback for customers without one. - Segment by engagement. Trisend's “WhatsApp engagement” segment field lets you target people who read or replied recently.
- Answer replies. A reply opens the 24-hour window — use the inbox to keep the conversation going.
What it costs
WhatsApp is included from the Growth plan ($79/month, 5,000 WhatsApp messages a month). Pro ($199/month) includes 20,000 and Enterprise ($499/month) 50,000. The same plans include email and SMS allowances — see pricing.
Meta charges its own WhatsApp messaging fees to your Meta account. Those fees are between you and Meta and depend on the countries you message and the template category.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my own WhatsApp Business account?
Yes. Trisend connects to your own WhatsApp Business account through Meta's guided sign-up, so messages go out from your number under your business name. If you don't have an account yet, the sign-up flow creates one.
Which Trisend plans include WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is on the Growth plan and up: Growth ($79/month) includes 5,000 WhatsApp messages a month, Pro 20,000 and Enterprise 50,000.
Can I send any message I like on WhatsApp?
Not to start a conversation. Business-initiated messages must use a template that Meta has approved. When a customer messages you, a 24-hour window opens in which you can reply freely from the Trisend inbox; after that, you need a template again. Trisend enforces this window for you.
How do customers opt in to WhatsApp messages?
Through a WhatsApp consent column in a CSV import, the WhatsApp checkbox in the email preference center, or — if you switch it on — the SMS marketing consent customers give at checkout. Trisend only sends WhatsApp marketing to customers whose WhatsApp consent is recorded.
Does Meta charge for WhatsApp messages?
Yes. Meta bills its WhatsApp messaging fees directly to your Meta account, because the account is yours. Your Trisend plan covers the number of messages Trisend sends for you each month.
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