B2B distribution
WhatsApp for distributors and dealer networks.
Your retailers already send orders on WhatsApp, to whichever salesperson they know. Bring those orders to one company number, announce schemes to every dealer at once, and send dispatch updates from your own system.
What does Baat do for distributors, manufacturers and dealer networks?
For distributors, manufacturers and dealer networks, Baat puts retailer and dealer communication on one WhatsApp number. Retailers browse products and place repeat orders in the chat, schemes and new stock reach every dealer as a broadcast, order and dispatch updates come from your own system through the API, and each dealer has one owner in the shared inbox.
In most Indian distribution businesses, orders arrive as WhatsApp messages, voice notes and photos of handwritten lists, sent to the personal phones of salespeople. Nobody else can see them. When a salesperson is on leave, the orders wait. When one leaves the company, the retailer relationships go too. Scheme circulars travel as forwarded PDFs, so many retailers never see them, and the office answers the same "has my order been dispatched?" question all day.
How do distributors, manufacturers and dealer networks use WhatsApp?
Each of these runs on Baat today. Open one to see how it works.
Guide
Let retailers reorder inside the chat
A WhatsApp Flow shows categories and products inside the chat. The retailer picks items and quantities and submits, and your team gets a clean order instead of a photo of a handwritten list.
Product
Announce schemes and new stock to every dealer
Send a scheme, a price change or a new launch as a broadcast, segmented by region, dealer type or product line. Every retailer gets the same information on the same day.
Guide
Send order and dispatch updates from your system
Your ERP or order system calls Baat's API when an order is confirmed, invoiced or dispatched, and the retailer gets an approved template message with the details.
Use case
Give every dealer one owner
Assign retailers to the salesperson or office desk for their area. A manager sees every open conversation, and the history stays with the company when people change roles.
Guide
Bring your field sales team into the same inbox
Salespeople use the Baat mobile app on their own phones but reply from the company number, so their conversations are visible to the office and nothing lives only on a personal phone.
Example conversation
A repeat order without a phone call.
A retailer reorders in the evening, after the shop closes. The order is confirmed in the chat, and the office picks it up the next morning with nothing to retype.
- Shared Inbox: Every retailer conversation is on one company number, with each dealer owned by one person and visible to managers.
- Broadcasts: Schemes and circulars reach every dealer in a segment at once, with delivery and reply numbers for each send.
- Journey Builder: The reorder form, the order summary and the hand-over to your order desk run on their own whenever a retailer writes in.
Ramesh Patil Online
- Same as last week: 10 cartons of the 1 litre pack and 5 of the 500 ml. 9:10 PM
- Thanks Ramesh ji. 10 cartons of 1 litre and 5 cartons of 500 ml, to Patil Stores, Nashik Road. Shall I confirm? 9:11 PM
- Yes. Is the Diwali scheme still on? 9:15 PM
- Yes, until 31 October. It is applied to this order. We will send the dispatch details tomorrow. 9:16 PM
An example. The people in it are made up.
Automation
Reorders run on their own.
A journey starts when a retailer writes "order". It sends the reorder form, reads back the order for confirmation, and hands confirmed orders to your order desk. Dispatch updates then come from your own system through the API.
- Retailer writes "order" on WhatsApp
- Send the reorder form inside the chat
- Retailer submits items and quantities
- Send the order summary to confirm
Confirmed?
YesPass to the order desk
NoAssign to the area salesperson
Why do distributors move dealer orders to one WhatsApp number?
Because the orders are already on WhatsApp, just in the wrong place. Retailers send orders to the salesperson they know, on that person’s own phone. The business cannot see the order until someone types it in, and cannot see the relationship at all.
A shared company number changes that. The retailer still sends a WhatsApp message. The difference is that the message reaches a shared inbox where the office, the salesperson and the manager can all see it, and where it stays when people change roles.
How do repeat orders work in the chat?
Many retailers order the same things every week or two. A WhatsApp Flow can show them your categories and products inside the chat, so they pick items and quantities instead of typing a list. The order reaches your team in a structured form. Nobody has to read a photo of a handwritten note or listen to a voice message twice.
How do dispatch updates reach retailers?
From your own system. When your ERP or order system marks an order as confirmed, invoiced or dispatched, it can call Baat’s API. Baat then sends the retailer an approved template message with the details. The retailer stops calling to ask, and a delivery that goes wrong gets reported in the same thread.
Do broadcasts replace scheme circulars?
They replace the forwarding. A scheme sent as a broadcast reaches every retailer in the segment directly, on the same day, from the company’s number. You can see how many received it and who replied. Send broadcasts only to retailers who agreed to receive them, and keep each one relevant to the region or product line it goes to.
Can field salespeople keep using their phones?
Yes, with one change. They install the Baat mobile app and reply from the company’s WhatsApp number instead of their own. Retailers keep talking to the same person. The office can now see those conversations, help when the salesperson is travelling, and keep the history when someone moves to another territory.
What do WhatsApp's rules mean for distributors, manufacturers and dealer networks?
- Meta's policies decide what can be sold through WhatsApp. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, medical and healthcare products, and hazardous materials are among the goods that cannot be sold or promoted. If you distribute any of these, keep those lines out of your catalogue and broadcasts.
- Vehicle parts and accessories are a restricted category in Meta's Commerce Policies. Check the current rules before listing them in a catalogue.
- Meta's policy lists debt collection among prohibited services. Statements and due dates from your own business are routine, but do not use WhatsApp in the manner of a collection agency.
- Message only retailers and dealers who agreed to receive WhatsApp messages from you, and tell them what kind of messages to expect.
Checked against Meta's own policy pages on 21 October 2026: WhatsApp Business Policy, Meta Commerce Policies. Meta changes these rules from time to time, so read the current version before you start.
Questions distributors, manufacturers and dealer networks ask about WhatsApp
Can retailers place orders on WhatsApp without an app?
Yes. A WhatsApp Flow shows a short order form inside the chat, with categories, products and quantities. The retailer needs only WhatsApp, and your team receives the order in a structured form.
Can our ERP send WhatsApp messages through Baat?
Yes. Baat has an API and webhooks, so your ERP or order system can send approved template messages, such as order confirmations and dispatch updates, when an order changes state. The API is available from the Growth plan.
Can our field salespeople use their own phones?
Yes. They install the Baat app on Android or iOS and reply from the company's WhatsApp number. Their conversations stay visible to the office, and stay with the company if they move on.
How do we send a scheme to all our retailers?
As a broadcast to the retailers who agreed to receive messages from you. Segment by region, dealer type or product line, so each retailer gets only the schemes that apply to them.
Can we share price lists and invoices as files?
Yes. You can send documents and images in the chat, so a price list, a scheme circular or an invoice sits in the same thread as the conversation about it.
Read next
Guide
What are WhatsApp Flows?
What WhatsApp Flows are, how they differ from ordinary messages, and when to use one.
Guide
Webhooks: real-time events
Subscribe to real-time events, verify the signature, and handle each webhook payload.
Article
What counts as opt-in on WhatsApp
Meta requires opt-in before you message anyone on WhatsApp. Here is what a valid opt-in must say, where you can collect it, and what it costs you to get this wrong.
Page
Plans and pricing
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