WapiConnect for WooCommerce — Send WhatsApp Order Notifications Automatically

Your customers check WhatsApp dozens of times a day. They check email once. If you're still relying on WooCommerce's default email notifications to keep customers informed about their orders, you're sending messages into a void.

WapiConnect for WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that automatically sends WhatsApp notifications to your customers — and your admin team — for every order event. New order, payment confirmed, order shipped, delivered, cancelled, refunded — all handled automatically, all via WhatsApp.

No Meta approval. No complicated setup. No per-message fees from carriers. Just install, connect, and your store starts messaging on WhatsApp in under 5 minutes.

What the Plugin Does

The plugin hooks into 7 WooCommerce order events and sends customisable WhatsApp messages automatically — to customers, your admin number, or both. Every message is logged so you can track delivery and troubleshoot failures.

Requirements

• WordPress 5.8+
• WooCommerce 6.0+
• PHP 7.4+
• A WapiConnect account (free trial available)
• A WhatsApp number connected as a session in WapiConnect portal

Installation — 5 Minutes to First WhatsApp Notification

Step 1 — Install the Plugin

Download the plugin ZIP file and install it via WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Activate it after installation.

Installing WapiConnect for WooCommerce via the WordPress plugin uploader

Step 2 — Get Your API Key & Session ID

1. Go to portal.wapiconnect.cloud and create a free account.
2. In the portal, go to Sessions → New Session and scan the QR code with WhatsApp on your phone. Your session ID will appear once connected.
3. Go to Settings → API Keys and copy your API key. It starts with wapi_live_ or wapi_test_.

Step 3 — Configure the Plugin

In WordPress admin, go to WapiConnect → Settings and enter your credentials:

The Settings page — enter your API Key, Session ID, admin WhatsApp number and default country code

• API Key — paste your WapiConnect API key
• Session ID — paste the session ID of your connected WhatsApp number
• Admin WhatsApp Number — your number to receive admin alerts (e.g. 919876543210)
• Default Country Code — prepended to customer numbers that don't include a country code (e.g. 91 for India, 1 for US)

Click Verify Connection to confirm your credentials are working, then click Send Test Message to receive a test WhatsApp message on your phone.

Step 4 — Customise Your Notification Templates

Go to WapiConnect → Notifications. You'll see a card for each of the 7 events. For each event you can:

• Enable or disable the notification
• Choose to notify the customer, admin, or both
• Write a custom message template using dynamic variables

The Notifications page — customise templates for each WooCommerce event, choose customer/admin/both, and enable or disable per event

Template Variables

Use these variables in your message templates — they're replaced automatically with real order data when the message is sent:

Example Templates

Here are the default templates the plugin ships with — ready to use or customise:

// New Order — Customer
Hello {customer_name}! 🛒

Your order *#{order_id}* has been placed successfully.

🛍️ Items: {items_summary}
💰 Total: {order_total}
💳 Payment: {payment_method}

We'll send you an update when it's confirmed.
Thank you for shopping with {site_name}!

// Payment Confirmed — Customer
✅ *Payment Confirmed!*

Hi {customer_name}, your payment for order *#{order_id}* has been received.

Total paid: {order_total}

We're now preparing your order. 🚀
— {site_name}

// Order Completed — Customer
📦 *Order Delivered!*

Hi {customer_name}, your order *#{order_id}* has been marked as completed.

We hope you love your purchase! If you have any questions, just reply here.

Thank you for choosing {site_name} 🙏

// New Order — Admin Alert
🔔 *New Order Received*

Order *#{order_id}* placed on {order_date}
Customer: {customer_name} ({billing_phone})
Items: {items_summary}
Total: {order_total}
Payment: {payment_method}

WhatsApp formatting works in all templates: *bold*, _italic_, ~strikethrough~.

Message Delivery Logs

Every message sent by the plugin is logged automatically. Go to WapiConnect → Logs to see:

• Date and time of each send attempt
• Which event triggered the message
• Recipient phone number
• Delivery status (Sent / Failed)
• Message preview (first 500 characters)
• Error message if delivery failed

The Logs page — track every WhatsApp notification with delivery status, error messages and full history

The top of the logs page shows a summary dashboard:

• Total Messages — all-time sends
• Successful — delivered successfully
• Failed — delivery failures
• Last 24 Hours — recent activity

Setup Guide (Built Into the Plugin)

Not sure where to start? The plugin includes a built-in Setup Guide at WapiConnect → Setup Guide with a 5-step visual walkthrough and a FAQ covering the most common questions.

The Setup Guide — a built-in 5-step wizard that walks you through the full configuration process

How It Works Under the Hood

When a WooCommerce event fires (e.g. a customer places an order), the plugin:

1. Catches the WooCommerce action hook (e.g. woocommerce_checkout_order_created)
2. Checks if that event is enabled and if the plugin is configured
3. Extracts order data and fills in your message template with real values
4. Normalises the customer's phone number (strips non-digits, adds your default country code if needed)
5. Sends a POST request to the WapiConnect API with the message and recipient number
6. Logs the result (success or failure) to the plugin's database table

Messages are sent synchronously — not via WP-Cron — so they work reliably on all hosting environments, including shared hosting that restricts background jobs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Meta's approval to use this plugin?

No. WapiConnect uses your own WhatsApp number connected via a QR code scan — the same way WhatsApp Web works. No Meta Business Manager, no template approval, no waiting.

Will it work with my hosting provider?

Yes. The plugin makes standard outbound HTTP requests and does not rely on WP-Cron, so it works on all major hosting providers including shared hosting, VPS, and managed WordPress hosts.

Can I send to both the customer and my team?

Yes. Each event has a "Send To" setting where you can choose Customer, Admin, or Both. The admin number is configured once in the Settings page.

What if the customer's phone number is missing?

The plugin checks for a valid billing phone number. If one is not found, the customer notification is skipped and the event is logged as failed with an explanatory error message.

Is there a limit on how many messages I can send?

This depends on your WapiConnect plan. The Pro plan includes 4,000 messages per month. The Pay As You Go plan lets you buy credits as needed. See pricing.

Will this plugin be affected if I update WooCommerce?

The plugin declares compatibility with WooCommerce High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS) and is tested up to WooCommerce 8.5. We keep it updated with each major WooCommerce release.

Clean Uninstallation

If you ever remove the plugin, it cleans up after itself completely — all settings are deleted from the WordPress options table and the logs database table is dropped. No residual data is left behind.