WhatsApp inbox, broadcasts & bot

Retailos's WhatsApp hub connects your own Meta business number directly to your store — giving you a shared team inbox, broadcast campaigns, and an auto-reply bot, all without a third-party reseller in the middle.

How to set it up

1. Go to /app/whatsapp/settings and enter your Meta Cloud API credentials: your access token, phone number ID, and webhook verify token. These come from your Meta Business / Facebook Developer account.
2. Once saved, Retailos registers the webhook automatically so incoming messages start flowing into the inbox.
3. Head to /app/whatsapp to confirm the connection is live — you should see your number listed as active.

That's it. Your workspace is now running on the same official Meta Cloud API that tools like Wati and Interakt are built on — you just connect directly instead of going through a reseller.

How it works

Team inbox

• /app/whatsapp shows every incoming conversation in one shared inbox.
• Assign conversations to specific team members so nothing falls through the cracks.
• Multiple agents can work simultaneously without stepping on each other.

Broadcast campaigns

• Go to /app/whatsapp and create a new broadcast campaign.
• Pick a customer segment to target and choose an approved template message to send.
• Because Meta requires pre-approved templates for outbound messages, make sure your templates are approved before scheduling a campaign.

Template manager

• Manage all your WhatsApp message templates from within /app/whatsapp.
• Submit new templates for Meta approval and track their status here.
• Approved templates can be used immediately in broadcasts or bot replies.

Auto-reply bot

• Set up keyword-triggered or flow-based auto-replies inside /app/whatsapp.
• The bot handles incoming messages when no agent is available, or routes customers to the right team.
• Use approved templates for bot-initiated messages outside the 24-hour customer service window.

Good to know

• It's the official API. Retailos uses Meta's Cloud API directly — not a grey-market or unofficial gateway. Your account stays compliant with Meta's policies.
• One number per workspace. Each Retailos workspace connects one Meta phone number. Make sure the number you use is registered in Meta Business Manager before you start.
• Template approval is Meta's process. Retailos submits and tracks templates, but approval decisions and timelines are controlled by Meta, not Retailos.
• Shopify sync is separate. Customer segments you use for broadcasts can reflect your store data, but WhatsApp conversations themselves are managed inside Retailos, not synced to Shopify.

Troubleshooting

Messages aren't coming into the inbox. Double-check your webhook verify token in /app/whatsapp/settings. If it doesn't match what's set in your Meta Developer app, the webhook handshake will fail.

Broadcast shows "template not approved". The template's status must be Approved in Meta before it can be sent. Check the template manager inside /app/whatsapp and re-submit if it was rejected.

Agent can't see a conversation. Conversations assigned to another team member won't appear in a personal queue. Check the full inbox view in /app/whatsapp to find unassigned or reassigned threads.