Which notifications to send and when
A complete e-commerce WhatsApp notification flow covers five key events: order confirmation (immediately after payment), preparation in progress, shipped with tracking number, out for delivery today, and delivered. Each corresponds to a separate template in the Utility category.
The most anticipated notification is 'shipped': the customer has been waiting and wants to know their order is on its way. This notification must include the tracking number as clickable text and a direct link to the carrier's tracking site.
Integration with e-commerce platforms
For Shopify, the fastest method is using Shopify's native order webhooks that send an event to Chat API whenever the order status changes. Chat API handles the logic of which template to send based on the received event.
For WooCommerce, plugins are available that integrate directly with Chat API, or alternatively WooCommerce's native webhook can be configured to call a custom endpoint that then calls the Chat API.
For custom platforms or proprietary ERP, the integration is achieved via Chat API's REST API: when the order status changes in your system, the backend calls Chat API passing the client's number and the template name to send with the order variables.
Handling international numbers
If your e-commerce sells in multiple countries, make sure customer numbers are saved in international format with the country code (e.g., +39 for Italy). Chat API handles international delivery automatically, but the number format must be correct to avoid errors.
Optimizing notifications to reduce tickets
Add to the 'shipped' notification a direct link to the support page or a pre-filled WhatsApp message ('I have an issue with order #12345'). This reduces generic calls to the call center and brings requests in with context already pre-filled.
Include in the 'delivered' notification a rating request with quick-reply buttons (stars or numbers). Reviews collected via WhatsApp have a completion rate three times higher than traditional post-purchase emails.
