The Abandoned Cart for WooCommerce plugin now supports WhatsApp Integration, allowing you to send abandoned cart reminders directly to customers on WhatsApp, in addition to Email and SMS reminders.

• Sending WhatsApp reminders for those abandoned carts are more personal, get higher open rates, and help you recover more carts with less effort.
• To send WhatsApp notifications, you need to enable and configure the WhatsApp feature in the Abandoned Cart plugin.

To use this feature, you’ll need to:

1. Enable WhatsApp in the plugin.
2. Set up a Meta (Facebook) Developer App with WhatsApp Cloud API.
3. Create and configure your Business Portfolio and templates in Meta Business Manager.
4. Create WhatsApp Templates

1. Enable WhatsApp in WooCommerce Plugin 

1. From the WordPress dashboard, go to:
   WooCommerce → Abandoned Carts → Settings → WhatsApp Tab
2. Enable WhatsApp Reminders.
   
   
3. You will see fields for:

• • Access Token
  • Phone Number ID
  • Consent Text – This opt-in will appear as a checkbox on the checkout page or in pop-up templates, allowing customers to agree to receive WhatsApp messages. Example: “I agree to receive order updates and promotional offers via WhatsApp.”
    
    Note:  The consent text will appear in the Add to Cart pop-up only if the Phone Number field is enabled in the pop-up template.

Leave Access Token & Phone Number ID blank for now. We’ll fill these in later after setting up your WhatsApp account in Meta (Facebook) for sending messages.

2. Create a Meta Developer App (WhatsApp Cloud API)

• Visit Meta Developers.
• Click Create App.

• Select Business App as the app type.

• Enter your app name and contact email, select a Business Portfolio → click Create App.

          Note:  If you don’t have a business portfolio yet, follow the steps mentioned in Step 3 below to create a new Facebook Business portfolio.

• In the App Dashboard, you will be redirected to the Add Products page. Click Set Up under WhatsApp.

• Click on continue.
  
  

If you already have:

• A verified Business Portfolio
• Two-factor authentication enabled on your Facebook account
• Your business email confirmed

Then, clicking Continue will skip the portfolio verification steps and take you directly to the API Setup page with a WhatsApp test number.

If these are not yet completed, you will be asked to go through the Business Portfolio setup and verification flow first.

3. Create and Verify Your Business Portfolio (Meta Business Manager)

If you don’t have a Business Portfolio yet:

1. Go to Meta Business Manager.
2. Click Create Business and enter your business name, website, and country.
3. Meta will send a verification email. Open it and click Confirm Now.
4. In Business Settings:
   • Ensure Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is enabled for all admins.
   • Verify your business email.
5. Once verified, your App will be linked to this Business Portfolio.

 

This step is mandatory for the WhatsApp Cloud API to work.

Step 3.1: Generate Access Token & Phone Number ID

Generate Permanent Access Token (Meta Business Manager → System Users)

For live usage, you need a permanent token:

• Go to Meta Business Manager → Settings → Users → System Users.

• Click Add, enter a name, choose Admin as the role, and click Create System User.
  
• Go to Apps → select your app → Assign People → add your System User with Full Permissions.
  
  
• Go to WhatsApp Accounts → select your WhatsApp account → Assign People → add the System User with all permissions.
  
  
• Go back to System Users → select your System User → Generate Token:
  • Select your Assets and give the permissions.
    
    
  • Give the required App and  WhatsApp permissions.
    

  • Click Generate New Token and follow the prompts.
    

  • In the pop-up:

    • Select your App from the dropdown and set the token expiration.

    • Under Permissions, select:

      • whatsapp_business_messaging

      • whatsapp_business_management

        

• Copy the generated token and paste it in the WooCommerce Plugin → Abandoned Carts →Settings → WhatsApp → Access Token field.
  
• The Phone Number ID remains the same as the one linked to your WhatsApp Business Account. Paste the Access Token and Phone Number ID.

Step 4: Create WhatsApp Templates

WhatsApp requires pre-approved templates before reminders can be sent.

1. Go to Meta Business Suite → WhatsApp Accounts → Select your WhatsApp account → WhatsApp Manager → Message Templates.
   
   
2. Click Create Template.
    
3. Add your template body with variables:

• Template Name: Give your template a simple, unique name (e.g., initial_reminder).

• Language: Select the language your message will be sent in (e.g., English).

• Header (Optional): A short line of text at the top of your message.

• Body: Enter the main message your customer will receive. Use variables (placeholders) for dynamic content.

  • Enter sample values for the variables to preview how the message will appear.
    Note: You can choose any type of variable, such as a text variable or a number variable.
    

  • The image below illustrates how a name variable format appears in the template body.
    

The image below illustrates how a number variable appears in the template body.

 

Important:

• Make sure the Template Name in your WooCommerce plugin matches exactly the name of the template you created in Meta.
• Map all variables in the plugin settings exactly as defined in the Meta template.
•  If the name or variables don’t match, WhatsApp reminders will not be sent.
  4. Set the button which is optional. Set the action (e.g., Visit Website), button text (e.g., “Visit Website”), URL type (Dynamic for customer-specific links), and the destination URL (e.g., https://www.example.com).
  
  5. Submit for approval (review usually takes 24 hours) and once it is approved, the templates will be in an active state.
  

Step 6: Configure Templates Inside the Plugin 

Once your template is approved in Meta, you must mirror it inside the plugin so the variables match correctly.

• Go to WooCommerce → Abandoned Carts → Templates →WhatsApp Notifications
• Click Add New Template (or Edit existing).

• Fill details like:
  • Template Name: must be exactly the same as in Meta (e.g., initial_reminder)
  • Send After: (e.g., 4 minutes after abandonment)
  • Template Language: e.g., English

 Key Rule

The Template Name, Language, and Variable Placeholders must exactly match between Meta Cloud API template and Plugin template setup.

Otherwise, Meta will reject the request and reminders won’t send.

Step 7: Test WhatsApp Notifications

1. Add a product to your cart and abandon it.
2. Wait for the configured reminder delay (e.g., 10 minutes).
3. Check if the WhatsApp reminder is received:
   • If using a test number → only registered test numbers will receive messages.
   • If live → any opted-in customer will receive reminders.You can track all WhatsApp reminders in the plugin under WooCommerce → Abandoned Carts → Reminders Sent → WhatsApp Sent Tab, where you’ll see which messages were sent and their status.
     
     Once you’ve completed these steps, your WooCommerce store will be fully equipped to send automated WhatsApp reminders for abandoned carts, helping you recover more sales with minimal effort.