What are WhatsApp Carousels and How to Use Them to Drive Sales? [2025 Guide]

Browsing for products online is a time-consuming process for many customers. Going through product catalogs to look for the right product can be a tedious task and if a customer cannot find the right product, it will result in lost sales. 

If you are running an online business, you can’t afford to lose these valuable customers every time they are unable to find the product they need. On top of that, sending personalized promotional recommendations greatly streamlines the sales process. 

WhatsApp is a messaging platform that is used by millions of businesses around the world, and due to its huge number of users using it for daily communication, it has become a go-to app for customers to connect with brands. 

Seeing the high adaptability rate of the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta introduced the WhatsApp Carousels in 2024 to make it easy for businesses to showcase their products within the WhatsApp chat, enabling quick conversions. 

Having said that, if you are also struggling with simplifying your sales process, then WhatsApp carousels might be the component missing from your outreach strategy. In this guide, I’ll tell you all you need to know about WhatsApp carousels and how to leverage them to boost your sales to hit your quarterly quotas on time.

What are WhatsApp carousels?

WhatsApp carousels are a type of WhatsApp message that gives you the capability to attach your products as interactive cards within the chat interface so your recipients can swipe to look through your offerings. Each one of these cards includes: 

• A product image
• The name of the product (up to 60 characters)
• A brief description of the product (up to 100 characters)
• A CTA button

You can attach up to 10 swipeable cards in a single WhatsApp message, each one of them promoting a unique product at a time. 

It is a feature that resembles the Instagram carousels but is now available within the conversational environment of WhatsApp. The receivers can scroll through these cards to see the products and click on the CTA buttons to place their orders directly from the WhatsApp chat.

One thing to note here is that WhatsApp carousels are only accessible to you if you are using the WhatsApp Business API, and not the WhatsApp Business App.

What makes WhatsApp carousels different from other marketing messages?

Think of it this way, traditional messaging channels like SMS and emails are no longer enough to match the expectations of today’s customers. On top of that, they are severely limited in terms of messaging features, making them comparatively slower than WhatsApp.  

On the other hand, WhatsApp allows you to utilize images, descriptions, and a CTA button with the help of carousel messages, making them more personable and easy to interact with. 

As I said before, WhatsApp carousels are inspired from Instagram and Facebook , you can unlock a more interactive and visually rich engagement, mimicking the swiping nature your customers might be familiar with from other social media apps like Instagram Reels. However, unlike them, WhatsApp carousels are sent directly and privately to your customers, instead of a public message. 

Some of the key benefits of using WhatsApp carousels

After learning how WhatsApp carousels differ from other messaging channels, let’s understand some of the advantages of leveraging them to skyrocket your sales:

Enhanced visual messaging

With WhatsApp carousels, you can showcase numerous products at the same time by incorporating visual elements into outreach rather than using plain old text to describe what your product looks like. 

Seeing a real-life image of your product makes it easy for potential customers to come to a purchase decision more quickly without having to search for more information about the product. It also significantly lowers the time it takes for shoppers to buy your products. 

Higher conversion rate

By attaching media-rich attachments and live images of your products, you increase the likelihood of getting conversions. In fact, some of the brands that have started using WhatsApp carousels have seen a CTR of about 2.5 times when compared to usual WhatsApp marketing campaigns.

Frictionless shipping

Your prospects can effortlessly browse through your product catalog straight from the comfort of WhatsApp. This doesn’t require them to jump between your website or mobile app to find the product they need. 

This kind of seamless shopping experience reduces the friction and lowers the chances of losing customers through the stages of the WhatsApp sales funnel, leading to quicker checkouts. 

Personalized experience at scale

On top of the carousel messages, WhatsApp comes with reliable automation workflows to keep your customers engaged and nurture them throughout the sales pipeline. By segmenting your customers into specific lists, you can schedule WhatsApp messages that are tailored to the unique needs of your customers. 

How to use WhatsApp carousels for your business?

From what I mentioned above, WhatsApp carousel messages are available through the WhatsApp Business API, and the WhatsApp Business API can be accessed through a WhatsApp API provider. That being said, here are the steps to follow to get started with sending WhatsApp carousel messages:

Choose a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider

When it comes to choosing the right WhatsApp BSP, there are a lot of options available in the market. However, for the sake of simplicity, I’ll tell you about a Meta-partnered service provider that includes all the advanced features of WhatsApp in a single platform, Zixflow. 

Zixflow makes it easy to connect your phone number with the platform and start creating rich WhatsApp carousel campaigns. The entire process is straightforward and the platform provides you with step-by-step tutorials to integrate WhatsApp Business API with Zixflow. 

Create your WhatsApp carousel messages

WhatsApp carousels are a type of WhatsApp marketing message. This means that before you can send them, you have to create a WhatsApp messaging template. In the template, you can add custom variables to personalize your messages and add multiple product cards according to your product catalogues. 

With Zixflow’s no-code template editor, you can easily craft your WhatsApp carousel messages with ease. By entering the right details in the corresponding fields, such as template name, language, carousel type (product or media), and the content for each card. 

Set up the WhatsApp marketing campaign

After you have built the carousel template and got it approved by WhatsApp, now it is time for you to send it. This can be done with Zixflow’s marketing capabilities. Now, there are numerous ways to send WhatsApp carousels via Zixflow. 

You can either: 

• Add customers to the CRM
• Copy and paste the phone number into the campaign builder
• Import contact details from an Excel spreadsheet

After you have selected the audience, just pick the phone number you connected with the platform and select the carousel message template. Once that is done, click the Send button and your message will be sent to the selected recipients. 

Check out this video to get a good idea of how to use Zixflow to send bulk WhatsApp messages:

Various ways to use WhatsApp carousels to get more conversions

Learning about WhatsApp carousels and how to send them is only half the work. To successfully make the most of these messages, you need to have a solid understanding of how to use these messages. So, let’s dive into some real-world applications of WhatsApp carousels for sales acceleration.

Product showcasing with CTAs

One of the primary use cases of WhatsApp carousels is sending interactive marketing messages to enable potential buyers to make purchasing decisions on the spot. 

Using these messages, you can run outreach campaigns to notify customers about new product launches or highlight your best sellers. Each card shows a product image, price, and a “Buy Now” button that takes users to your payment page.

For instance, if you are running an apparel store, you can send a WhatsApp carousel message about your latest summer collection. This way, your prospects can swipe and pick a style in one tap.

Bundle combo offers 

Apart from the marketing messages, you can also use the WhatsApp carousels to upsell your products by combining combo deals or complimentary products together. Although you have to consider the fact that only one product can be promoted using a card. However, you can reference the recent product a customer has purchased and send similar products using the carousel messages. 

Personalized recommendations

WhatsApp is a channel that is known for its interpersonal nature. Sending cold WhatsApp carousel messages might drive results but it doesn’t guarantee conversions. On the other hand, if you personalize your messaging based on customers’ past purchases and browsing history. 

Take a look at this example, suppose you are running an online electronic and smart devices store and a customer bought a smartphone. Using that purchase as a reference, you can send complementary products like headsets, phone cases, or screen protectors with the help of the carousel messages. 

Abandoned cart recovery 

Visitors don’t make a purchase the first time they visit your website (unless they are repeat customers). If a customer adds a product to their cart but leaves before completing the purchase, you can send a custom WhatsApp abandoned cart recovery message with carousels including the image of the items they added to their cart. The CTA button can instantly let them finish the checkout process. 

Festive & seasonal promotions

During high sales periods like Black Friday or Christmas, you can leverage the WhatsApp carousels to promote seasonal best sellers. With the help of carousels, you can send curated gift messages or festive collections to encourage customers to grab a deal for themselves and their loved ones. 

Ready to leverage the WhatsApp carousels to skyrocket your sales?

WhatsApp carousels add an interactive element to your WhatsApp outreach. It allows you to combine visually appealing product catalogs with the conversational commerce nature of WhatsApp, enhancing both sales and customer engagement. 

It doesn’t matter if you are an online business or a subscription-based service provider, WhatsApp enables you to streamline your sales operations with its dynamic messaging and automation workflows. 

With the right outreach strategy and a WhatsApp tool that fits your specific marketing needs. For this reason, we designed Zixflow to match the requirements of your business and not the other way around. 

The flexible solution comes with a native CRM, multichannel outreach, and automation functionality for you to run your business from a unified platform. Check it out with a free 7-day trial with no obligations to run WhatsApp carousels initiatives effortlessly. 

Frequently asked questions about WhatsApp carousels

Below are some of the frequently asked questions about WhatsApp carousels and their features:

What are WhatsApp carousels?

WhatsApp carousels are a message format available through the WhatsApp Business API that allows you to send a scrollable set of up to 10 cards within a single message. 

Each card can contain an image, a title, a description, and a CTA button. This interactive format is designed to enhance product showcases and conversion within WhatsApp chats.

Can I use WhatsApp carousels on the WhatsApp Business App?

No, WhatsApp carousels are only accessible through the WhatsApp Business API. Businesses using the WhatsApp Business App will not have access to this feature. To use carousels, you need to work with an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider like Zixflow.

What are some common use cases for WhatsApp carousels?

WhatsApp carousels are designed to let recipients interact with your messages. These messages are great for:

• Showcasing product catalogs
• Sending personalized recommendations
• Recovering abandoned carts
• Highlighting seasonal or festive offers

Do I need coding knowledge to create WhatsApp carousels?

No. While the WhatsApp API supports programmatic creation, Zixflow offers a drag-and-drop visual builder to help you create and manage carousel campaigns without technical expertise.

Are WhatsApp carousels effective for sales?

Yes, businesses using WhatsApp carousels have reported higher click-through rates compared to traditional messages. The visual-first and swipeable format encourages users to engage more deeply with your products, compelling them to take faster action.

Is approval required before sending WhatsApp Carousel messages?

Yes, all WhatsApp template messages, including carousels, must be submitted and approved by WhatsApp before you can send them to users. The approval process is required to initiate conversations from your end and typically takes a few days.