WhatsApp AI agent for grocery delivery: take the shopping list, confirm what is in stock, quote delivery, and send the order to the picker
Grocery orders on WhatsApp arrive as voice notes and half-typed lists, at dinner-prep time, to a shop with one person at the till. Someone has to transcribe, price, confirm stock and arrange delivery. An AI agent does the transcribing and pricing from your product list, confirms substitutions by policy, and hands the picker a clean order.
Quick answer
Put a WhatsApp AI agent on your shop's number with a product and price list, a daily out-of-stock note, delivery areas, fees, minimum order and slots, and a substitution policy as knowledge. It takes lists as text or voice notes, prices items from the list, flags what is out of stock and offers substitutes by policy, quotes delivery, collects the address and slot, and passes the order to the team to pick and invoice. Payment stays with your usual method. ReplyKit does this from $29 a month.
What the agent handles
Automate
- Shopping lists as text or voice notes, matched to your product list with prices and units.
- Out-of-stock items from a daily note, with substitutes offered by your policy.
- Delivery areas, fees, minimum order, slots and cut-off times.
- Order details: items, quantities, address, slot, notes, saved for the picker.
- Product questions: origin, halal status, expiry practice, as written.
- Weekly promotions from a note you update.
- Replies in Malay, English or Chinese.
Keep with a person
- Payment. The team sends the total and payment link or collects on delivery.
- Weighing and pricing variable items after picking; the agent gives estimates.
- Complaints about quality or missing items.
- Credit accounts and wholesale orders.
From voice note to picked order
A customer sends a 40-second voice note listing what they need. The agent transcribes it, matches each item to your list, prices it, flags the two items out of stock and offers substitutes, quotes delivery for the customer's area, and confirms the slot. The order lands on the lead's card as a clean list with quantities, and the picker works from it. Variable-weight items are marked as estimates for the team to finalise. The voice handling is described in voice notes with AI.
Setup for a shop
- Use a dedicated number. ReplyKit connects your number through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform: keep the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app and the agent works alongside it, or add a dedicated number. Personal WhatsApp numbers cannot be connected. Keep your long-standing number out of it; see Meta's messaging limits explained
- Upload the product and price list with units, one line per item, and replace it when prices change.
- Start a daily out-of-stock and promotions note.
- Write delivery rules and the substitution policy as text.
- Connect the number through Meta's sign-in and test with a voice note of ten items in Malay.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent take a grocery order from a voice note?
Yes. It transcribes the note, matches items to your price list, prices them and confirms the order details.
Does it know what is out of stock?
From a daily note you update, and it offers substitutes by your policy.
Does it take payment?
No. The team sends the total and a payment link, or collects on delivery.
Can it handle variable-weight items?
It marks them as estimates for the team to finalise after picking.
How much does it cost?
From $29 a month for one number and 1,000 replies.
Turn the voice note into a picked order
Product list, stock note, delivery rules, connect your number through Meta's sign-in. 7-day free trial.
Sources and further reading
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
- ReplyKit, Will WhatsApp ban my number for automation? · how Meta's messaging limits and quality rating work
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.