Most Buvvo vendors already run their shop from the WhatsApp Business app. You do not have to give that up. Buvvo can join the account you already use, so you keep the app, the number and your chats, and Buvvo works the same line alongside you.
This is the route labelled “I already use WhatsApp Business” on the Shop → WhatsApp page, and it is the one most vendors want.
What you keep
- Your number. Customers message exactly the same number as before.
- The WhatsApp Business app. You keep replying from your phone whenever you want, and nothing is deleted from it.
- Your history. Up to six months of past chats and your contacts come across into the Buvvo inbox.
- Your display picture and business info, which stay managed in the WhatsApp Business app.
Before you start
- You are an Owner, Admin or Manager on the Buvvo shop.
- The number is already set up in the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, and you have that phone with you.
- You can log in to the Facebook or Meta account that manages your business.
Link it
- In the dashboard, open Shop → WhatsApp.
- Pick “I already use WhatsApp Business”, then click “Link my WhatsApp Business”. Meta’s secure popup opens.
- Log in to Facebook or Meta with the account that manages your business.
- Choose your existing Meta Business, then choose the existing WhatsApp Business Account and the number you already sell from.
- On your phone, open WhatsApp Business → Settings → Linked devices, and scan the QR code the popup shows.
- Finish the popup. Back in Buvvo, the WhatsApp page flips to “Connected”, and your recent chats start appearing in the inbox.
The QR scan is the step people miss. If you close the popup before scanning, Buvvo shows “Meta did not return a number”. Nothing is broken: open Shop → WhatsApp and run it again, and this time complete the scan in Settings → Linked devices.
How this differs from “Set up a new number”
- Existing account: you keep the WhatsApp Business app and the number stays live on your phone. Up to six months of chats and contacts come across. Best for a shop that is already trading.
- New number: the number lives on Buvvo only and you reply from the dashboard instead of the app. It must be a number that is not already active on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business, and old chats do not come across. Best for a fresh line.
Use a laptop for the dashboard and keep your phone next to you. The Meta popup is easier to read on a bigger screen, and you need the phone in hand for the QR scan.
If the status does not turn green afterwards, see Fixing a disconnected or unhealthy WhatsApp number.