Non-Shopify Account Catalog Configuration

Builds a Meta Catalog from an uploaded XLSX file. The flow consists of four stages: file upload, field mapping, import validation, and catalog settings.

Prerequisites

• Meta Catalog assigned to the WhatsApp channel, with the vertical set to Commerce

• Product data exportable to XLSX, containing at minimum the nine required fields

Tutorial Video

Watch how to upload, map, and publish your product catalog to WhatsApp step by step.

Stage 1: Upload the File

Navigate to Settings → Channels → WhatsApp → Catalog. The card displays No catalog set yet.

1. Click Upload catalog items to open the Upload/Update Catalog Items modal.

2. Drag and drop the file into the upload area, or click to browse.

Only XLSX files are accepted. The file must follow the format of the provided sample.

✅ Tip: Click Download sample file in the upload modal to obtain a correctly formatted template before preparing your data.

Stage 2: Map Your Data

After upload, the Map Your Data modal lists each catalog field alongside a dropdown of columns detected in your file. Selecting a column populates the File Preview column with a sample value from that column, allowing verification before import.

⚠️ Warning: Next remains disabled until every required field is mapped.

Add More Fields Option

Add more fields for the richer product attributes of your products. Click + Add more fields to open the Edit fields modal, which lists additional catalog attributes grouped by category. A search field is available for locating specific fields.

Required fields are pre-selected and cannot be deselected. Select the optional fields you need and click Save Changes — they are added as additional rows on the mapping screen and must be mapped like required fields.

Required Fields

Field	Description
id	Unique product identifier
title	Product name
description	Product description
availability	Stock status: in stock / out of stock / available for order
condition	Product condition: new / refurbished / used
price	Price with ISO 4217 currency code
link	Product page URL
image_link	Main product image URL, minimum 500×500px
brand	Brand name, or at least one of mpn / gtin

Optional Fields

Category	Fields
Identification & Grouping	item_group, gtin, mpn, product_type, google_product_category, fb_product_category, additional_image_link
Pricing & Promotions	sale_price, sale_price_effective_date
Physical Attributes	color, size, gender, age_group, pattern, material
Logistics & Checkout	shipping, tax, inventory, origin_country
Segmentation & Ads	custom_label_0 – custom_label_4
Shops	rich_text_description

Click Next to run validation.

Stage 3: Import Validation

The Import Catalog Items modal validates each row in the file against the field mapping and reports one of three outcomes.

Outcome	Available actions
All items valid	Import all items
Some items valid	Skip invalid items and import the remainder, or upload another file
No items valid	Upload another file

For partial and failed validations, click See detailed report to download a row-level breakdown of which items failed and why.

When some items are valid, selecting Skip invalid confirms the import of valid items only. Selecting Upload another file returns you to the upload step, where a corrected file can be submitted and remapped.

Use the back arrow at the top left of the modal to return to the mapping step without discarding the upload.

Stage 4: Catalog Settings

After a confirmed import, the Catalog Settings modal displays the imported item count and the remaining configuration fields.

Field	Requirement	Description
Choose Meta Catalog Id	Required	The Meta Catalog to publish products to
Show catalog on	At least one	Profile displays the catalog on the WhatsApp Business profile; Add to cart allows products to be added to a cart before ordering

ℹ️ Note: Availability and product category are not configured here. Those values come from the corresponding columns in the uploaded file.

Two additional actions are available from this modal:

• Download — export the imported item list

• Update items — upload a replacement file

Click Save to publish the catalog.

After Configuration

Once saved, the Catalog tab displays the imported product list with the product count, Catalog ID, and last synced timestamp.

Products take 15–20 minutes to appear in the WhatsApp catalog while Meta processes and publishes them.

Updating the Catalog

Click Upload & Settings at the top right of the Catalog card to upload a revised file or change catalog configuration. Uploading a new file re-runs the mapping and validation stages.

ℹ️ Note: There is no scheduled sync for XLSX-sourced catalogs. Product changes take effect only after a new file is uploaded and imported.

⚠️ Warning: Disconnecting a Meta Catalog is not available in the platform interface. Submit a disconnection request to your customer success representative.