WhatsApp Ordering
WhatsApp Ordering connects a WhatsApp Business API number so customers can message in an order, which lands in an inbox here for you to Accept, Reject, or mark Ready. A configuration tab holds your API credentials, welcome message and order confirmation template.
Overview
The Order Inbox tab lists every incoming WhatsApp order with the customer name/number, the raw message text, and — if the message could be automatically parsed — a structured item list with quantities and a total.
Pending orders show three actions: Accept, Reject, or Ready; accepted/rejected/ready orders are filterable via status chips (All / Pending / Accepted / Rejected / Ready).
The Configuration tab holds the WhatsApp Business phone number, API token and webhook secret needed to connect to Meta's WhatsApp Business API, plus a Welcome Message (sent to first-time chatters) and an Order Confirmation Template supporting {orderId}, {eta}, {total} and {customerName} placeholders.
A master "WhatsApp Integration Active" toggle in Configuration controls whether the integration is live; if it is off, the Order Inbox shows a warning banner reminding you to enable it.
This is a genuinely sensitive configuration screen — the API Token and Webhook Secret fields are essentially credentials for your WhatsApp Business account and are masked as password inputs.
Before You Start
- You must have the Billing feature enabled on your plan.
- A WhatsApp Business API account (via Meta Business Manager) with a phone number, API token and webhook secret is required to actually receive orders — the screen works without one but the inbox will stay empty.
Step-by-Step Guide
1 Connect your WhatsApp Business number
- Open Takeaway & Delivery → WhatsApp Ordering and switch to the Configuration tab.
- Toggle "WhatsApp Integration Active" on.
- Enter your WhatsApp Phone Number, API Token (from Meta Business Manager) and Webhook Secret.
- Optionally set a Welcome Message and an Order Confirmation Template using the {orderId}/{eta}/{total}/{customerName} placeholders.
- Click "Save Configuration".
2 Process an incoming order
- Open the Order Inbox tab — new messages appear with the customer's name/number and raw message text, plus a parsed item list and total when parsing succeeded.
- Click "✓ Accept" to confirm the order, "✕ Reject" to decline it, or "Ready" once it is prepared.
- Use the status chips to filter the inbox by Pending/Accepted/Rejected/Ready as needed.
Every Field & Button, Explained
| Field / Button | What it does |
|---|---|
WhatsApp Phone Number | Your registered WhatsApp Business number that customers message. |
API Token | Bearer token from Meta Business Manager used to send/receive messages — treated as a secret and masked in the form. |
Webhook Secret | Verification token used to validate incoming webhook payloads from Meta — also masked. |
Welcome Message | Sent automatically when a new customer messages your number for the first time. |
Order Confirmation Template | Text template sent back to confirm an order; supports {orderId}, {eta}, {total} and {customerName} placeholders. |
Order status | PENDING (new, unactioned), ACCEPTED, REJECTED, or READY — set via the Accept/Reject/Ready buttons on a pending order. |
Parsed Order | If the message text could be automatically parsed into item names/quantities and a total, they display under the raw message; unparsed messages show only the original text. |
Tips & Best Practices
- Keep the integration toggle and credentials in Configuration up to date — an expired or revoked API token will silently stop new orders from arriving even though this screen itself still loads fine.
- Because messages are free-text, not every order will parse into structured items — always read the raw message text alongside any parsed summary before accepting.