WhatsApp Business labels for orders: setup and a label system for stores
Labels in the WhatsApp Business app are coloured tags you add to a chat, such as New order or Paid, so one tap shows only those customers. You can have up to 20. WhatsApp is renaming labels to lists, so your app may show either. Below: setup on each device, a store label system and a daily routine.
By Mousa Alhelo, founder, E-SAFQA · Updated · 8 min read · How we write and test these guides
What labels are, and why your app may call them lists
A label is a name and a colour you attach to a whole chat. One chat can carry several labels, for example New order and VIP. Opening a label shows every chat that has it, which turns your chat list into a simple order board without any extra software.
As of October 2026, WhatsApp's Help Center says labels are becoming lists and that lists are rolling out gradually. The idea is the same: you name a group, give it a colour and add chats to it. The menus are different, so check which layout your app shows before you follow the steps below. Labels and lists are features of the WhatsApp Business app; the regular WhatsApp app does not have them.
| Labels layout (older) | Lists layout (rolling out) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you manage them | Chats > More options (three dots) > Labels | Tools > Lists |
| How you add a chat | Tap and hold the chat > Label icon | Tap and hold the chat > Add to list |
| Maximum | 20 labels | 20 lists |
| Starter set | Many installs show five: New customer, New order, Pending payment, Paid, Order complete | Default and suggested lists, which vary by version |
How to create, edit and delete labels on Android, iPhone and Web
These are the paths WhatsApp's Help Center gives as of October 2026. The Android article still describes the labels layout; the iPhone and Web articles already describe lists. If your phone shows the other layout, use the other column.
- Rename the starter labels instead of deleting them. Pending payment, for example, is a natural home for cash on delivery orders you still need to confirm.
- Pick colours by stage, not by taste: one colour for anything that needs action today, another for orders on their way, a neutral one for closed orders.
- Keep a few of the 20 slots free for seasonal labels such as Eid orders or Black Friday.
| Action | Android (labels) | iPhone (lists) | WhatsApp Web (lists) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create | Chats > More options > Label chat, type a name, tap the check mark, Save | Tools > Lists > New list, type a name, Done | Tools > Lists > Add new list, type a name, Create list |
| Rename | Chats > More options > Labels > tap the label > More options > Edit label | Tools > Lists > tap the list > Edit > Done | Tools > Lists > click the list, edit, Save list |
| Change colour | Tap the label > More options > Choose color | Tap the list > Edit > colour palette > Done | Click the list > click the list colour > choose |
| Delete | Tap the label > More options > Delete label > Yes | Tap the list > Delete list > Delete | Click the list > More > Delete list > Delete |
How to label a chat and filter by label
On WhatsApp Web, open the chat menu (the down arrow next to the chat), click Add to list, choose the lists and click Done. Labels apply to the whole chat, so a returning customer with a new order simply gets New order again.
- Tap and hold the customer's chat in your chat list.
- Android with labels: tap the Label icon at the top. Lists layout: tap Add to list. Older iPhone versions: swipe left on the chat > More > Label chat.
- Tick every label that applies, for example New order and Wholesale, then tap Save or Done.
- To see one label, go to Chats > More options > Labels (Android) or Tools > Lists (lists layout) and tap it. Only the chats with that label appear.
- To check one customer, tap their profile photo in the chat list; WhatsApp shows all the labels on that chat.
- When the order moves on, open the same menu, untick the old label and tick the new one.
A label system for an online store
Most stores need one label per order stage plus two or three customer types. Nine labels cover the usual flow from question to delivery and still leave room for your own. Each chat should carry one stage label at a time; customer-type labels stay on.
| Label | Add it when | Move it on when |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-sale question | Someone asks about a product, size, price or delivery before ordering | They order (New order) or the question is answered and closed |
| New order | An order arrives or the customer writes about a fresh order | You confirm details or payment |
| Pending payment / COD to confirm | Bank transfer not received yet, or a cash on delivery order needs a yes from the customer | Payment arrives or the customer confirms (Paid) |
| Paid | Payment is confirmed or the COD order is confirmed | The order is handed to the carrier (Shipped) |
| Shipped | The parcel leaves with a tracking number | The carrier marks it delivered |
| Delivered | The customer has the order | After a few days, if nothing is open, remove the stage label |
| Return / refund | The customer asks to return, exchange or get money back | The refund or exchange is finished |
| VIP | Repeat buyers or high-value customers you want to answer first | Keep it on |
| Wholesale | Bulk or business buyers who need quotes and different terms | Keep it on |
A 10-minute daily routine with labels
- Morning: open New order. Reply to each chat, confirm the details and move it to Pending payment or Paid.
- Open Pending payment / COD to confirm. Follow up once on anything older than a day; cancel in Shopify what the customer declines.
- Open Pre-sale question and answer everything left from the night before. Your away message already told these customers when you would reply.
- After you hand parcels to the carrier, move those chats from Paid to Shipped.
- Open Return / refund last and close what you can today. Unanswered return chats are the ones that turn into bad reviews.
- Once a week, clear the stage label from old Delivered chats so each label shows only live work.
Combine labels with quick replies and the away message
Labels tell you which chats need you; quick replies make each answer fast. The WhatsApp Business app stores up to 50 quick replies, and you insert one by typing / in the message box. Pair one quick reply with each stage label so moving a chat and answering it take seconds.
Your greeting and away messages handle the first contact when you are busy or closed. Set them up first, then use labels to work through the chats they caught. Examples and setup are in our guide at /blog/whatsapp-auto-reply-for-online-stores, and greeting texts are at /blog/whatsapp-welcome-message-examples.
| Label | Quick reply shortcut | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| New order | /order | Thank you for your order. Please confirm your name, city and delivery address. |
| COD to confirm | /cod | Please reply YES to confirm your cash on delivery order {#1001} for {total}. |
| Shipped | /track | Your order is on its way. Track it here: {tracking link} |
| Return / refund | /return | Sorry about that. Please send a photo and your order number and we will sort it out today. |
Limits to know before you rely on labels
- Up to 20 labels or lists per account. Plan your set before you create many one-off labels.
- Labels are manual. Nothing moves a chat from Paid to Shipped for you; someone has to change it.
- Labels live in WhatsApp Business only. They do not sync to Shopify, to your order list or to another WhatsApp number, and Shopify order status does not change them.
- Each WhatsApp Business account has its own labels. If you run two numbers, as described in /blog/two-whatsapp-accounts-one-phone, set up labels on each one.
- Sending to everyone in a label is a paid feature. WhatsApp's Help Center describes marketing messages (now business broadcasts in some countries) that go to a label or list, paid per delivered message and available in limited countries.
- Automatic events, an optional feature that labels orders and leads for you, has trade-offs: WhatsApp says turning it on can affect greeting and away messages, broadcast lists and message editing, routes chats through a Meta service, and disconnects existing linked devices until you re-link them.
Where WhatsApp Pilot fits
WhatsApp Pilot does not create or change labels. What it does is send the order messages for you from your own WhatsApp number, connected by QR code as a linked device: an order confirmation when a Shopify order is created, a fulfillment notice with the carrier and tracking number when Shopify has them, and a cancellation notice when an order is cancelled.
Because those messages go out from your number, they appear in the same chat you are labelling. When a customer replies to a confirmation, you open the chat and the order number and details are already there, so you can label it New order or COD to confirm without looking the order up. Every automated send is logged in Message History with its status, and the reason when a message was skipped.
WhatsApp Pilot has no live inbox and does not show delivered or read receipts, so labels in the WhatsApp Business app remain your way to track conversations. If you turn on WhatsApp's automatic events, check that WhatsApp Pilot is still connected afterwards and scan the QR code again if it is not.
Frequently asked questions
How many labels can I have in WhatsApp Business?
Up to 20. The same limit applies to lists, the newer version of labels that WhatsApp is rolling out gradually.
Why can't I find labels in my WhatsApp Business app?
Your app may already show lists instead. Look for Tools > Lists. If you still see neither, check that you are using the WhatsApp Business app, not regular WhatsApp, and update it.
Can I send one message to everyone with a label?
WhatsApp offers this as marketing messages, now called business broadcasts in some countries. It is paid per delivered message and available in limited countries. Free broadcast lists are a separate feature with a 256-contact limit per list.
Can I use labels on WhatsApp Web?
Yes. WhatsApp's Help Center gives Web steps: Tools > Lists to create and manage, and the chat menu > Add to list to apply one.
Do WhatsApp labels sync with Shopify orders?
No. Labels stay inside WhatsApp Business and Shopify order statuses do not change them. Update them yourself as each order moves on.
Does WhatsApp Pilot add labels automatically?
No. It sends order confirmation, fulfillment and cancellation messages from your number and logs each one in Message History, so the order context is already in the chat when you label it.
Ready to put WhatsApp to work on your store?
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