B2B wholesale ordering: how to replace WhatsApp order lists with an online catalogue

For most Indian distributors, the order book is a WhatsApp chat. A retailer sends a photo of a handwritten list or a voice note, someone in the office types it into the billing software, checks stock, calls back about what is short, and sends a price for the rest. Multiply that by every retailer, every week.

It works because everyone already uses WhatsApp. It breaks as soon as volume grows: orders get missed in long chats, rates are quoted inconsistently, and the person who knows the codes is always the bottleneck.

What actually goes wrong with WhatsApp ordering

• Orders arrive in every format — photos, voice notes, forwarded lists — and each one has to be retyped.
• Buyers ask 'is this available?' and 'what is the rate?' before every order, because they cannot see either.
• Price lists sent as PDFs get forwarded to competitors and to retail customers.
• There is no single record of who ordered what at which price, so disputes are settled by scrolling.
• Repeat orders — the bulk of trade — still have to be typed out in full every time.

What an online B2B catalogue changes

The goal is not to stop using WhatsApp; it is to move the order itself somewhere structured. A B2B catalogue lets the retailer see stock, minimum quantities, pack sizes and their own price, and place the order themselves. Your team confirms and dispatches instead of transcribing.

What a wholesale ordering site needs (that a retail store does not)

• Private prices: trade rates visible only to buyers you have approved — never sent to anyone else's browser.
• Buyer approval, with the ability to revoke or expire access.
• Minimum order quantities and pack multiples (cartons, boxes, sets).
• Quantity breaks: a lower unit price at higher quantities, applied automatically.
• Per-buyer negotiated prices for your important accounts.
• Fast repeat ordering: reorder a past order, or paste a SKU and quantity list.
• Quotes for large or unusual orders, and credit terms for buyers you trust.
• GST invoices on every order.

Moving your buyers over, step by step

1. 1

   Put the catalogue online once

   Import your price list from a spreadsheet with both trade and retail prices, MOQs and pack sizes. Photos can follow; codes, names and prices matter first.

2. 2

   Approve the buyers you already supply

   Your existing retailers request access from the store with their firm name and GST details, and you approve them. Approval is the gate — an unapproved account sees exactly what an anonymous visitor sees.

3. 3

   Load the special rates

   Set negotiated prices for the accounts that have them, so every buyer sees exactly the rate they are used to.

4. 4

   Send links, not lists

   Instead of a PDF, send a product link or a curated share link on WhatsApp. Each buyer opens it and sees their own price; nothing in the message reveals a rate.

5. 5

   Make the second order easier than WhatsApp

   Show buyers the reorder button and the quick-order pad. Once a repeat order takes less effort online than typing it out in a chat, buyers switch on their own.

Keep WhatsApp for the conversation. An 'Enquire on WhatsApp' button on each product opens a chat with the product already named — so a buyer who has a question still reaches you the way they prefer, without the price ever being typed into a message.

Common questions

Will my retailers actually order online?

The ones who order repeatedly usually do, once reordering is faster than typing a list. Start with your most regular buyers, approve them yourself, and send them links rather than PDFs.

Can different retailers see different prices?

Yes. Approved buyers see your trade price, quantity breaks apply automatically, and specific buyers can have their own negotiated price on specific products.

What about buyers who buy on credit (udhaar)?

On Slaby, you can grant an approved buyer a credit limit; credit orders are recorded against it and payments you receive reduce the outstanding balance.

Does this replace my billing or accounting software?

No. The ordering site takes orders, calculates GST and produces invoices; you can export orders as CSV for your accounts.

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