What is the difference between marketing and utility messages?
Updated 30 September 2026
Utility messages are about a customer's own order and carry no promotion. Marketing covers offers, cart reminders and anything promotional. In India utility costs ₹0.115 and marketing ₹0.8631 per delivered message.
- Utility must be non-promotional and specific to, or requested by, the customer: an order confirmation, an order on its way, a refund processed.
- Mixed content counts as marketing, such as an order update with a promo, or a survey with promotional content.
- Abandoned-cart reminders are marketing, even if the customer asked for them.
- If you pick utility and WhatsApp decides it is marketing, the template is approved as marketing. You pay the category applied when you use it.
Order updates and offers, both covered
Menuthere sends automatic order-status updates on WhatsApp, and lets you send broadcasts and comeback messages for offers, all from your own number. It submits the templates its automatic messages need to Meta for you.
Which is which
| Message | Counts as |
|---|---|
| “Your order {{1}} is confirmed.” | Utility |
| Feedback request about one specific order | Utility |
| Order update plus a promo code | Marketing (mixed content) |
| “You left items in your cart” | Marketing (retargeting) |
| A general feedback survey | Not utility |
Next questions
Sources (2)
- Template categorization, Meta for Developers, updated 15 September 2026
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers, updated 28 September 2026