Vendra's WhatsApp Notification module (whatsapp_notification) connects your Vendra system to WhatsApp Business so key business events — daily sales totals, low-stock warnings, new invoices, payment confirmations — are sent as WhatsApp messages to the numbers you configure. This means the owner or manager gets real-time visibility without needing to log in to Vendra. This guide walks through the setup from start to finish.
Steps to set up WhatsApp notifications
Check your plan includes WhatsApp notifications
WhatsApp notifications are available on the Vendra Pro plan and above. To confirm your current plan, go to Settings in the main menu and look for the Subscriptions or Plan section. If your plan does not include WhatsApp, you will see an upgrade prompt. Contact your Vendra account manager or visit the pricing page to upgrade.
Once confirmed, verify that the whatsapp_notification module is installed. Go to Apps in the main menu, remove the search filter if needed, and search for "WhatsApp Notification". It should show as Installed. If it is not installed, click Install.
Go to Settings and find the WhatsApp section
Go to Settings from the main menu and open General Settings. Scroll down to find the WhatsApp Notification section. Here you will find the fields for your WhatsApp Business API credentials — specifically the API Token and Phone Number ID from Meta/WhatsApp Business Manager.
To get these credentials, log in to your Meta Business Manager account (business.facebook.com). Go to WhatsApp Manager, select your business phone number, and find the API Token and Phone Number ID in the API Setup section. Copy these values and paste them into the corresponding fields in Vendra.
WhatsApp Business API requires that outbound messages use pre-approved message templates. Vendra's whatsapp_notification module includes built-in templates for daily sales summaries, low-stock alerts and invoice notifications. These templates must be approved by Meta before messages can be sent. Approval typically takes 24–48 hours after submission.
Enter your WhatsApp business number
In the Recipient Numbers section of the WhatsApp settings, enter the primary phone number that will receive notifications. Use the international format with the country code — for example +254 712 345 678 for a Kenyan number. This is typically the business owner's or manager's WhatsApp-enabled number.
Make sure the number is registered on WhatsApp and active. Business-initiated WhatsApp messages require the recipient to have WhatsApp on the number you specify.
Configure which notifications you want to receive
In the Notification Types section, you will see toggles or checkboxes for each available notification event. Enable the ones relevant to your business:
- Daily Sales Summary — a WhatsApp message sent at a set time each day showing total sales, number of transactions, top-selling products and total revenue for the day.
- Low-Stock Alert — sent when a product's stock level falls below the configured minimum threshold.
- New Invoice — sent when a customer invoice is posted in accounting.
- Payment Received — sent when a customer payment is registered against an invoice.
You can enable any combination. If you only want the daily summary and low-stock alerts, enable just those two and leave the others off to avoid notification noise.
Set the daily sales summary time
If you have enabled the Daily Sales Summary notification, set the delivery time. This is the time of day Vendra will send the end-of-day summary WhatsApp message. A common choice is 8pm — after the business has closed for the day and all POS sessions have been reconciled.
The summary message typically includes total revenue for the day, a breakdown by payment method (Cash, M-Pesa, Card), the number of transactions processed, and the names of any cashiers who closed a session.
Set low-stock alert thresholds
If you have enabled Low-Stock Alerts, configure the minimum stock threshold that triggers a notification. You can set a global threshold — for example, alert when any product falls below 10 units — or configure per-product thresholds using the reorder rules in Inventory (see the reorder point guide).
You can also scope alerts by product category — for example, only send low-stock alerts for products in the Beverages or Fast-Moving Goods category if other categories are less time-sensitive. Save the threshold configuration.
Send a test notification
Before relying on the setup for live alerts, click the Send Test Message button in the WhatsApp settings. Vendra sends a test WhatsApp message to the configured primary recipient number. Check your phone — the message should arrive within a few seconds.
If the test message does not arrive, check: (1) your API token is correct and has not expired, (2) the phone number is in the correct international format, (3) the WhatsApp message template used for tests has been approved by Meta. Contact Vendra support if the issue persists.
Configure additional recipients (optional)
You can route different notification types to different people. For example, the daily sales summary goes to the owner, but low-stock alerts also go to the warehouse manager. In the Recipient Numbers section, click Add a Line and enter an additional number. Then assign which notification types each number receives.
There is no hard limit on the number of recipients. However, keep the list focused — too many recipients can create confusion about who is responsible for acting on alerts. Typically two or three key personnel is enough for most businesses.