What the Shopify app does
Inside your Shopify admin
The app opens embedded in your Shopify admin. You don't need a password for it.
Store read automatically
Products, collections, pages, policies, shipping and active discounts go into the knowledge base without any effort on your part.
Chat via app embed
You switch the chat on in the theme editor with the Alpheris AI Widget app embed – no code.
Setup in 4 steps
1
Install the app
Add the Alpheris app to your store from the Shopify App Store. Shopify shows you which permissions the app needs (see Permissions). Click Install to confirm them.
2
Create an account or log in
The app opens right inside your Shopify admin. New to Alpheris? Click Start for free. If you already have an account, choose Already have an account? Log in: you get a code by email, no password needed.
3
Setup in the admin
While you go through the setup, Alpheris reads your store: products with variants and prices, collections, pages, policies, shipping (via your markets) and active discounts. You don't have to upload anything.
4
Turn the chat on in your store
As long as the chat isn't running yet, the app's home page shows Chat is not live in your store yet with a Turn on link. It opens the theme editor with the Alpheris AI Widget app embed. Switch it on and click Save – done.
No code needed: With Shopify you don't paste the widget code into your theme. Don't add it on top of the app embed either, or the chat may appear twice. Alpheris approves your store's domains automatically.
Your store stays up to date
After the first import, Alpheris keeps the knowledge base current through Shopify webhooks. An automatic sync is triggered by:
- Products: created, updated or deleted.
- Collections: created, updated or deleted.
- Inventory: updated.
- Store data: for example a new store domain.
Incoming Shopify webhooks are verified via
X-Shopify-Hmac-Sha256 – only genuine, signed Shopify events trigger anything. More under Webhooks.What the chat can do with your Shopify data
- Order status & tracking: the chat answers “Where is my order?” with the order number and email address – including payment and refund status and the tracking link once there is one.
- Availability: the chat checks stock live in your store.
- Actions: change the shipping address, cancel an order, refund money and handle returns – each exactly as you have set it up.
For each action you decide in the dashboard under AI assistant → Shopify in chat how far the chat may go. By default your team decides everywhere:
| Action | Levels |
|---|---|
| Change shipping address | Off · Ticket only (default, a team member confirms) · Automatic |
| Cancel order | Off · Ticket only (default) · Automatic – only for orders that haven't shipped yet |
| Refund | Off · Case only (default) · Automatic – only within your limits (maximum amount, order age, optionally unshipped orders only); anything above becomes a case for your team |
| Return | Off · Create a case (default) · Portal link right away · Create it in Shopify – as a request that only your team can approve in the inbox |
Before the chat changes anything on an order, your customer confirms with a one-time code sent to the order's email address. Which data the chat uses is described under Data Sources & Knowledge Base.
Permissions
During installation the app requests these permissions (scopes). Shopify shows you the list before you confirm:
| Scope | What for |
|---|---|
read_products | Read products, variants, prices and descriptions for the knowledge base. |
read_inventory | Read stock levels so the chat knows what's available. |
read_orders | Look up order status, tracking, and payment and refund status. |
write_orders | Change the shipping address, cancel and refund – only if you turn the action on. |
read_customers | Match orders to the right person. |
read_shipping | Read shipping zones, methods and rates. |
read_markets | Read shipping and currencies per market. |
read_content | Read store content such as pages and blog posts. |
read_legal_policies | Read your store’s policies (shipping, returns, terms, privacy) so the chat answers them correctly. |
read_metaobjects | Read metaobjects, such as additional product details. |
read_discounts | Read active discounts so the chat quotes them correctly. |
read_returns | Read returns and returnable items. |
write_returns | Create a return as a request in Shopify – only at the “Create it in Shopify” level. |
Billing through Shopify
If you install Alpheris through Shopify, you also pay through Shopify:
- Trial: 14 days of full access, counted from the first installation in your store. The trial is available once per store – reinstalling doesn't restart it. If you already had an Alpheris trial, no further trial days are added.
- Choose a plan: you choose your plan in the app. Shopify then shows you a confirmation page; the subscription only becomes active once you approve it there. Charges appear on your Shopify bill.
- Prices: current plans and prices are on the pricing page.
- Manage & cancel: any time in your Shopify admin under Settings → Apps and sales channels.
If you already pay for Alpheris through our website, billing continues there – Shopify won't charge you on top. More on plans and invoices under Billing.
Uninstalling: what happens to your data
When you uninstall the app in your Shopify admin, Shopify notifies Alpheris:
1
Immediately
Access to your store is deleted, your store domains are removed and the chat in your store stops answering. Shopify ends your subscription. If your workspace is billed through Shopify, it is deactivated; if you pay through our website, chatbot and inbox stay available.
2
With Shopify's deletion request
Shopify sends a deletion request 48 hours after uninstalling. We then delete your store's remaining data: conversations, inbox, contacts, knowledge base and connected mailboxes including stored emails.
Deletion requests for individual customers are carried out immediately. Details are in our privacy policy; for data processing see Security & Privacy and the Data Processing Agreement (DPA).
Setup FAQ
The chat doesn't appear in my store
- Check the app embed: open the app. If the home page says “Chat is not live in your store yet”, click Turn on, switch on Alpheris AI Widget and save.
- Reload your store: reload your storefront with a cleared cache (
Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R).
The chat doesn't know my products yet
The import runs in the background. For large catalogs it can take a few minutes. More steps under Troubleshooting.