WhatsApp Instant Inquiry Setup

In international export trade, communication speed directly dictates win rates. For buyers and procurement engineers across Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia, WhatsApp is the primary messaging channel for daily business.

If a buyer selects 3 different vibration damper sizes on your website, traditional email correspondence might take days of back-and-forth clarification. With SymbolFlow Appsuite’s Smart WhatsApp Channel, the buyer clicks once, and the system instantly formats all selected part numbers, technical specifications, and quantities into a clean summary sent directly to your sales team’s phone.

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1. Accessing WhatsApp Settings

WhatsApp settings are configured globally across the website:

1. Log into the Payload CMS admin panel.
2. Navigate to Globals -> Offerings Settings (商品/服务设置) in the left sidebar.
3. Ensure E-Commerce / Business Mode is set to b2b.
4. Locate the WhatsApp Contact Number and WhatsApp Message Template fields.

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2. International Phone Number Format Guidelines

When entering the WhatsApp Contact Number, adhere strictly to the international E.164 phone format:

Valid Example	Invalid Example	Problem & Root Cause
+8613812345678	13812345678	Missing international country code (China is +86); foreign devices cannot route the message
+8613812345678	+86-138-1234-5678	Contains hyphens -, causing URL scheme parsing failure
+8613812345678	+86 138 1234 5678	Contains spaces, generating invalid encoded query parameters
+12125550198	001-212-555-0198	Must not start with 00; must use standard plus + prefix

[!WARNING] Formatting Requirement: The phone number must start with a plus sign +, followed by the country code and mobile/direct number. Do not include spaces, dashes, parentheses, or any other punctuation marks.

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3. Localized Templates & the {{items}} Variable

The WhatsApp message template is natively localized. When an overseas buyer clicks the button on the English site, the system uses the English template; on a Spanish or German sub-site, it automatically uses the corresponding localized text.

The Core Variable: {{items}}

{{items}} is a dynamic placeholder. When a buyer selects items from the variant matrix, the system replaces this variable with a structured list of parts and quantities.

Recommended Template Examples:

English Locale (Default)

Hello! I am inquiring about the following items from your catalog:
{{items}}

Please provide the formal quotation (FOB/CIF), lead time, and technical data sheet. Thank you!

Spanish Locale (Español)

¡Hola! Me gustaría solicitar una cotización para los siguientes productos:
{{items}}

Por favor envíeme precios FOB/CIF y tiempo de entrega. ¡Gracias!

What the Sales Team Receives:

When an overseas buyer selects two variants on our rubber damper case page and clicks WhatsApp, the sales rep receives:

Hello! I am inquiring about the following items from your catalog:
- VD40*30-M8*23 (Qty: 500)
- VD50*40-M10*28 (Qty: 1000)

Please provide the formal quotation (FOB/CIF), lead time, and technical data sheet. Thank you!

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4. Verification & Testing

Before launch, verify your setup following these 3 steps:

1. Open the frontend product page (e.g. https://your-domain.com/offerings/vd-cylindrical-rubber-damper).
2. Enter quantities for 1 or 2 variants in the matrix table (e.g., 100).
3. Click the green Chat on WhatsApp button:
   • Verify that WhatsApp Web launches on desktop or the WhatsApp app opens on mobile;
   • Verify that the target phone number matches your corporate sales line;
   • Verify that the pre-filled message cleanly displays the product title, SKU, and quantities.