How to Use an AI Support Chatbot to Increase Sales on Shopify

Imagine having a 24/7 salesperson greeting every visitor and answering questions the instant they’re asked. 

That’s exactly what modern AI support chatbots can do. 

Studies show websites using AI chatbots see 23% higher conversion rates compared to those without. 

Chatbots resolve customer queries 18% faster, and because 78% of shoppers tend to buy from the first business to reply instant answers directly translate into more sales. 

The right chatbot can turn browsers into buyers around the clock.

Why use an AI Support Chatbot for your Shopify store

AI-powered chatbots give your store the power of conversational commerce.  In fact, about 80% of companies use AI to improve customer experience. 

For Shopify stores, an AI chatbot never leaves your customers waiting for answers. It can instantly answer FAQs on product details, sizing, and shipping. It also guides visitors through the site, and recommends products.

In terms of sales, AI chatbots can offer upsells or bundle suggestions to increase your AOV.

One survey found 81% of consumers prefer brands that personalize their experience.

Apart from answering questions instantly,an AI chatbot can free you up. It answers all your support questions all day.

Problems faced by Shopify Merchants

Some of the common pain faced by Shopify merchants like you are:

  • Overwhelming customer questions 
  • Abandoned carts 
  • High cost of live support. 

Well, an AI chatbot directly addresses these problems. 

Dealing with repetitive queries about shipping and returns can be a pain, but with an AI chatbot, life can be a whole lot easier.  

It makes customers happy and gives your time to focus on higher-level tasks. 

AI chatbot can also help you with sales, 

For example, an AI bot can ask a quick  question ("Are you looking for a gift or personal use?”) and then suggest the perfect product bundle.

This personal touch builds trust, builds brand loyalty and trust.

Well-trained AI chatbots offer faster response times, higher average order values, and more recovered carts. 

AI Chatbots vs Other Support Apps

How does an AI support chatbot perform against other support apps? 

Think of a chatbot as the dynamic, conversational sales assistant for your store, whereas many traditional apps are static. 

For example, a FAQ page or help articles can help customers with questions but only if they find them first. 

An AI support chatbot on the other side, actively greets the shopper, listens and replies in natural language. 

It can understand queries and instantly fetch the answer from your store. 

Because chatbots can study your product catalog they outperform generic support apps in driving sales. 

For instance, Shopify’s own Inbox chat app has AI instant answers that gives personalized FAQ responses, and it lets you share discount codes in real time. 

Traditional support apps simply can’t engage on that level. 

In short, an AI chatbot not only supports customers, it also boosts conversion by turning questions into sales prompts.

How to add an AI Support Chatbot to your Shopify store

Getting an AI chatbot running on Shopify is usually plug-and-play. 

For this, I’ll give an example with the AskTimmy app. This Shopify app instantly syncs with your store catalog and pages to create a smart knowledge base. 

To set it up, you simply install the AskTimmy app from the Shopify App Store, give it permission, and it will crawl your product pages, FAQ, and policies

Watch this video to know how to add an AI support chatbot

In minutes, the app starts answering customer queries like order status, sizing, or shipping rules without manual input. 

One powerful feature is the  ‘AI Nudges’. These are pop-ups that suggest related products at just the right time to encourage upsells. 

For example, if a customer asks about a certain shirt, the chatbot offers a matching jacket or discount on a second item. 

AskTimmy even supports a photo search feature. With this, shoppers can upload an image of a product they like, and the AI will find similar items from your store. =

You might like reading this blog - Shopify AI Shopping Assistant: Ultimate Guide to Sell More on Shopify

6 Best Practices to use AI Support Chatbots

Once you’ve added a chatbot to your store, be conscious of how to use it. Here are 10 best practices to help you make the best of an AI Support chatbot:

1. Define clear goals. 

Decide upfront what you want the bot to do. Set goals like:

  • answer FAQs, 
  • recover carts, 
  • capture email leads, etc. 

Having specific goals (e.g. reduce support tickets by 50%) will help you with setup and let you measure success. 

2. Set expectations and human handover

Always indicate that customers are chatting with a bot. Crucially, you can help them handover the chat to a human agent. This escalation option gives customers confidence and keeps the conversation productive. 

3. Keep the knowledge base updated. 

Sync new products and any policy changes occasionally. Not answering customers with new products can be a big loss for you.  Make your products, collections, and FAQs synced with the AI support chatbot. 

4. Use nudges and triggers. 

Don’t wait for customers to ask everything. Display preset conversational starters to help customers quickly click and start chatting.  You can also show AI generated product pitches to promote your products.

5. Offer multilingual support. 

If you serve global customers, enable multiple languages. AskTimmy, for instance, supports 95+ languages out of the box. This instantly makes international visitors feel at ease.

6. Test different flows. 

Experiment with different nudges and greetings. For example, try a friendly ‘How can I help today?’ versus an offer like ‘Interested in our summer sale?’.  A/B testing different nudges can reveal what tones and messages convert best. 

5 Best AI Support Chatbots for Shopify

Shopify stores use AI chatbots not just for customer support, but to drive sales with automated product recommendations, upsells, and 24/7 support.  

Here are 5 best AI Support Chatbots:

1. AskTimmy.ai – AI Shopping Assistant 

AskTimmy.ai – AI Shopping Assistant

AskTimmy.ai is a built for Shopify app powered by ChatGPT. It acts as an AI Sales assistant that never-sleeps.

It learns from your entire product catalog, policies, and pages to answer customer questions accurately. 

Beyond support, AskTimmy proactively recommends products and promotions through smart AI nudges. The app also gently guides shoppers toward checkout. 

2. Tidio – Live Chat and AI Chatbot

Tidio – Live Chat and AI Chatbot

Tidio is more popular for live chat with an added AI chatbot automation. Its dedicated Shopify connection shows you how chat interactions impact sales.

Tidio offers ready-made templates for common ecommerce scenarios, so merchants can launch support bots quickly. 

In practice, Tidio’s AI (called the Lyro chatbot) can answer shopper questions, collect leads, and seamlessly escalate to a human agent when needed. 

3. Gobot – AI Chatbot + Quiz

Gobot – AI Chatbot + Quiz

Gobot has AI-driven quizzes and guided flows to help customers find the right products. Instead of a chat window, Gobot prompts shoppers with questions and uses their answers to narrow down product options. 

Gobot also handles basic support queries and integrates with helpdesk systems (like Gorgias or Zendesk) for order status and FAQ handling. 

The app shines at product discovery.  Its quiz-based interface offers a shopping assistant experience that feels personal.

4. Gorgias – Helpdesk, Chat & FAQ

Gorgias – Helpdesk, Chat & FAQ

Gorgias is an ecommerce help desk that has AI automation to support workflows. Its built-in AI can auto-categorize tickets and suggest instant replies to common questions. 

The AI understands the customer’s intent and even pulls Shopify data into support replies. 

Gorgias offers a customer service chatbot as part of a full helpdesk, making it ideal for merchants who want AI-powered solutions. 

5. Re:amaze – AI Helpdesk & Chat

Re:amaze – AI Helpdesk & Chat

Re:amaze is a multi-channel customer support platform with flexible chatbot tools. Its AI chatbots let you design brand-specific welcome messages, FAQs, and flows for different stores.

This customization makes Re:amaze stand out when you care about tone-of-voice. It also supports live chat, email, and social messaging in one dashboard. 

Re:amaze’s chatbots can answer common Shopify questions (returns, shipping) and hand off to agents seamlessly. 

Conclusion

AI support chatbots aren’t just for customer support, they’re about closing more sales.

By giving instant and personalized responses, they stop customers from leaving your site confused. A shopper who gets quick answers about sizing, stock, or shipping is far more likely to hit “Add to Cart.”

With an AI support chatbot, you can achieve lesser abandoned carts, higher average order values, and more repeat customers. 

It’s like having your best sales assistant available 24/7, recommending bundles, recovering carts, and handling support in the background. 

FAQs

1. How do I add a chatbot to my Shopify store?

You can add a chatbot to your Shopify store by installing from the Shopify store. It’s better to add AI chatbots like AskTimmy, Tidio and Gorgias than conventional chatbots. In fact, it helps you automate customer support and increase your store conversion. 

2. Does Shopify have an AI chatbot?

Shopify doesn’t have an in-built AI Chatbot. However, Shopify Inbox is its very own app which you can find on the Shopify app store. For more features, you can add an AI Chatbot to your Shopify store, you can install apps like AskTimmy, Tido and Gorgias. 

3. Does AI Chatbots help for conversions in Shopify?

Yes, it definitely does. Apart from automating customer support, AI chatbots can help in increasing sales through product bundles, recommendations and AI nudges.