Your first customers are not strangers. They are past buyers, saved contacts and people who already asked what you sell. Here is the order to approach them in.
A catalogue with no traffic is a shop with the lights off. Getting your first customers is not a branding problem; it is a sequence problem. Approach the people most likely to buy first, learn what they ask, and fix the catalogue before you spend money reaching strangers.
Start with the people who already know you
- List every past customer, even the ones from before you had a catalogue.
- List people who asked about your products in the last three months.
- List friends and family who genuinely buy what you sell — not everyone you know.
- Send each one a personal message with the link and one specific reason to look.
A personal message converts far better than a forwarded flyer because it carries a relationship. It also gives you your first real feedback: which products they open, which prices they question, and what they expected to find but did not.
Use status as a shop window
WhatsApp status is the closest thing to free retail display space. Post a product photo with the price and a one-line reason to buy, then the catalogue link in the caption. Do this for a week with a different product each day, and keep the highlight on your profile so new visitors can see it later. Status is permission-based — people choose to watch — so it does not feel like a broadcast.
Make the link easy to find
| Place | Effort | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Business profile | Low | Every new chat sees it before asking |
| Instagram bio | Low | Turns profile visits into browsing |
| QR code at the counter | Low | Captures walk-in customers |
| Packaging insert | Low | Reaches buyers after delivery |
| Google Business Profile | Medium | Local searches find the shop |
| Local community groups | Medium | High trust, but ask permission first |
| Referral ask | Low | A happy buyer is the best ad |
Ask for referrals deliberately
Do not wait for word of mouth. After a delivery is confirmed and the customer is happy, ask one question: “Is there one person you know who would like this?” A short, personal ask works better than a discount code, and a referred buyer arrives with trust already installed. Thank the referrer with something small and specific.
Get the local listing right
A Google Business Profile puts your shop on Maps and in local searches for your category. Add photos, opening hours, the catalogue link and a few products. Then ask your first five customers for an honest review — not a five-star demand, just a review. Local discovery compounds slowly and costs nothing to maintain.
Measure the four numbers that matter
- Link opens — is anyone clicking, and from where?
- Chats started — are browsers becoming conversations?
- Orders confirmed — are conversations becoming sales?
- Average order value — are people buying one item or a basket?
Ask every buyer how they found you. After twenty orders you will know which channel deserves more effort and which one only feels productive. Most small shops discover that past customers and referrals outperform everything else in the first month.
What not to do
Do not add strangers to a broadcast list, forward the same flyer to every group you are in, or buy a follower list. Do not run a discount before ten people have paid full price — you will not know whether the product or the discount made the sale. And do not rebuild the catalogue for a month before showing it to anyone; the first ten conversations will tell you more than another theme.
Set up the local listing with Google Business Profile products, and make sharing frictionless with how to share a catalogue link. If you sell a specific category, start from the matching industry guide.
Create your catalogue, send it to ten people who already know you, and ask each one what stopped them from ordering. That is your launch plan.
Frequently asked questions
Start with people who have already bought from you or asked about your products, send one personal message rather than a broadcast, and post the link on status where people choose to watch. Ask before adding anyone to a broadcast list.
Written by MyShp Editorial Team
We write practical guides for independent sellers, home businesses, and small shops taking orders on WhatsApp.