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Quick answer
Shopify Inbox is a free chat app in your Shopify admin. Its opt-in Inbox agent answers customer questions using your product catalog, store policies and Knowledge Base facts. Start with staff replies, review what the agent would say, then turn it on.
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At a glance
All outcome figures are estimates from cited sources, not independent verification by us.
- What it is allowed to do
- Acts for you
Takes real actions on a schedule or trigger: sends, posts, books, or updates without per-item approval. Check what it is allowed to touch before you turn it on.
- Time saved (estimate)
- The repeat questions that no longer need a typed reply.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Tools needed
- Shopify, ChatGPT or Claude
- Typical cost
- Shopify says Inbox is a free business chat app built into your admin. A Shopify store plan is required. Plan prices: Not stated in sources.
Reviewed Nov 1, 2026
Basis (estimate): Not measured; benefit depends on chat volume.
What does this setup do?
Set up Shopify Inbox so shoppers get fast answers about products, shipping and returns, with an AI agent you review before it goes live.
Who is it for?
Store owners who lose sales to slow replies. The Inbox agent answers on its own once it is on, so read its training and safety settings first and keep an eye on early conversations.
How do you set it up?
Tools
- A Shopify store
- Shopify Inbox, installed free from the Shopify App Store
- ChatGPT or Claude to draft quick replies and Knowledge Base facts
Steps
- Install Shopify Inbox from the App Store. Shopify describes it as a free business chat app built into your admin.
- Customize the chat button, welcome message and availability hours from the online store editor, so shoppers know when a person replies.
- Run the prompt below to draft 5 quick replies for your most common questions. Save them in Inbox settings.
- Add your shipping, returns and sizing facts to the Knowledge Base so the agent has real answers to use.
- Read Shopify's pages on assigning the Inbox agent and setting its persona and training before you turn anything on.
- Turn the agent on for one question type first. Shopify says the agent is opt-in and conversations stay with your staff until you choose.
- Review the first week of conversations daily and fix any wrong answers at the source.
Example output
Illustrative. Your results will differ.
- Q: How long does shipping take?
- A: Orders ship in 2 business days from our Vermont workshop, and most arrive in 3 to 5. You will get tracking as soon as it leaves.
- Q: Can I return a custom order?
- A: Custom pieces are final sale, but if something arrives damaged we make it right. Reply here and a person will help today.
Where to paste this prompt
ChatGPT → Project instructions, or ChatGPT Tasks for scheduled reminders (once a day on Free)
Copy-paste prompt
Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.
Draft quick replies for my store's chat.
Store: [NAME, what you sell]
My 5 most common customer questions: [LIST, for example shipping time, returns, sizing, stock, custom orders]
My real answers: [ONE or TWO FACTS PER QUESTION]
Write one reply per question:
- Under 60 words each
- Friendly and plain
- End with what happens next, for example a link to the returns page or a promise of a personal reply within a day
Rules:
- Use only the facts I gave you. No invented policies or promises.
- Show me the replies first. Do not send anything to customers.Newsletter
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Free starter pack with five beginner copy-paste prompts after you confirm, plus one researched setup in your inbox each week. Unsubscribe anytime.
What usually goes wrong?
Where agents tend to stall on this job. More patterns in Where AI gets stuck.
- An agent trained on stale policies gives confident wrong answers. Update the Knowledge Base when policies change.
- The agent is opt-in per Shopify; check it did not get switched on for all conversations before you are ready.
- Keep staff hours honest. A chat that looks manned at midnight and replies at noon costs trust.
Which chat tools work with this prompt?
Paste the prompt into any of these assistants (free or paid tiers).
- Shopify
- ChatGPT
- Claude
Common questions
- Does Shopify Inbox cost anything?
- Shopify's own page calls Inbox a free business chat app built into your admin. You still need a Shopify store plan. Plan prices: Not stated in sources.
- Will the agent answer on its own?
- Yes, once you turn it on. Shopify says the Inbox agent is opt-in and conversations stay with your staff until you choose to enable it.
- What does the agent know?
- Per Shopify: your product catalog, store policies, Knowledge Base facts and files, and published storefront content such as pages and blog posts.
What tips make it smoother?
- Shopify says the agent can use your catalog, policies, Knowledge Base files and published pages, so keep those accurate first.
- Customers signed in with a Shop session can get personalized product recommendations.
- Review agent performance from the Inbox pages in your Shopify admin.
Where do the claims come from?
Summaries use public sources linked below, not independent verification. How setups are picked.
- Read Shopify’s write-up (help.shopify.com)
Shopify: Shopify Inbox: free chat app, opt-in Inbox agent using catalog, policies, Knowledge Base and published pages, staff conversations, quick replies and availability hours (read 2026-11-01 through a page fetch tool, not a direct browser open)
- Read Shopify’s write-up (www.shopify.com)
Shopify: Shopify Inbox product page: free business chat app built into your admin (read 2026-11-01 through a page fetch tool, not a direct browser open)
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