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Kanesh

Glossary

WhatsApp commerce terms, explained.

Short, factual definitions of the words you'll meet when you sell and serve customers on WhatsApp. Meta terms link to Meta's documentation.

A

Abandoned cart

A checkout started and not completed. Reminders about it are marketing messages under Meta's rules, so they need marketing opt-in.

AI agent

Software that answers customers in natural language and can look things up, such as an order or a product. In Kanesh, it answers from your knowledge and store data and hands off when it shouldn't continue.

AOV (average order value)

Revenue divided by number of orders over a period.

Attributed vs estimated

Two methods, shown separately. Attributed: the order matches a tracked click by that recipient. Estimated: the order falls within a time window after the send, without a matched click. Neither proves the message caused the order.

Attribution

Linking an order to the message that came before it. Kanesh shows which orders came after a campaign click and how each was matched.

Authentication template

A template that sends a one-time code to verify someone's identity. Meta supplies the text; the business adds the code and options such as an expiry note.

B

Broadcast (campaign)

One template sent to many people at once, such as a launch or a sale. On WhatsApp it needs an approved marketing template and an opted-in audience.

BSP (Business Solution Provider)

A company Meta authorizes to connect businesses to the WhatsApp Business Platform and, often, to bill for it. 360dialog is one example.

C

Coexistence

Using the WhatsApp Business app and the Platform on the same number. Meta sets limits: for example, a fixed throughput of 20 messages per second on that number. Kanesh supports it where Meta allows it.

Conversation (Kanesh fair use)

The unit Kanesh counts for fair use, and never bills: a thread with one contact, opened by an inbound message or a reply to a campaign, that stays one conversation until 24 hours pass without activity. Counted once whether the AI, a person or both handle it. Filtered spam, system messages and campaign sends with no reply don't count. Kanesh plans are priced by online sales band, with no per-conversation charges. Not the same as Meta's pricing.

Conversion rate

The share of people, or conversations, that end in an order. Always say what the base is: visits, carts or pre-sale conversations give very different numbers.

CSAT

Customer satisfaction score: the share of customers who rate a conversation positively in a short survey after it ends.

Customer service window (24 hours)

When a person messages or calls your business on WhatsApp, a 24-hour window opens, and it restarts each time they write again. Inside it you can send any message type; once it closes, only approved templates.

D

Double opt-in

Confirming a sign-up with a second step, such as a WhatsApp message the person has to answer, so you can show that the number's owner agreed.

F

First response time

The time between a customer's first message and the first reply. Measure it separately for replies after a handoff.

Flow (automation)

A sequence that starts on a trigger and runs actions: wait, send a template, tag, assign, hand off. In Kanesh, triggers include abandoned cart, order paid, keyword and Klaviyo segment entered.

G

Grounding

Tying every fact in an AI answer to a source: an order, the catalog, a policy. In Kanesh, each AI reply is checked against your data and rules before it's sent; if it can't be backed up, it goes to a person.

H

Hallucination

An AI answer that sounds right but isn't supported by any source. Grounding and checks reduce it; no system can promise zero.

Handoff

When an AI agent passes a conversation to a person. A good handoff carries the reason and the context, so the customer doesn't repeat themselves.

K

Knowledge base

The policies, FAQs and documents an AI agent answers from. Keep it current and give each fact one clear source.

M

Macro

A saved set of steps an agent applies in one click, such as a reply plus a tag. Saved replies are the simpler version: text only.

Marketing template

A template for promotion: awareness, sales, retargeting. Meta lists abandoned-cart and back-in-stock reminders here. Send only to people who opted in to marketing.

Message template

A message format approved by Meta, with fixed text and variables. Templates are the only messages a business can send outside the customer service window. Meta reviews each one; approval isn't guaranteed.

Messaging limits

The maximum number of different people your business can message outside the customer service window in a moving 24-hour period. Meta sets it per business portfolio and raises it in steps.

O

Opt-in

A person's permission to receive messages from your business. Meta requires the opt-in to name your business and make clear what the person is agreeing to, and you must also comply with applicable law.

Opt-out

A request to stop receiving messages, or a category of them. Honor it at once and make it as easy as opting in.

P

Per-message pricing (Meta)

Meta charges WhatsApp messages per delivered message, with rates by template category and the recipient's country. Rates and what is free can change each quarter, so check Meta's pricing page. These fees are separate from any software you use.

Q

Quality rating

Meta's rating of how people react to your messages, driven by signals such as blocks and reports. A high rating is one of the conditions for higher messaging limits.

R

RAG (retrieval-augmented generation)

A technique where the AI first retrieves relevant passages from your knowledge base and then writes its answer from them, instead of relying only on what the model learned in training.

S

Sales band (Kanesh pricing)

What sets a Kanesh plan: the store's average monthly online sales over the last 12 months in Shopify, excluding VAT and other taxes, returns and physical-store sales. The fee is flat for the band, reviewed at renewal, with no automatic upgrade mid-term; if sales drop, the band drops. In USD the thresholds are the same numbers, in dollars.

Segment

A group of contacts defined by rules (tags, purchases, store data) or synced from another tool such as Klaviyo, used as the audience of a campaign or a flow.

Shared inbox

One place where a team answers customers from several channels. In Kanesh: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, email and web chat.

SLA

A target for how fast your team responds or resolves, often tied to business hours. Kanesh lets you set SLA targets with alerts; the target is yours.

Suggested reply

A draft written by the AI for a person on your team to approve or edit before it's sent.

T

Template buttons

Interactive elements under a template: quick replies, links, a call button or a copy-code button. Up to 10 in total, at most two links, and 25 characters per button.

Template category

Every template is marketing, utility or authentication. The category decides what the template may contain and what Meta charges. Templates that mix utility and marketing content count as marketing, and Meta can re-categorize an approved template.

Template variable

A placeholder filled in at send time, written {{1}}, {{2}} and so on in order (or with named parameters). When you submit a template, Meta asks for an example value for each one.

Trigger

The event that starts a flow, such as a paid order, an abandoned cart, a keyword in a message or an inbound webhook from another system.

U

Utility template

A non-promotional template that follows up on something the person did or asked for: an order confirmation, a shipping update, an opt-in confirmation. Add a promotion and it becomes marketing.

W

Webhook

A message one system sends to another when something happens. An inbound webhook lets your own system (a warehouse, a carrier tool) start a flow.

WhatsApp Business app

Meta's free app for small businesses. It runs on a phone, is used by hand and suits a few people answering from one device.

WhatsApp Business Platform

Meta's API for businesses (the Cloud API). It lets software such as a shared inbox, an AI agent or a campaign tool send and receive WhatsApp messages on your number, with templates for messages outside the customer service window.

WISMO

"Where is my order?": the order-status question that often makes up a large share of ecommerce support. It can be answered from order and tracking data.

Meta sources checked on September 30, 2026. Meta updates its rules and prices often; the linked pages are the reference.

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