Shoppers ask the same things before they buy: how long shipping takes, what returns cost, whether Afterpay works. Answer them in the chat while they’re on the product page and fewer carts get abandoned on a question. Below is the question pack every Australian store’s chat should cover, and how to install it.
You can add live chat to a Shopify store with Shopify Inbox (free, answered by you), a chat app from the Shopify App Store, or an AI chat agent installed through your theme. For Australian stores, the chat should answer shipping times by state, returns (separating change-of-mind from faulty goods under the Australian Consumer Law), payment options like Afterpay, and GST, and hand faulty-goods and order problems to a person.
Write one answer for each row before you switch any chat on. A bot (or a casual staffer) is only as good as these.
| Topic | What shoppers ask | What your chat should say |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping | Do you ship to WA / NT / Tasmania? How long? | Your carrier, cut-off time and zone times, written once. Remote areas and PO boxes said plainly. |
| Shipping cost | How much is postage? Is there free shipping? | Your flat rate or thresholds exactly as at checkout, so the chat never quotes a different number. |
| Returns | Can I return it if I change my mind? | Your change-of-mind policy, separate from faulty items. Change-of-mind returns are your choice; refunds for major faults are a legal right. |
| Faulty items | It arrived broken. What now? | Never argued in the chat: collect the order number and photos and pass it to a person. The ACCC explains the consumer guarantees. |
| Order status | Where's my order? | The bot points to the tracking link in the shipping email, and takes the order number for a person if it's late. |
| Payment | Do you take Afterpay / Zip / PayPal? | Exactly the methods enabled at checkout, and where the buy-now-pay-later limits apply. |
| GST | Are prices GST inclusive? Can I get a tax invoice? | Prices to consumers must show the GST-inclusive total; say how to get a tax invoice. |
| Sizing & stock | Is this true to size? When's it back in stock? | Your size guide and a back-in-stock sign-up. No guessing restock dates. |
| Gift & bulk | Can you gift wrap? Do you do bulk or wholesale? | Yes/no answers, and wholesale enquiries collected with business name and quantity. |
Priya sells handmade linen from a studio in Fremantle. Most of her pre-sale emails were “how long to Sydney?” and “can I return if the colour’s wrong?”, and they arrived at night when she was asleep. With a chat answering from her own shipping and returns wording, those shoppers get the answer straight away, and anything about a specific order lands in her inbox with the order number.
Illustrative composite based on common patterns, not a single client.
Then check it on a phone: the chat button must not cover your add-to-cart or checkout button. Our chat widget design guide has a live preview for this. For the repeat questions after the sale, see the customer service chatbot audit; to compare free options first, read free live chat for websites. Our own build and prices are on the AI chatbot for websites page.
Shopify Inbox is Shopify's own free chat app. It's staffed by you, with some automated replies. Other chat apps, and AI chat agents like ours, are added through the Shopify App Store or a small code snippet in your theme.
Some Shopify chat apps can look up orders once you give them access. Ours answers from your store's policies and pages and collects the order number so you can check it, rather than reading your store admin. If order lookup matters to you, raise it on the demo.
Any app adds some script. Prefer an app embed you can switch off in the theme editor, load chat after the page, and compare your store speed before and after. Remove chat apps you've stopped using; their scripts often stay behind.
Promise refunds, discounts or delivery dates you haven't approved, argue about faulty goods, or ask for card details in the chat. Payments belong in checkout, and faulty-goods decisions belong with a person.
If shoppers often email the same pre-purchase questions (shipping times, sizing, returns), answering them while the shopper is still on the product page is where chat earns its keep. A store with very low traffic may be fine with a good FAQ page.
It can collect an email, but to send marketing you need consent and an unsubscribe option under the Spam Act 2003. Ask clearly ('Can we email you our offers?') rather than adding everyone who chats to your list.
We install it for you. It's a short snippet added through your theme (Online Store > Themes > Edit code, before the closing body tag) or, where available, an app embed toggle. You keep full control and can switch it off any time.
We build and run a custom AI chatbot for your website: $299 one-off setup, then from $29.99 a month (AUD, ex GST), month-to-month. See the AI live chat agent plans.