How to build a product catalog you can share anywhere
Platforms already exist to show your products: messaging apps, social networks, classifieds, online shops. The problem is not being there, it is keeping a current catalog without spending an evening typing. They do not all cost the same time, and none of them alone makes you visible to new local customers.
Method 1: a catalog on an existing platform
WhatsApp Business, Instagram, Facebook Marketplace and online shops each give you a place to list products. For a stall, the most complete built-in catalog is often WhatsApp Business: customers browse it without leaving the conversation, through the storefront icon on your profile.
- In WhatsApp Business, open Settings, then Business tools.
- Choose Catalog, then Add product or service.
- Enter the name, price, description and an optional link.
- Add up to 10 images or videos per item.
- Group items into collections, and hide anything out of stock.
The limits worth knowing: everything is typed by hand, item by item. The catalog caps at 500 items. Each image goes through Meta's review, and a rejection blocks that item. And the catalog lives inside WhatsApp: it does not make you visible to people who do not already have your number.
Method 2: photos one by one, Instagram, Marketplace, or a shop
Outside a platform catalog, sellers usually land on one of three habits:
- Photos dropped into the chat. Fast, free, and unstructured: no price, no search, no history. Fine for three tomatoes, unusable for thirty references.
- Instagram or Facebook Marketplace. Better reach than a private chat, but every item is still typed by hand, the feed buries yesterday's post, and the customer often has to leave a comment to ask the price.
- A classic online shop (Shopify and the like). Powerful, with a monthly bill and a form per product. Sized for a boutique that rarely changes stock, not for a stall that changes every morning.
Method 3: generate the catalog from your photos, then share it
This approach reverses the order. You photograph your products, an analysis prepares the listings, and you share the result as a link or an image in WhatsApp, Instagram, Marketplace or a neighbourhood group.
That is how Agorali works: photo or short video, listings pre-filled with title, category and description, review, publish. The main gain is not the sharing, it is the data entry you avoid on your first fifty items. New buyers can also find you on the local map, which none of the methods above does on its own.
How they compare
| WhatsApp Business | Instagram / Marketplace | Classic online shop | Agorali | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data entry | Manual, item by item | Manual, plus captions and hashtags | A form per product, 5 to 15 minutes | Pre-filled from the photo, you review |
| Where it lives | Inside your WhatsApp profile | Inside Meta's feed | On a website the customer must find | Link or image, pasteable anywhere |
| New customers | No: they already have your number | Some, if the algorithm shows you | Only with SEO or ads | Yes, on the local map |
| Stock that changes daily | Tedious | Yesterday's post stays up | Heavy to keep current | Archive and republish in a few taps |
| Customer must install something | Instagram or Facebook | A browser is enough | Yes: the link opens the Agorali app | |
| Cost | Free | Free, then ads if you want reach | Monthly subscription | Free to start, then credits or a plan |
They are not mutually exclusive. Many stallholders keep WhatsApp or Instagram for regulars, and use a photo-generated catalog plus a local map to be found by everyone else.
Five rules for a catalog that spreads
- One clear photo per product. A group shot looks nice but sells no specific item.
- Always show the price. It is the first thing customers look for, and hiding it costs sales.
- Keep titles short. "Beefsteak tomatoes, 1 kg" beats "Our delicious garden tomatoes".
- Remove what is sold out. Nothing destroys trust faster than an unavailable item.
- Say where and when to pick up. The catalog creates the desire, the practical detail creates the order.
Build your catalog from your photos
Photograph or film your products, Agorali prepares the listings, you review and share your catalog as a link or an image. Free to start, with welcome credits on sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
Is the WhatsApp Business catalog free?
Yes, creating a catalog in the WhatsApp Business app is free. The constraint is not price but time: every item has to be typed in by hand, with its name, price, description and images.
How many items can a WhatsApp catalog hold?
The WhatsApp Business catalog holds up to 500 items, with up to 10 images or videos per item. Every image goes through Meta's review before it appears.
Can you share a catalog on WhatsApp without WhatsApp Business?
Yes. A catalog hosted elsewhere can be shared as a link or an image in any WhatsApp conversation, including from a personal account, and it works on other messaging apps too.
Is Instagram or Marketplace enough on their own?
They bring visibility, not a current stock list. A post from last Tuesday still shows as available. Use them to send people a link, not as the catalog itself.
What if my customers install nothing?
The catalog link opens Agorali: they need the app. For anyone who will not install it, share an image of the catalog in the conversation. They see the products without downloading anything.