Your customers browse products on WhatsApp, ask about sizes, check if something is in stock. Then you send them to a website to pay and half of them disappear. Here's how to close the sale right inside the chat.
The Problem
Customers message you on WhatsApp, confirm they want to buy, and then you send them to a website or ask for a bank transfer to pay. That's where you lose them. 70% of online carts are abandoned before checkout. Every step outside the conversation adds friction.
The Fix: Flutterwave Payment Links Inside WhatsApp
With the WhatsApp Business API connected to Flutterwave, the moment a customer confirms an order, a payment link is generated and sent right in the chat. They tap, choose M-Pesa, card, or bank transfer, pay, and get a confirmation. All inside WhatsApp. No browser, no redirect, no friction.
This works because Flutterwave supports 50+ payment methods across 35+ African countries. Whatever your customers use to pay, Flutterwave handles it.
What the Shopping Experience Looks Like
1.Customer messages your store"Hi, do you have the Nike Air Max 90 in size 42? How much?"
2.Your WhatsApp assistant pulls up the product Shows the item from your catalog. Confirms stock and delivery timeline.
3.Customer says "I'll take it"A Flutterwave payment link is generated instantly. The customer taps to pay with M-Pesa, card, or mobile money.
4.Order confirmed, receipt sentCustomer gets a WhatsApp confirmation with order details and delivery estimate. Your system logs the sale.
The customer browsed, asked questions, paid, and got a receipt without ever leaving WhatsApp. Customers who engage through chat are 2.8x more likely to convert compared to browsing a website alone. That's the difference.
What You Need Before Setting This Up
This assumes you already have a WhatsApp Business API account with a catalog set up. If your products are already browsable in WhatsApp, you're ready to add payments.
Coexistence warning for online stores: If you set up the WhatsApp Business API through coexistence (running it alongside the WhatsApp Business App), your catalog on the app does not sync to the API. This means the Flutterwave payment flow won't work. This integration only works if you're purely on the WhatsApp Business API with your catalog managed there.
Setup in 3 Steps
1 Get on the WhatsApp Business API
The regular WhatsApp Business App doesn't support payment link automation or catalog-to-checkout flows. You need the API. Providers like Intelli handle Meta verification and number setup. You can go live in about 15 minutes with your catalog imported.
2 Get your Flutterwave API keys
Log in to your Flutterwave dashboard and go to Developers, then API Keys. Copy your Public Key and Secret Key. You'll also need to add the Intelli webhook URL so payment confirmations are sent back to WhatsApp automatically. Flutterwave supports M-Pesa, cards, bank transfers, mobile money, and USSD across 35+ African countries.
3 Connect Flutterwave on Intelli
Go to Commerce > Payments on your Intelli dashboard. Click Configure, paste your Public Key and Secret Key, and save. Then build your catalog-to-checkout flow in Intelli's no-code flow builder. When a customer confirms an order, a Flutterwave payment link is generated and sent in the chat. When they pay, Flutterwave notifies Intelli via webhook, and a confirmation message goes out automatically.
No developer needed. Intelli has a no-code flow builder. The Flutterwave connection is pasting two keys and adding a webhook URL. The whole setup takes about 15 minutes.
How Online Retailers Are Using This
Product discovery to instant checkout
A customer messages asking about a product. Your WhatsApp assistant shows them the item from your catalog. They pick what they want. A payment link drops into the chat. They pay and get a receipt. Browse to buy in one conversation.
Recovering abandoned carts
A customer added items on your website but didn't check out. You send a WhatsApp message with the exact items they left behind and a payment link. They complete the purchase right in WhatsApp without going back to the site. Recovery rates on WhatsApp outperform email because the open rate is 90%+ compared to 20% for email.
New stock drops and restocks
New inventory arrives or a sold-out item is back. You broadcast to your customer list on WhatsApp with product images and prices. Interested buyers reply, your assistant confirms the order, and sends a payment link. From announcement to sale in one conversation. No need to drive traffic to your website first.
Repeat orders and reorders
A customer bought skincare from you 6 weeks ago. You send a personalized reorder reminder on WhatsApp with a payment link for the same products. One tap to pay. No searching, no logging into your website. This is how you grow customer lifetime value and build repeat purchase habits.
Flash sales and limited drops
You're running a 24-hour sale or a limited-edition drop. Broadcast to your VIP customer list with the offer and a direct payment link. Customers buy immediately from the message without navigating anywhere. Speed matters for urgency-driven sales, and WhatsApp delivers faster than any other channel.
Which WhatsApp Setup Supports This?
Not all WhatsApp setups work the same for e-commerce. Here's how the three options compare for online retailers.
WhatsApp Business App | Coexistence (App + API) | WhatsApp Business API | |
|---|---|---|---|
Catalog in chat | Yes (manual, app only) | App catalog only (not on API) | Yes (automated) |
Catalog available on API | N/A | No | Yes |
Flutterwave payment links | Manual copy-paste only | Not reliable | Fully automated per order |
Abandoned cart recovery | No | Yes (API side only) | Yes (with payment link) |
Broadcast to customers | 256 per list | Unlimited (API side) | Unlimited |
Order confirmation automation | No | Partial | Full (payment to receipt, automated) |
Multiple sales agents | 1 phone only | Shared inbox (API side) | Full team inbox |
Catalog + checkout + payment in one flow | No | No (catalog out of sync) | Yes |
The key takeaway for online stores: if you're on the WhatsApp Business App or coexistence, you can't automate the catalog-to-payment flow. The WhatsApp Business API is the only setup where your catalog, chatbot, and Flutterwave payments all work together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a developer to set this up?
No. Intelli has a no-code flow builder where you can build the catalog-to-payment flow yourself. You just paste your Flutterwave API keys and map your products to payment amounts.
Which payment methods does Flutterwave support?
Cards (Visa, Mastercard), bank transfers, mobile money, USSD, and more across 35+ African countries. Your customers pay with whatever method they already use.
Can I use this with the WhatsApp Business App?
No. The WhatsApp Business App doesn't support payment link automation or chatbot flows. You need the WhatsApp Business API. Providers like Intelli can get you set up in about 15 minutes.
What about coexistence (running the App and API together)?
The catalog on your WhatsApp Business App does not sync to the API when running coexistence. That means the Flutterwave payment flow won't work. You need to be purely on the WhatsApp Business API.
What does it cost?
Flutterwave charges standard transaction fees on each payment. For the WhatsApp API side, providers charge a monthly subscription (Intelli starts at $35/month) plus Meta's per-conversation fees. There's no extra charge for connecting the two.
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