How to set up a product sheet your WhatsApp agent can read
The columns to use, one price per row, and the small mistakes — price ranges, merged cells — that confuse any agent reading your sheet.
6 min readCatalogueGoogle Sheets
Many shops already keep their products in a Google Sheet. It might have started as a stock list, a price list for the counter, or something your cousin set up for Instagram orders. The good news: that sheet can be exactly what a WhatsApp agent reads to answer customers.
The agent can only be as accurate as the sheet, though. A sheet that is easy for you to read at a glance is not always easy for software to read without guessing. This post walks through a layout that works well, and the small habits that keep it working.
One row, one thing you sell
The most important rule: each row is one item a customer can buy, at one price.
If a kurta comes in S, M and L at the same price, you can keep it in one row with the sizes listed. If the XL costs more, give the XL its own row. The agent should never have to work out which price goes with which size.
The columns to use
You do not need many. These cover almost every shop:
| Column | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | What customers call it | Cotton kurta, indigo block print |
| Price | One number, in rupees, no text | 1299 |
| Stock | How many you have right now | 14 |
| Sizes / variants | The options, separated by commas | S, M, L |
| Description | A sentence or two: fabric, fit, care, use | Soft cotton, straight fit, hand wash |
| Image link | A link to a clear photo | https://…/kurta-indigo.jpg |
Useful extras, if you have them: a SKU or item code (handy when you update stock by message), a category (so "show me sarees" is easy to answer), colour, and MRP if you show a crossed-out price. Add them as columns of their own rather than inside the description.
Keep the header row as the very first row, with one plain name per column. Avoid two header rows, notes above the header, or a title like "SUMMER STOCK 2026" in cell A1.
Common mistakes, and easy fixes
Price ranges. "₹499–₹899" tells a person that prices vary, but it does not tell anyone what a particular item costs. When a customer asks "How much for the large one?", the agent needs a single number. Split the range into rows, one per size or variant.
Text in the price column. "1299 + shipping", "Rs. 1,299/-" or "Call for price" all force a guess. Put just the number, 1299, and write shipping rules in your store policies instead.
Merged cells. Merging looks tidy — one big "Kurtas" cell across ten rows — but to anything reading the sheet, only the first row has the value and the other nine are empty. Unmerge them and repeat the value in each row, or use a category column.
Colour as the only signal. A red-filled cell might mean "out of stock" to you, but colours are not data. If something is sold out, set its stock to 0.
Several products in one cell. "Red, blue and green kurta — 1299, 1399, 1499" is three products. Give them three rows.
Blank rows and totals. Blank rows in the middle and a "Total" row at the bottom can be read as products. Keep the product list continuous and put any calculations on a separate tab.
Image links that need a login. If a photo link only opens for you, the customer cannot see it either. For Google Drive photos, set sharing to "Anyone with the link", or use links from your website.
Writing descriptions customers actually ask about
The description is where the agent finds answers to "Is it pure cotton?", "Will it fit a 40 chest?" or "Can I wash it in a machine?" You do not need long paragraphs. A few plain facts help more than marketing words:
- Material: cotton, rayon, silk blend
- Fit or size notes: runs small, relaxed fit, size chart in inches
- Care: hand wash, dry clean only
- What it is for: daily wear, festive, gifting
If you would not say it to a customer at the counter, leave it out. "Premium quality, best in market" does not answer anyone's question.
Keep it updated
The sheet is only useful if it matches your shelf. A few small habits help:
- Update stock when you sell offline. If the last two pieces sold at the counter, change the stock to 0 so nobody is promised something you do not have.
- Change prices in one place. When the price changes, change it in the sheet — not only in your head or on the shop tag.
- Add new arrivals as new rows. Do not overwrite an old product's row with a new product; past orders and questions may still refer to it.
- Keep one sheet as the source. If there are three copies of the list, pick one and retire the others.
With Resandhi, your edits to the sheet sync in on their own and reach customers once you publish them, and every price, stock number or delivery time it mentions must match what your catalogue says — if it does not, the reply is blocked rather than sent. If your products are on Shopify, you can also make quick changes from your own WhatsApp, like marking an item out of stock or updating a price, and they apply after you confirm.
Not on Google Sheets?
The same layout works for an Excel or CSV file, and if your products are on Shopify, the agent reads them from there directly. The rule stays the same everywhere: one item, one price, one row.
If your sheet is ready — or nearly ready — you can connect it to Resandhi and chat with the agent on your own catalogue before any customer does. The 7-day trial is free and needs no card.