Robot — Set Up an E-Commerce Chatbot

Overview

This guide shows you how to set up an AI chatbot for an online store. The bot acts as a virtual salesperson: it greets visitors, recommends products, answers questions, and guides customers toward a purchase.

How it works

Your bot runs on a single text prompt that serves as its "brain." You enter your store information, products, and promotions in one place, and the bot draws on all of it to answer questions. The prompt can hold up to 250,000 characters — more than enough for most small-business stores, which average around 40,000 characters.

Before you start

Gather the following so you can fill in the prompt in one sitting:

• Store basics — name, website address, contact details
• Product descriptions and what makes your store unique
• Shipping and return policies
• Payment methods you accept
• Always-on offers (newsletter discount, free-shipping threshold)
• Current promotions and discount codes
• Top-selling products with prices and links
• Your full product catalog
• Frequently asked questions with their answers

Write everything in English — even if your customers speak another language. The bot understands and replies in your customers' language at chat time, but it works best when its knowledge is written in English.

Setup steps

1. Create a new bot. Log into your dashboard and create a new bot.
2. Open AI Knowledge Studio. Find it in the sidebar and enter your business name.
3. Choose the right mode. Set the bot to Standalone AI Chat mode and select Direct Prompt as your knowledge source. Direct Prompt gives faster responses and lets the bot make connections across your entire catalog.
4. Paste the template. Copy the provided prompt template into the Direct Prompt field.
5. Fill in your store data. Work through each section:

• Store info — policies, contact details, evergreen offers
• Current campaigns — monthly promotions with dates and codes
• Bestsellers — your top 3 to 10 products
• Full catalog — your complete product list
• FAQ — common questions and answers

1. Save and test. Save your Knowledge Studio, then test the bot with the kinds of questions a real customer would ask.

Keeping it current

Your bot is only as good as the information behind it. Update the prompt:

• Monthly for campaigns and seasonal promotions
• Whenever your catalog changes — new products, discontinued items, price changes
• When policies shift — shipping, returns, payment
• As new FAQs emerge from real customer conversations

Need more help?

If you've worked through this and still need a hand, contact support — we'll dig in with you.