Quickstart

The shortest path from a new workspace to a real WhatsApp message about a real order. Roughly 30 minutes of work, plus however long Meta takes to approve your first template.

To go live: connect Shopify, connect your WhatsApp Business Account, submit one order-confirmation template to Meta, publish the order-placed journey once that template is approved, then place a test order on your own phone. Everything else — cart recovery, campaigns, the AI brain — builds on that foundation.

Before you start

Shopify admin access to the store you want to connect.
A WhatsApp Business Account on the Cloud API, with a phone number that is not currently active in the WhatsApp Business app (or with coexistence enabled).
Admin rights in Meta Business Manager, so you can approve the connection and submit templates.
A second phone you can message from — a business number cannot message itself.

1. Connect Shopify and WhatsApp

Connect Shopify Settings → Connections → Shopify → Connect, then approve the install in Shopify admin. You never type your .myshopify.com domain — the install starts from Shopify. Full walkthrough and the permission list: Connect Shopify.
Connect WhatsApp Settings → Connections → WhatsApp → Connect and run the embedded Meta signup. Approve the WhatsApp Business Account and phone number you want TopEdge to send from. Full walkthrough including the webhook step: Connect WhatsApp.
Confirm both cards are green Both connection cards should read Connected, and the amber "WhatsApp disconnected" bar should be gone from the top of the dashboard.
Sync your orders Open Orders and press Sync. Real Shopify orders appear within a minute or two. If the table stays empty, your Shopify permissions need re-approving.
Submit an order template to Meta Meta Manager → Library → the order lifecycle blueprint. It prefills an image header, body variables and a View order button. Submit it and wait for the status to turn Approved. Utility templates must read as transactional. One promotional word is the most common rejection reason.
Publish the order-placed journey Journeys → Order placed. Map the WhatsApp step to your approved template, then Publish. Draft journeys send nothing at all.
Place a test order Check out on your own store using your own phone number. The confirmation should arrive on WhatsApp within seconds, and the order detail page shows the send in its activity list.

What happens when your test order is placed If a test send never arrives, this is the order to debug in — the skip reason on the order tells you which stage stopped.

How to check it worked

Shopify and WhatsApp both show Connected in Settings → Connections.
Orders lists real orders from your store after a Sync.
Your order template shows Approved in Meta Manager.
The order-placed journey shows Published, not Draft.
A test order produces a WhatsApp message, and the order detail page records the send.

2. Then add one automation at a time

Resist switching everything on at once. Each automation below is independent, and each has a different prerequisite — adding them one at a time means you always know which change broke something.

Add this	It needs	Guide
Shipped and delivered updates	Fulfilment permissions on the Shopify connection	Order status updates
Abandoned cart recovery	Storefront tracking installed and capturing a phone number	Abandoned cart recovery
COD confirmation	An approved template with buttons	COD confirmation
A welcome menu for replies	A published flow	Build your first flow
Promotional broadcasts	Marketing consent on your contacts	WhatsApp broadcasts

Go-live checklist — The full list to verify before launch.
The 24-hour service window — Why some messages need a template.

Frequently asked questions

Why has my test WhatsApp message not arrived?

Check four things in order: the journey is Published rather than Draft, the template it uses shows Approved, the order carries a phone number in international format, and WhatsApp still shows Connected. The order detail page records a skip reason that names which of these failed.

Can I test without placing a real order?

Yes for conversations — Flow Builder has a simulator that walks menus and buttons without messaging anyone. Order journeys need a real Shopify order to trigger, so most merchants place a small test order and cancel or refund it afterwards.

Do I need a new phone number for WhatsApp?

Not necessarily, but the number cannot be actively registered in the WhatsApp Business app unless your WhatsApp Business Account has coexistence enabled. Many merchants use a dedicated number for automation and keep their existing one for manual chats.

Updated 2026-10-04