Glossary

WhatsApp marketing glossary

Clear definitions of the WhatsApp Business terms every Shopify merchant runs into: the API, message templates, per-message pricing, opt-in rules, messaging limits and more.

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50 terms explained

A

Abandoned cart recovery

Abandoned cart recovery is the practice of messaging shoppers who added items to their cart but left without buying, to encourage them to complete the purchase.

AI agent

An AI agent is a conversational assistant that autonomously answers customers, qualifies their needs, and guides them to a purchase, going beyond the scripted replies of a classic chatbot.

An authentication template is the WhatsApp message template used to send one-time passcodes and verification codes. It is the only template category allowed for identity verification, and it follows a fixed format set by Meta.

Away message

An away message is an automatic reply the WhatsApp Business app sends when a business is unavailable. Customers who write receive a message saying the business is away, which can be scheduled and limited to chosen contacts.

B

Broadcast

A WhatsApp broadcast is one message sent to many contacts at once, each of whom receives it as an individual chat. On the WhatsApp Business Platform, a broadcast is a marketing template sent to a list or segment of opted-in customers.

BSUID (business-scoped user ID)

A BSUID (business-scoped user ID) is the pseudonymous identifier a business receives in place of a phone number when a WhatsApp user with a username keeps their number private.

Business solution provider (BSP)

A Business Solution Provider (BSP) is a company authorized by Meta to give other businesses access to the WhatsApp Business Platform, usually through its own software. Meta now calls these companies partners and splits them into Solution Partners, Tech Providers and Tech Partners.

C

Carousel template

A carousel template is a WhatsApp marketing template that shows a row of 2 to 10 cards the customer swipes through, each with its own image or video and its own buttons, in a single message.

Click-to-WhatsApp ads

Click-to-WhatsApp ads are Facebook and Instagram ads whose button opens a WhatsApp chat with the business instead of a website. The shopper sends the first message, which lets the business reply freely and, under Meta's pricing, for free during a limited window.

Coexistence

Coexistence is a WhatsApp capability that lets a business use the same phone number on the WhatsApp Business App and on the API at the same time, instead of choosing one or the other.

Conversation-based pricing

Conversation-based pricing was WhatsApp's billing model until June 30, 2025: Meta charged businesses once per 24-hour conversation. Since July 1, 2025, Meta charges per delivered message instead, by message category and recipient country.

Conversational commerce

Conversational commerce is the practice of selling and supporting customers through messaging channels like WhatsApp, where buying happens inside a chat.

Customer service window (24-hour window)

The customer service window is a 24-hour timer that starts when a WhatsApp user messages or calls a business. While it is open, the business can reply with free-form messages; once it closes, it can only send approved message templates.

D

Drip campaign

A drip campaign is an automated sequence of messages delivered over several days, triggered by an event such as a signup, a first purchase, or an abandoned cart.

E

Embedded signup

Embedded Signup is Meta's onboarding flow that lets a business create or connect its WhatsApp Business account from inside a partner's product. In one window, the business logs in, registers a phone number and gives the partner's app access to its WhatsApp assets.

F

Frequency capping

Frequency capping, which Meta calls per-user marketing template limits, is a WhatsApp rule that limits how many marketing template messages one person receives in a given period, counted across all businesses. A capped message is not delivered and is not charged.

G

GB WhatsApp

GB WhatsApp is an unofficial, modified version of WhatsApp made by third parties and distributed outside the official app stores. WhatsApp lists it among unofficial apps: using it breaks its Terms of Service and can get the account banned.

I

Interactive message

An interactive message is a WhatsApp API message with elements the customer taps instead of typing: up to three reply buttons, or a list of up to ten options. Each tap returns a structured answer to the business through a webhook.

M

Marketing template

A marketing template is a WhatsApp message template used for promotion: offers, product launches, back-in-stock alerts or cart reminders. It can be sent at any time to customers who opted in, and Meta charges each delivered message at the marketing rate of the recipient's country.

Message template

A message template is a pre-written WhatsApp message that Meta approves before a business can send it. Templates are the only messages a business can send outside the 24-hour customer service window, for example to start a conversation or run a campaign.

Messaging limits

Messaging limits are the maximum number of unique WhatsApp users a business can message outside a customer service window within a moving 24-hour period. A new business portfolio starts at 250, then moves to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited.

Meta Verified

Meta Verified for Business is a paid monthly subscription that gives a business on WhatsApp a verified badge (a blue checkmark), impersonation protection and account support. It is subscribed to from the WhatsApp Business app.

O

Official business account (blue tick)

An Official Business Account (OBA) is a WhatsApp Business Platform phone number that Meta has verified as belonging to an authentic business. It shows a blue checkmark next to the business name; the green tick it replaced no longer exists.

On-premise API

The On-Premises API was the original version of the WhatsApp Business API, which businesses or their providers hosted on their own servers. Meta retired it: its final version expired on October 23, 2025, and the Cloud API is now the only option.

Opt-in

A WhatsApp opt-in is the permission a person gives a business to send them messages on WhatsApp. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy requires it before any message: the business must have the person's phone number and their agreement to hear from that business.

Opt-out

A WhatsApp opt-out is a person's request to stop receiving messages from a business on WhatsApp. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy requires businesses to respect every such request, whether it is made on WhatsApp or elsewhere.

Q

Quality rating

The quality rating is the score WhatsApp gives a business phone number, and each of its message templates, based on how recipients react: blocks, reports and read rates. It is shown as high, medium or low (green, yellow, red).

Quick replies

Quick replies are saved message shortcuts in the WhatsApp Business App that insert a frequently used answer when the user types a slash command.

R

RCS (rich communication services)

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the messaging standard that upgrades SMS in a phone's default messaging app, with high-resolution media, read receipts and typing indicators. For businesses, RCS Business Messaging adds verified senders, rich cards and suggested replies.

S

Segmentation

Segmentation is the practice of splitting a WhatsApp contact list into groups based on traits like purchase history, behavior, or engagement, so each group receives messages that are actually relevant.

Session message

A session message is a free-form WhatsApp message a business sends inside the 24-hour customer service window, without an approved template. Meta's official name for it is service message, and it is charged since October 1, 2026 beyond a monthly free tier.

T

Template pacing

Template pacing is a WhatsApp mechanism that holds part of a template send until the first recipients have reacted. If the early feedback is good, the rest is delivered; if it is bad, the template is paused and the held messages are dropped.

U

Utility template

A utility template is a WhatsApp message template that follows up on something the customer did or asked for: an order confirmation, a shipping update, a payment receipt. It must not contain promotional content, otherwise Meta re-categorizes it as marketing.

W

wa.me link (click-to-chat)

A wa.me link is WhatsApp's official click-to-chat URL. Opening it starts a conversation with a specific number, without the visitor saving the contact first.

WABA (WhatsApp Business Account)

A WABA (WhatsApp Business Account) is the account that represents a business on the WhatsApp Business Platform. A business needs one to send and receive messages through the API and to create message templates; it holds the phone numbers, the templates and the billing setup.

Webhook

A WhatsApp webhook is an HTTP request with a JSON payload that Meta's servers send to a business's server whenever something happens on its WhatsApp account, such as an incoming message or a delivery status change.

WhatsApp Business API

The WhatsApp Business API is the programmatic interface of the WhatsApp Business Platform: software, not a phone app, sends and receives WhatsApp messages for a business. Today it means the Cloud API hosted by Meta, billed per delivered message.

WhatsApp Business app

The WhatsApp Business App is a free mobile application designed for small businesses to chat with customers, with a catalog, quick replies, and automated greeting messages.

WhatsApp Business Platform

The WhatsApp Business Platform is the set of APIs Meta offers businesses to message customers on WhatsApp at scale: the Cloud API, the Business Management API and the Marketing Messages API. It is separate from the WhatsApp Business app, which runs on a phone.

WhatsApp Catalog

A WhatsApp catalog is a list of products or services, with names, images, prices and descriptions, that a business connects to its WhatsApp account so customers can browse and order without leaving the chat.

WhatsApp Channels

WhatsApp Channels are a one-to-many broadcast feature in the Updates tab, where admins post to an unlimited audience of followers who can react and vote but not reply.

WhatsApp chatbot

A WhatsApp chatbot is software that answers customer messages on WhatsApp automatically, either by following predefined rules and menus or by using AI to understand free-form questions. It runs on the WhatsApp Business API, not in the phone app.

WhatsApp Cloud API

The WhatsApp Cloud API is the version of the WhatsApp Business API that Meta hosts on its own servers. It lets a business send and receive WhatsApp messages, calls and group conversations by code, and since October 23, 2025 it is the only way to use the API.