---
title: "Online Store overview"
description: "Understand Interlinked Online Store, its catalog-to-storefront flow, WhatsApp ordering model, paid-plan requirement, and live publishing states."
section: "Storefront"
url: https://interlinked-ai.com/en/resources/docs/online-store-overview
lang: en
lastUpdated: 2026-08-13
reviewedAt: 2026-08-13
---

# Online Store overview

## What Online Store provides

Open **Online Store** in the Operations section of the panel. The storefront turns selected products from your catalog into public product pages with a business identity, product images, and a WhatsApp action for customers to start an order conversation.

It is a catalog presentation and conversation-entry experience. The current storefront does not create a shopping cart or take payment on the public site. Customers use the WhatsApp action to continue the order or quote conversation with the business.

<div class="docs-callout docs-callout-note">
  <p><strong>Keep the boundaries clear</strong></p>
  <p>The storefront is not a public checkout, a cart, or a replacement for your order and customer-payment workflows. It helps customers discover products and start the next conversation.</p>
</div>

## Who can use it

The panel currently includes live Online Store publication with Starter, Pro,
and Ultra plans. A Free workspace may still be able to prepare the draft setup
and preview the experience, but the panel opens an upgrade path when live
publication requires an eligible plan. Treat the entitlement message beside
the publication action as the current source of truth.

The store can use a direct commercial WhatsApp number when a connected WhatsApp Business account is not available. Connecting WhatsApp later lets you select the connected account for order conversations, subject to the options shown in your workspace.

## What customers see

The public storefront can include:

- the business name and description;
- the selected site language;
- the business logo;
- selected products and their product information;
- available product images or a neutral placeholder; and
- a WhatsApp action that opens the configured order conversation with an initial message.

The public URL is generated by the panel. You can use its default path or connect a custom domain after adding the required DNS records.

## Draft and live versions

The storefront has its own draft and live state. Product selections, brand information, WhatsApp details, and domain settings should not be described as agent draft changes.

When a live storefront has newer product selections, the Overview tab shows **Pending catalog changes**. Select **Publish catalog live** and confirm the number of products before exposing the new selection publicly.

The site can show **Live** or **Paused / Draft**. Pausing hides the public site temporarily; it does not delete the catalog or storefront settings. Read [Preview, publish, and pause your storefront](/en/resources/docs/preview-publish-and-pause-your-storefront).

## Main setup areas

Use the first-time flow to move through **Catalog**, **Identity**, **WhatsApp**, **Products**, **Images**, and **Preview**. After the first publication, the storefront uses these tabs:

- **Overview** — live status, public URL, and draft/live product counts;
- **Products** — choose the products shown publicly;
- **Brand & WhatsApp** — update the name, language, logo, description, order number, and initial message; and
- **Domain** — connect and verify a custom domain.

Start with [Create your online store](/en/resources/docs/create-your-online-store), then review [Manage storefront products](/en/resources/docs/manage-storefront-products).