What changed: Shopify added WhatsApp marketing automations to Messaging > Automations, with pre-built templates for abandoned browse, abandoned cart, and abandoned checkout, or the option to add WhatsApp to existing automations.
Who is affected
Merchants using Shopify Messaging; the source does not mention any other sector or country restriction.
What it means for your business
For businesses using Shopify, this means they can send automated WhatsApp messages to recover abandoned browsing, cart, and checkout sessions.
What to do
Go to Messaging > Automations in your store admin, review the pre-built WhatsApp templates (abandoned browse, cart, checkout), and turn on the ones you want, or add the WhatsApp channel to your own automations.
When it takes effect
The source gives no separate effective date; the announcement appears in the Shopify Changelog entry dated October 28, 2026.
Source: https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/create-whatsapp-marketing-automations-in-shopify-messaging
