A shopper visits your Shopify store and adds a product to the cart, but then pauses. A small question about shipping, sizing, or color makes them hesitate, and without an answer, they are ready to leave. If the only option is waiting for an email reply, the sale is lost. In contrast, with live chat, the answer appears instantly, the hesitation fades, and the purchase is complete.
In this guide, you will learn how to add live chat to your Shopify store in minutes, using two options: the AI-powered Chatty app and Shopify’s free Inbox.
Why you should add live chat to your Shopify store?
Honestly, setting up live chat is a total win-win. You create happier customers who trust your brand, and you experience a significant boost in sales. More specifically:
- You’ll close more sales: When someone has a quick question about sizing or shipping, you can be there with an instant answer. Customers who engage in a live chat are about 70% more likely to buy because you remove that last bit of doubt.
- People actually spend more: It’s true! When shoppers get help via chat, they feel more confident in their purchase and tend to spend about 10–15% more per order.
- You’ll rescue abandoned carts: Instead of just watching them leave, you can proactively help someone who seems stuck on the checkout page. This alone can significantly lower your cart abandonment rate.
- Customers will love you for it: People appreciate getting immediate, real help. In fact, over 60% of customers say they are more likely to return to a business that offers live chat.
To add live chat to your Shopify store, Chatty is the solution we recommend. If you’ve known the best live chat for Shopify options, you’ll see why Chatty stands out with its ability to drive sales, not just support. With traditional tools, you still have to step in to answer product questions, suggest alternatives, and try to upsell at the right moment. Chatty changes that by:
- AI-powered sales assistant: Unlike others that just suggest replies, Chatty’s AI, powered by ChatGPT v4, learns your entire product catalog, including variants, pricing, and policies. It confidently provides recommendations, cross-sells accessories, and answers complex technical questions without needing you to step in.
- All-in-one customer experience platform: Chatty is a complete customer experience platform. It includes a centralized inbox for all your channels (email, Messenger, WhatsApp), a self-service FAQ hub, and built-in one-click order tracking. Your customers get everything they need without ever leaving your site.
- Conversion-focused automation: Set up proactive messages to engage visitors who are lingering on a page or offer a discount to someone about to abandon their cart. These live chat triggers are proven to turn passive browsing into active sales opportunities.
- Unbeatable value: While other apps charge extra for AI features or have confusing pricing tiers, Chatty offers a generous free plan and affordable paid options starting at just $19.99/month. You get a powerful sales tool without the enterprise-level price tag.
Trusted by global names such as Decathlon, Happy Hair Blus, Yoeleo, and ATK, Chatty is proving its value every day.
How to add live chat to Shopify with Chatty?
Below are the five key steps to install and customize Chatty so it actually works for your Shopify store, not just lives on it.
Step 1: Install Chatty
Go to the Shopify App Store and search for Chatty AI Chatbot & Live Chat.Click Install and approve permissions.
- Chatty will guide you through onboarding:
- Choose your business type
- Select sales channels (e.g., website, Instagram)
- Share how many support agents you have
- Click “Let’s get started” to move on.
You’ll also be prompted to sync your Shopify data (products, collections, and FAQs) so Chatty can answer customer questions instantly.
Step 2: Enable the live chat block
Now, turn on the actual chat widget on your storefront:
- In your Chatty dashboard, go to the Chatbox tab.
- Under the General section, toggle on “Display chatbox on your store.”
- Scroll to Blocks and enable Live Chat.
Optional blocks to enable:
- Contact Us
- Order Tracking
- FAQs
These help customers self-serve and reduce the need for human support.
Step 3: Set up the pre-chat form
The pre-chat form helps you collect customer info before a conversation begins. It’s perfect for capturing leads or qualifying chats upfront.
To access it, go to the Chat Page tab inside your Chatty dashboard and scroll to the Pre-chat form section.
You can control how customers start a chat:
- Chat as guest: Requires users to submit their contact info before chatting.
- Chat as anonymous: No info required — users jump straight into chat.
- Show both options: Let visitors choose what works best for them.
Under Information to be collected, you can customize which fields appear:
- Email address (required)
- Name (optional)
- Phone number (optional)
You can also:
- Add a short description explaining why you’re collecting this info
- Choose when the form appears (after a short delay or after a few messages)
- Turn on a disclaimer so customers know how their data will be used
Make sure to preview the form on both desktop and mobile to check the flow before moving on.
Step 4: Customize your chat widget
This is where you make Chatty look and feel like part of your brand.
In General settings:
- Upload your logo
- Edit the header and welcome message
- Choose which blocks appear on the first screen (e.g., FAQs or Order Tracking)
In Appearance settings:
- Pick a brand color or try Surprise Me for ideas
- Customize the chat button style and placement
- Adjust how the chatbox appears on mobile and desktop
In Advanced settings:
- Choose which devices or pages the widget shows on
- Enable deep linking so you can trigger chat from buttons elsewhere
- Add custom CSS for more advanced design tweaks
Step 5: Test and launch
Before going live, make sure everything’s working smoothly:
- Click Preview to test the chatbox on your store
- Check that your pre-chat form appears (or that anonymous chat works, if enabled)
- Try it on both desktop and mobile
- Test links, blocks, and visual layout
Finally, open your Shopify Theme Editor, find the Chatty app block, and enable it. And just like that, your smart chat assistant is live — ready to help, convert, and impress.
Want to add live chat to Shopify for free? Try Shopify Inbox
If you’re looking to dip your toes into the world of live chat without spending a dime, Shopify’s own Shopify Inbox app is the perfect place to start. It’s completely free to use, integrates seamlessly with your store, and gives you a direct line to your customers.
However, since it’s a free tool, it has some limitations you should know about:
- No advanced AI: While you can set up basic instant answers for common questions, it doesn’t have a smart AI that can learn your products, make recommendations, or upsell for you.
- Limited to your store: It only works for chat on your Shopify site. You can’t manage conversations from Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp in one place.
- Basic automation: You won’t find advanced automation like proactive live chat that trigger based on visitor behavior (e.g., time on page or cart value).
Simple analytics: The reporting features are minimal, so you won’t get deep insights into team performance or resolution times.
Here’s how to get it running in just a few minutes:
Step 1: Turn on the chat feature
First, you need to enable the chat widget in your store’s theme.
- From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
- Find your current theme and click Customize.
- On the left sidebar, click on App embeds and then select Shopify Inbox.
- Simply toggle the Online store chat button on.
Step 2: Customize the chat button’s appearance
Make the chat button match your brand’s look and feel.
- In the same Shopify Inbox section, look for Brand customization.
Here, you can change the Color, select a new Icon (like a chat bubble or smiley face), and choose a Label (like “Chat” or “Need help?”).
Step 3: Set your greeting message
Create a warm, welcoming message that customers see when they first open the chat.
- Scroll down to the Greeting message text box.
- Write a custom message like, “Hello! Let us know if you have any questions.” Keep in mind that a custom message won’t automatically translate for international visitors.
Step 4: Save and you’re live!
Once you’re happy with your settings, just click the Save button in the top right corner. That’s it! Your live chat widget is now active on your storefront, ready to help you connect with customers.
Example of stores using live chat effectively
Decathlon is a prime example of how live chat can be used effectively to drive both customer satisfaction and sales. The global sports retailer, with 1,700+ stores and over 10,000 products online, struggled with one core issue: customers needed technical answers before buying. Questions like “Will this tent handle Alpine weather?” or “What size wetsuit for a 5’8” swimmer?” overloaded their support team. Response times stretched to hours, and abandoned carts became common.
That’s when Decathlon turned to Chatty’s live chat with AI capabilities. Instead of waiting for email replies, shoppers could now get instant, accurate answers at any time. With Chatty livechat, Decathlon:
- Synced the entire product catalog (10,000+ items) so AI could answer detailed specs and compatibility questions.
- Reduced repetitive FAQs by handling hundreds of queries automatically.
- Suggested relevant accessories, boosting upsell opportunities.
- Passed complex cases to human experts with full conversation context.
Let’s see the impact in just 7 days:
- 500+ conversations handled automatically
- 98% resolution rate
- €578+ in sales directly from AI recommendations
- Higher chat-to-sales conversion than industry average
FAQs about adding live chat to Shopify
Does live chat really help increase conversions on Shopify?
Yes. Customers who engage with live chat are 70% more likely to make a purchase, and they typically spend 10-15% more per order. Live chat addresses hesitations in real-time, builds trust, and removes purchase barriers that cause cart abandonment. Studies show that 40% of customers who use live chat before checkout end up converting.
What’s the difference between live chat and a chatbot on Shopify?
Live chat connects customers with real human agents who can handle complex questions and provide personalized service. Chatbots are AI-powered tools that provide instant, automated responses to common questions 24/7. While chatbots excel at handling simple FAQs and basic tasks, live chat agents can solve complex problems, show empathy, and build relationships. Many businesses use both together: chatbots for initial filtering and live agents for detailed support.
Does Shopify come with built-in live chat?
Yes, Shopify offers Shopify Inbox, a free live chat app that integrates seamlessly with your store. However, it has limitations like no advanced AI, basic automation, and simple analytics. It only works on your Shopify site and doesn’t integrate with social media channels like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.
Do I need to be available 24/7 for live chat to be effective?
Not necessarily. While 24/7 availability captures more leads and helps global customers, you can still see great results during your regular business hours. The key is responding quickly when you are online—customers who get responses within 5-10 seconds have satisfaction rates over 84%. Many businesses combine limited-hour live agents with chatbots for after-hours support.
Should I use AI to answer customers in live chat?
AI can be incredibly effective for handling routine questions, product recommendations, and initial customer screening. However, complex issues, emotional situations, and high-value sales conversations still benefit from human agents. The best approach is often hybrid: let AI handle simple queries and route complex issues to human agents. This gives you the efficiency of automation with the personal touch customers value.
Final thought
In the end, deciding to add live chat to Shopify is no longer a question of “if” but “how.” Whether you begin with a simple free tool or a sophisticated AI-powered platform, the goal remains the same: to be there for your customers at the exact moment they need you. If you’re ready to turn those conversations into conversions and create an experience that keeps customers coming back, give Chatty a try.