# Answer customers with Shopify Inbox

> Researched. Small business · Intermediate · Leads. Updated 2026-11-01.

Canonical page: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/answer-customers-with-shopify-inbox/

## What it does
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 it's 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.

## 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
1. Install Shopify Inbox from the App Store. Shopify describes it as a free business chat app built into your admin.
2. Customize the chat button, welcome message and availability hours from the online store editor, so shoppers know when a person replies.
3. Run the prompt below to draft 5 quick replies for your most common questions. Save them in Inbox settings.
4. Add your shipping, returns and sizing facts to the Knowledge Base so the agent has real answers to use.
5. Read Shopify's pages on assigning the Inbox agent and setting its persona and training before you turn anything on.
6. 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.
7. Review the first week of conversations daily and fix any wrong answers at the source.

## Copy-paste prompt
Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.
```text
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.
```

## Guardrails
- What it touches: Chat input you provide (A Shopify store; Shopify Inbox, installed free from the Shopify App Store).
- Needs your OK: Send, pay, publish, and account changes stay with you. Treat agent output as drafts first.
- Safety level: Acts for you
- 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.

## Tips
- 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.

## Estimates (labeled, not measured)
- Time saved: The repeat questions that no longer need a typed reply.
- Money saved: Not stated in sources.
- Tool 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.

## Sources
Summaries use the public sources below, not independent verification.
- Shopify: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/inbox (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))
- Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/inbox (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))

## Get the free starter pack
Five beginner copy-paste AI setups, free by email: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/starter-pack/?utm_source=ai-agent&utm_medium=markdown&utm_campaign=setup-answer-customers-with-shopify-inbox

Related:
- [Write bulk product descriptions for Shopify without duplicates](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/bulk-product-descriptions-for-shopify/index.md)
- [Build an abandoned cart email sequence that recovers sales](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/abandoned-cart-email-sequence/index.md)