Three kinds of question fill a store inbox
Each pile needs a different kind of answer, so ChatterMate handles each one differently.
Where is my order?
The biggest pile, and it grows at peak season and after every dispatch email. The answer lives in Shopify, so the agent looks it up after checking the customer's email.
Can I return this?
Delivery times, shipping costs, return windows and final-sale rules. The answers are already on your pages. The agent reads those pages and repeats them, so it is only as right as they are.
Will this suit me?
Sizing, materials, stock and gift ideas. These come before a purchase, so one left unanswered is a lost sale rather than a ticket. The agent searches your catalogue and suggests products.
How the order lookup works
The agent never guesses who a customer is. It only shows orders placed with the exact email the customer gives.
- Whether the order is paid
- Whether it is unfulfilled, partly shipped or shipped
- The carrier, tracking number and tracking link for each shipment
- The items in the order
It reads orders and never changes, refunds or cancels them.
Has my order shipped? I don't have the number.
I can check. What email did you use at checkout?
noor.h@example.com
I found two recent orders. #1187 shipped with DPD yesterday, and here is the tracking link. #1162 shipped on 28 October.
- Step 1The checkout emailThe agent asks for the email used at checkout. It never guesses one or takes it from elsewhere.
- Step 2An exact matchShopify search is fuzzy, so every result is checked again against that exact email.
- Step 3One order, or the last 10With an order number it shows that one order. Without one, it lists the recent orders on that email, up to 10.
A wrong email and a missing order get the same reply, so nobody can use the chat to find out whether an order exists.
Returns, refunds and damaged parcels
The AI can explain your returns policy. It can't approve a refund, so decide up front how those chats reach a person.
How long the return window is, how to start a return, who pays return postage, which items are final sale and how long a refund takes once the parcel arrives. All of it comes from your returns and shipping pages, so check that those pages agree first. Two pages that disagree make an agent that sounds unsure.
Approving a refund, replacing a damaged item, making an exception to the window, and anything that needs a photo. The AI doesn't change orders in Shopify, and outside the website widget customers can't send images yet.
One limit shapes this today. An agent with handover turned on does not load the Shopify tools, so each agent either looks up orders or hands chats to a person by itself. Most stores choose one of these two set-ups.
| Order lookup agent | Handover agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks up orders and tracking | Yes | No |
| Hands a chat to a person by itself | No | Yes, within your office hours |
| Opens a ticket for your team | Yes, on Growth and above | No |
| Your team can step into any chat | Yes, from the inbox | Yes, from the inbox |
| Suits | Stores where most questions are about orders | Stores with complex products or many exceptions |
Product questions and recommendations
Pre-sale questions are where a quick, correct answer turns into an order.
The agent searches your Shopify products by keyword, price range and brand. Search only returns active products that are in stock.
Ask for something similar, or something to go with a product, and it recommends from the same product type or tags.
In the website widget, products appear as a carousel and each card links to its product page. On other channels the agent describes them in text.
It sees the total stock for a product, not the stock for each size or colour. It can't add to a cart or take payment, so the customer buys in your store as usual.
Sizing and care questions come from your pages, not from Shopify. Add your size guide and care pages, or a PDF of your size charts, and the agent answers from those.
Getting ready for peak season
Order questions climb at peak, and an ecommerce chatbot only knows what you told it before the rush.
- Four weeks outUpdate your cut-off dates
Change your shipping page for the holiday cut-offs, then add that page again. ChatterMate does not re-crawl your site by itself.
- Three weeks outWrite down the exceptions
Paste an extended returns window or a gift-receipt rule as plain text, so the agent answers the way your team does.
- Two weeks outCheck your allowance
Work out how many AI replies the rush needs, and move up a plan if you are close.
- Peak weekRead the transcripts daily
Every question the agent couldn't answer points at a page to add or fix. An edit is re-learned at once.
A store expects 3,000 orders in November. If one customer in five asks where their order is, at about three AI replies a chat, that is 1,800 replies. Add product and policy questions and it can pass the 2,500 a month on Growth ($9.99), so Pro ($24.99, 7,500 replies) is safer for that month.
See pricingThe AI pauses until next month and your team keeps replying from the inbox. On paid plans, replies that use your own AI model key aren't metered, so a store with its own OpenAI or Anthropic key isn't capped.
Shoppers on Instagram and WhatsApp
Many shoppers message from the app where they found you. The same agent can answer Instagram DMs and WhatsApp on Growth and above, with every chat in one inbox.
Order lookups, policy answers and product suggestions work on Instagram and WhatsApp as text. Product carousels show in the website widget only.
Your number connects through the official Cloud API. You can reply freely for 24 hours after the customer's last message. After that, WhatsApp needs a template Meta has approved.
Images and files don't come through these channels yet, so a customer can't send a photo of a damaged item there. Tell the agent where photos should go instead.
Setting it up on a Shopify store
- Step 1Install the appAdd ChatterMate from the Shopify App Store. Plans bought through the app are billed by Shopify.
- Step 2Choose the agentPick the AI agent that answers your store, and decide whether it looks up orders or hands off.
- Step 3Add your pagesShipping, returns, FAQ, size guides and care instructions. Fix pages that contradict each other first.
- Step 4Test with real questionsAsk it last week's customer messages, word for word, and check every answer before you go live.
Not on Shopify? The chat widget is one script tag and there is a WordPress plugin, so a WooCommerce store can still answer from its pages. Order lookup and product search are for Shopify stores only.
Ecommerce chatbot questions
Can a customer see someone else's order?
No. It only shows orders placed with the exact email the customer gives, and a wrong email gets the same reply as a missing order.
Does the customer need the order number?
No. Without one, the agent lists the recent orders on their email, up to 10. With one, it goes straight to that order.
Can it process a return or a refund?
No. It explains your policy from your pages. A person approves refunds, by stepping into the chat or from a ticket.
Will it promise a return window I don't offer?
It answers from your pages, so the risk sits in pages that are old or disagree. Test your top questions before launch, and fix the page or edit the passage in ChatterMate.
Can it add to cart or take payment?
No. It recommends products and links to them, and the customer buys in your store.
Does it work with WooCommerce?
Yes for the chat. Install our WordPress plugin and the agent answers from your pages, policies and PDFs. Order lookup and product search are for Shopify stores only.
What does it cost?
Plans are priced by AI replies, with your whole team included. Website chat starts at $4.99 a month, and Instagram, WhatsApp and tickets come with Growth at $9.99. New accounts get 14 days of Growth with no card.