Dukaan WhatsApp integration works in two ways in 2026. The first is Dukaan's own WhatsApp automations, which send order, shipping and one cart-recovery message from your store's number, linked the way you link WhatsApp Web, with no per-message fee from Dukaan. The second is the official WhatsApp Business API through a provider, which adds COD confirm buttons, multi-step cart recovery and festive broadcasts at roughly ₹0.215 per utility message all-in on RichAutomate. Small stores can happily start on the free native route. Once COD returns start hurting or you want to broadcast a Diwali sale, the official API is the route that scales.
Picture a kurta seller in Jaipur who runs her store on Dukaan. It is 11 at night, she has packed 22 orders today, and her phone keeps buzzing with the same question in five different spellings: "order kab aayega?" Dukaan's own WhatsApp page opens with almost exactly this scene, the buyer typing "Bhaiya, order kahan hai?" at 11:14 pm.
We checked Dukaan's public pages in November 2026 to see what it does on WhatsApp, where it stops, and what going further costs. Where we could not verify something, we say so.
What does Dukaan's built-in WhatsApp actually do?
Dukaan's WhatsApp automations page (marked "New" on mydukaan.io) lists six automations "wired to real order events":
- Order placed: a receipt with the buyer's name, order ID, items, total and a tracking link.
- Shipment updates: packed, shipped, out for delivery and delivered.
- Status changes: cancelled or returned, with the reason.
- Cart recovery: exactly one nudge, about 30 minutes after a cart is abandoned, and then it stops.
- Store lead welcome: a greeting when someone leaves their number on your storefront.
- OTP login: a verification code, sent from Dukaan's own number rather than yours.
Each automation ships with a default plain-text template you can rewrite using variables such as buyer name, order ID, total, items, tracking URL, store name, cart URL and cancel reason. Dukaan blocks you from saving a template that uses a variable the trigger does not support, so a buyer never sees a raw placeholder. Every delivery attempt is written to the order timeline, and shipment events can come from the dashboard, a courier webhook or Dukaan's API.
On cost, Dukaan says there are no per-message charges: the automations go out from your own linked number, so there are no Meta conversation fees, and Dukaan adds nothing on top. Separately, Dukaan's plans charge a service fee per order (4.99% on Free down to 0.99% on Infinity, capped at ₹200 per order, as listed on its pricing page in November 2026), so you pay for the store, not the messages.
How does the linked-number route work, and where does it stop?
This is the part most sellers miss. Dukaan does not send these automations through the official WhatsApp Business API. In its own words, it "sends as a linked device on your store's number, the same way WhatsApp Web does." You scan a QR code or enter a pairing code from the dashboard, and Dukaan sends from your number. It states that you need zero Meta Business or BSP accounts.
That design is genuinely convenient, and Dukaan is unusually honest about its limits. Its "What this will not do" section says:
- It is not a bulk marketing tool. The six automations are transactional. Uploading 5,000 numbers for a Diwali broadcast "is a different product with different rules" and Dukaan "will not do it from here."
- WhatsApp's own rules still apply. Dukaan notes that numbers which send unsolicited bulk messages, or get reported by buyers, can be restricted by WhatsApp.
- Your phone stays the source. If the linked device is logged out from your phone, automations pause until you scan the QR again.
- Delivery is fast but not guaranteed. Messages queue and retry, and there is no SMS fallback.
- Blocks are permanent. A buyer who blocks you or replies STOP drops out of every automation, including order confirmations.
Dukaan also argues against a second cart reminder, saying sellers who add one see recovery fall. With the official API you can test your own sequence and measure it.
Dukaan native WhatsApp vs the official WhatsApp Business API
Neither route is "right" for every store. Here is how they compare on the things a D2C seller actually feels.
| What you care about | Dukaan native automations | Official WhatsApp Business API (via a provider) |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Scan a QR, toggle six switches | Meta business verification, a provider account, template approval |
| Sending identity | Your number as a linked device | Your number registered on the API, with a business profile and display name |
| Message format | Plain text with variables | Approved templates with images, quick-reply and URL buttons |
| COD confirmation with Yes / Cancel buttons | Not in the six listed automations | Yes, as a utility template with quick replies |
| Abandoned cart | One nudge, about 30 minutes in | Your own sequence and timing, with images and buttons |
| Festive and sale broadcasts | Not offered ("not a bulk marketing tool") | Yes, to opted-in customers as marketing templates |
| Team inbox and chatbot flows | Replies happen on your phone | Shared inbox, agent assignment, flow builder |
| Phone dependency | Automations pause if the device is logged out | Cloud-hosted, no phone needs to stay online |
| Cost | No per-message fee (per Dukaan) | Meta's per-message rate plus the provider's fee |
Which Dukaan WhatsApp integrations exist today?
Beyond the native automations, here is what we could confirm on Dukaan's own pages and in partner documentation in November 2026.
- Interakt. Dukaan's help article "How to setup custom WhatsApp notifications with Interakt" describes going to Store Settings, then Notifications, turning on WhatsApp notifications and pasting your Interakt API key. Interakt's own Dukaan page lists the order events it receives, including received, accepted, cancelled, shipped, delivered, returned and abandoned, plus shipment and RTO states. Interakt is not listed on Dukaan's current integrations page, so check that the setting still appears in your dashboard.
- LimeChat. Listed on Dukaan's integrations page as "AI-powered customer support and engagement". Dukaan's help article on the LimeChat plugin says it sends WhatsApp messages for new orders, status changes and abandoned carts using webhooks, and describes it as a paid feature on the Enterprise plan.
- Webhooks plugin. Listed under Utilities on Dukaan's integrations page. Dukaan's homepage also describes its API as "REST, plus signed webhooks for order events." We could not verify the exact event list or payload format in its public developer docs, which currently cover themes only.
- WhatsApp Chat Bubble. A storefront chat button that opens WhatsApp. Useful for pre-sale questions, but it does not send notifications.
Dukaan's pricing page shows "Third-party plugins" on all four plans, including Free, and "Growth plugins" on Growth and Infinity only. It also notes that "payment, shipping and messaging providers may charge separately." We could not confirm which tier each individual plugin sits in, so check the plugin's page inside your dashboard before you plan around it.
RichAutomate does not have a one-click Dukaan app today, and we would rather say that than imply otherwise. The connection runs through Dukaan's webhooks or API, or through a simple export, as described below.
How do you connect a Dukaan store to the official API with RichAutomate?
There are two practical paths, one with a little code and one with none.
Path 1: webhook to API (automatic).
- Create a RichAutomate account, connect your WhatsApp number through Meta's embedded signup and finish business verification.
- Create and submit your templates: order confirmation, COD confirmation with "Confirm" and "Cancel" quick replies, shipping update with a tracking link, and a cart reminder.
- Generate an API key in RichAutomate's developer settings.
- In Dukaan, enable the Webhooks plugin and point the order events at a small relay: a no-code automation tool or a short script on your server that maps Dukaan's order fields to template variables and calls RichAutomate's send-template API.
- Route quick-reply answers into a flow: "Confirm" tags the order as confirmed, "Cancel" alerts your team before the parcel ships. Our guide to WhatsApp COD confirmation to cut RTO covers the template wording and timing.
Path 2: export and campaign (no code). If writing a relay is not for you, export your day's orders from Dukaan if your plan allows it (we could not verify which plans include order export), import the CSV as contacts in RichAutomate and send the COD confirmation template as a scheduled campaign twice a day.
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One rule for either path: do not let two systems send the same message. If RichAutomate sends your order confirmation, switch off Dukaan's native "Order placed" automation, or buyers get two receipts and start ignoring both. If you ship through Shiprocket rather than Dukaan's delivery partners, the tracking events may be easier to pull from there; see Shiprocket WhatsApp order tracking integration.
Want to see it on your own number? Create your RichAutomate account, connect your WhatsApp number and send a test COD confirmation to yourself before you wire up a single webhook.
Which messages should a Dukaan store send, and when?
Meta classifies every template. Order, payment and delivery updates are utility; anything promotional, including a cart reminder with a discount, is marketing. The category decides the price, so plan it upfront.
| Message | Trigger | Category | What it should say |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order confirmation | Order placed | Utility | Order ID, items, total, expected dispatch date |
| COD confirmation | COD order placed | Utility | Amount due on delivery, with Confirm and Cancel buttons |
| Shipping update | Order shipped | Utility | Courier name and tracking link |
| Delivery attempt failed | Courier reports failed delivery | Utility | Reschedule option before it turns into an RTO |
| Abandoned cart reminder | Cart left for 30 to 60 minutes | Marketing | Product image, cart link, optional offer |
| Festive broadcast | Manual, to opted-in buyers | Marketing | Sale dates, hero product, one clear button |
For the cart message specifically, our breakdown of WhatsApp abandoned cart recovery walks through timing and copy that keeps the reminder helpful rather than pushy. Only send marketing templates to buyers who opted in at checkout, and keep frequency low; a block costs you every future order update to that buyer, as Dukaan rightly points out.
What does a month of Dukaan WhatsApp messages cost?
Here is a worked example we built for a Dukaan store doing 500 orders a month. The numbers are our own illustration, not data from any real store. Our assumptions: 60% of orders are COD (300 COD confirmations), one shipping update per order, 300 abandoned-cart reminders, and one festive broadcast to 1,500 opted-in customers. Every message is counted as charged.
Rates used, on RichAutomate's Client Pay model: a ₹0.10 platform fee per message, plus Meta's own charge billed to you directly by Meta, approximately ₹0.115 per utility message and ₹0.8631 per marketing message. That makes about ₹0.215 per utility message and ₹0.9631 per marketing message all-in. Meta revises its rate card, so check the current numbers on our RichAutomate pricing page before you budget.
| Line | Messages | Platform fee (₹0.10) | Meta charge | All-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order confirmations (utility) | 500 | ₹50.00 | ₹57.50 | ₹107.50 |
| COD confirmations (utility) | 300 | ₹30.00 | ₹34.50 | ₹64.50 |
| Shipping updates (utility) | 500 | ₹50.00 | ₹57.50 | ₹107.50 |
| Abandoned-cart reminders (marketing) | 300 | ₹30.00 | ₹258.93 | ₹288.93 |
| Festive broadcast (marketing) | 1,500 | ₹150.00 | ₹1,294.65 | ₹1,444.65 |
| Total | 3,100 | ₹310.00 | ₹1,703.08 | ₹2,013.08 |
How that lands on your bank statement:
- The Starter plan is ₹499 a month, and that ₹499 is credited to your RichAutomate wallet as message credit.
- The ₹310.00 of platform fees is paid from that credit, leaving ₹189.00 unused in the wallet.
- Meta bills its ₹1,703.08 to you directly.
- Total cash out for the month: ₹499 + ₹1,703.08 = ₹2,202.08.
Notice where the money goes: all 1,300 utility messages cost ₹279.50 all-in, while the single festive broadcast costs ₹1,444.65. If budget is tight, keep the order updates and trim the broadcast list. For a store sending only the three utility messages, the platform fee is ₹130.00 (paid from the ₹499 credit) and Meta bills ₹149.50, so the cash out is ₹499 + ₹149.50 = ₹648.50 for the month.
Is that worth it when Dukaan's native route charges nothing per message? It depends on COD: if confirmation buttons stop a few fake or impulse COD orders from shipping each month, the saved courier and return costs can cover it. Run it against your own RTO numbers.
Should you stay native or move to the official API?
A simple way to decide:
- Stay on Dukaan's native automations if you are mostly prepaid, under a few hundred orders a month, one person answers chats, and you do not plan sale broadcasts.
- Move to the official API if COD is a large share of orders, you want button-based COD confirmation, you plan festive or restock broadcasts, or a team needs a shared inbox.
- Mix carefully if you want to keep native receipts and add an API flow only for COD: make sure each event is sent by exactly one system.
If you are comparing providers more broadly, our roundup of the best WhatsApp Business API for D2C brands in India lays out what to check before you sign up anywhere.
Dukaan WhatsApp integration FAQs
Does Dukaan have WhatsApp integration?
Yes. Dukaan offers six built-in WhatsApp automations (order placed, shipment updates, status changes, one cart-recovery nudge, store lead welcome and OTP login) sent from your own number linked like WhatsApp Web. It also lists LimeChat, a WhatsApp chat bubble and a Webhooks plugin, and its help center documents an Interakt setup.
Is Dukaan's WhatsApp automation free?
Dukaan says there are no per-message charges for its automations because they send from your own linked number. Your Dukaan plan's per-order service fee still applies, and third-party messaging providers may charge separately.
Can Dukaan send WhatsApp broadcasts for a Diwali sale?
Not from its native automations. Dukaan states they are transactional only and not a bulk marketing tool. For broadcasts to opted-in customers you need the official WhatsApp Business API through a provider.
How do I send COD confirmation messages from a Dukaan store?
COD confirmation with buttons is not among Dukaan's six native automations. Use the official API: send a utility template with Confirm and Cancel quick replies, triggered from Dukaan's webhooks or API through a provider such as RichAutomate.
What does the official WhatsApp API cost for a Dukaan store?
On RichAutomate's Client Pay model, about ₹0.215 per utility message and ₹0.9631 per marketing message all-in (₹0.10 platform fee plus Meta's charge, billed by Meta). The Starter plan is ₹499 a month, credited to your wallet as message credit.
Sources we checked (November 2026)
- Dukaan WhatsApp automations page: mydukaan.io/whatsapp
- Dukaan pricing: mydukaan.io/pricing
- Dukaan integrations: mydukaan.io/integrations
- Dukaan help center articles "How to use the LimeChat plugin on Dukaan" (article 5118) and "How to setup custom WhatsApp notifications with Interakt" (article 1026), on dukaan.help.center. The help center blocked our direct requests, so we relied on the article titles and published summaries.
- Interakt's Dukaan integration guide: interakt.shop
Ready to add COD confirmation to your Dukaan store? Sign up for RichAutomate, connect your number and send your first template today. The Starter plan's ₹499 a month comes back to you as wallet credit for messages.