💬 Shared WhatsApp Inbox on the new PlatformMore
1msg official logo

Personal product picks via WhatsApp API template

The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template when a recommendation engine or merchandiser prepares a curated selection of several items for a contact.

Use case overview

The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template when a recommendation engine or merchandiser prepares a curated selection of several items for a contact. The message includes the customer name, the browsing or purchase context behind the picks, and a short note about the selection. A static URL button opens the personal recommendations page in one tap.

Template example

Hello, {{1}}! Based on {{2}}, we picked a personal selection for you: {{3}} Tap the button below to open your recommendations.

View selection
  • {{1}}
    customer name
  • {{2}}
    browsing or purchase context that drove the product picks
  • {{3}}
    curated selection note (e.g. item count, theme, or merchandiser edit)
  • “View selection”
    button — fixed in the Meta template
WhatsApp Business API for personal product recommendations broadcast

When to use it

Use this scenario when you already have opt-in WhatsApp contacts and a recommendation engine or merchandiser can assemble a shortlist of several items for each person — from browsing history, past orders, or a manual edit — without sending the entire catalog or a single generic promo. It fits e-commerce stores surfacing personalised picks, replenishment brands suggesting companion products from order data, and agencies wiring CRM or recommendation triggers into WhatsApp selection broadcasts for client brands.

Curated picks instead of catalog overload
The message opens a personal selection page with several items chosen for that contact, so they see a relevant shortlist rather than the full assortment or one random product.
Recommendations tied to real behaviour signals
Three body variables carry the customer name, the browsing or purchase context behind the picks, and a note about the selection, so the broadcast reads as personalised merchandising rather than a mass blast.
Compliant outreach outside the 24-hour window
An approved MARKETING template delivers the selection link on WhatsApp even when no conversation is open, so recommendations reach opted-in contacts without waiting for them to message first.
Less manual curation work per contact
The recommendation engine or CRM supplies context fields and the template goes out on that trigger — no rep rebuilds lists or retypes selection notes for each shopper.
Campaign delivery tracking for selections
Delivery results are logged for recommendation campaign analytics, so marketing can measure reach before tracking clicks and conversions on the personal selection page.

Workflow

  1. Customer acts

    Recommendation engine or CRM flags a contact eligible for a personalised product selection.

    user action

  2. Capture event

    The system resolves the phone number and browsing or purchase context fields.

    phone: "+…"

  3. Build & send

    A personalised recommendations template is built with three body variables and a static URL button.

    POST /sendTemplate

  4. Delivered

    The opted-in contact receives the WhatsApp message with a link to their curated picks.

    delivered

  5. Status tracked

    Delivery results are logged for recommendation campaign performance tracking.

    status: "read"

WhatsApp Business API for personal product recommendations broadcast

Technical implementation

Prerequisites

  1. 1MSG API Key · How to get API Key
  2. WhatsApp Business account · How to Connect WABA
  3. WhatsApp Template · How to Approve WABA Template
  4. Customer opt-in · How to Manage Customers Consent

Code examples

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

# === Configuration (replace "___" placeholders) ===

API_BASE_URL="https://api.1msg.io"        # production 1MSG API base URL
CHANNEL_ID="___"                           # channel ID from 1MSG dashboard
API_TOKEN="___"                            # channel JWT token (Bearer)

TEMPLATE_NAME="___"                        # approved template name
TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE="___"                   # template namespace (required — send fails without it)
TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE="___"                    # template language code, e.g. "en"



# === Test data ===
TEST_PHONE="___"                 # client phone in international format
TEST_CUSTOMERNAME="___"         # {{1}} customer name
TEST_PRODUCTCONTEXT="___"         # {{2}} product context
TEST_ADDITIONALINFO="___"         # {{3}} additional info

PHONE_NORM="$(printf '%s' "$TEST_PHONE" | tr -cd '0-9')"

for pair in "CHANNEL_ID=$CHANNEL_ID" "API_TOKEN=$API_TOKEN" \
            "TEMPLATE_NAME=$TEMPLATE_NAME" "TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE=$TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE" \
            "TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE=$TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE" "TEST_PHONE=$TEST_PHONE" \
            "TEST_CUSTOMERNAME=$TEST_CUSTOMERNAME" \
            "TEST_PRODUCTCONTEXT=$TEST_PRODUCTCONTEXT" \
            "TEST_ADDITIONALINFO=$TEST_ADDITIONALINFO"; do
    val="${pair#*=}"
    if [ -z "$val" ] || [ "$val" = "___" ]; then
        echo "Missing configuration value: ${pair%%=*}" >&2
        exit 1
    fi
done

if [ -z "$PHONE_NORM" ]; then
    echo "Error: phone number has no digits after normalization" >&2
    exit 1
fi

URL="${API_BASE_URL%/}/${CHANNEL_ID}/sendTemplate"

# params carries body ONLY. Button text is fixed in the Meta template — no button param.

# {{1}} customer name → ${TEST_CUSTOMERNAME}
# {{2}} product context → ${TEST_PRODUCTCONTEXT}
# {{3}} additional info → ${TEST_ADDITIONALINFO}
read -r -d '' PAYLOAD <<JSON || true
{
  "phone": "${PHONE_NORM}",
  "template": "${TEMPLATE_NAME}",
  "namespace": "${TEMPLATE_NAMESPACE}",
  "language": { "policy": "deterministic", "code": "${TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE}" },
  "params": [
    {
      "type": "body",
      "parameters": [
        { "type": "text", "text": "${TEST_CUSTOMERNAME}" },
        { "type": "text", "text": "${TEST_PRODUCTCONTEXT}" },
        { "type": "text", "text": "${TEST_ADDITIONALINFO}" }
      ]
    }

  ]
}
JSON

RESPONSE="$(curl -s -w '\n%{http_code}' -X POST "$URL" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
    -d "$PAYLOAD")"

HTTP_CODE="$(printf '%s' "$RESPONSE" | tail -n1)"
BODY="$(printf '%s' "$RESPONSE" | sed '$d')"

case "$BODY" in
    *'"sent":true'*) ok=1 ;;
    *) ok=0 ;;
esac

if [ "$HTTP_CODE" -ge 200 ] && [ "$HTTP_CODE" -lt 300 ] && [ "$ok" -eq 1 ]; then
    echo "Message sent to client."
    echo "API response: $BODY"
else
    echo "Send failed. HTTP status: $HTTP_CODE" >&2
    echo "$BODY" >&2
    exit 1
fi

Response and delivery status

HTTP 2xx and JSON "sent": true mean 1MSG accepted the message for sending — not that it already reached the customer's phone. Save the id field (looks like wamid.…) to correlate delivery callbacks.

200 OKResponse
{
  "sent": true,
  "message": "Sent to [email protected]",
  "description": "Message has been sent to the provider",
  "id": "wamid.HBgLMzgwNjM5..."
}
  • sent

    Accepted for sending — not yet on the customer's phone

  • id

    Store it; delivery callbacks and hookInfo are keyed on this

Delivery statuses and webhooks →

Common errors

StatusAPI responseCauseFix
200Message was not sent: template is not definednamespace, template or language is missing from the request body.Send all three. Take namespace and the exact template name from GET /templates; language is an object: {"policy": "deterministic", "code": "en"}.
200template name (…) does not exist in <language>The template is approved in a different language than the one requested.Use the exact language code the template was approved in (for example es_MX is not the same as es). Check it in GET /templates.
200Message was not sent: provide chatId, phone, bsuid, or usernameNo recipient the channel could resolve.Pass exactly one recipient: phone (country code plus number, digits only), chatId (for example [email protected]) or bsuid.

All error codes →

Common questions

Related

Marketing Campaigns
Post-visit follow-up offer via WhatsApp API
The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template shortly after an in-person visit, showroom trip, consultation, or phone contact.
Marketing Campaigns
Product launch announcement via WhatsApp API
The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template when a single named product, service line, tariff, or feature goes live.
Marketing Campaigns
Offer deadline reminder via WhatsApp API
The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template as the second touch of a promotion that is already running and about to close.
Marketing Campaigns
Segmented personal offers via WhatsApp API
The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template when CRM splits an opted-in base into audience segments and assigns tailored offer terms to each.
Marketing Campaigns
Send content (guides, articles) via WhatsApp API
The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template when the business publishes educational or entertaining content for opted-in contacts.
Marketing Campaigns
Company news broadcast via WhatsApp API template
The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp template when the business publishes company or service news.
Marketing Campaigns
Post-purchase upsell message via WhatsApp API
The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template shortly after a completed purchase when a follow-up offer is relevant — a refill, companion product, or the next service in the cycle.
Marketing Campaigns
Win-back message for inactive customers (API)
The scenario sends a personalised WhatsApp marketing template to an existing customer who bought or used the service before but has been inactive for months.

Build for WhatsApp in hours
without infrastructure hassle