- Ecommerce chatbots at a glance
- Ten ecommerce chatbots to try
- Which chatbot suits which store
- California's law on bots that sell
- What a store chatbot should handle first
- Connect it to your orders, or it can't help
- Signs your chatbot is hurting sales
- My plain advice on store chatbots
- Frequently asked questions
An ecommerce chatbot answers shoppers and customers in your store's chat, email or messaging apps, from order tracking and returns to product questions. Some are simple store apps, some are AI agents inside a full helpdesk and some live on WhatsApp. Choose by where your customers message you and how many tickets you get. Ten options follow, in no particular order.
Many store questions are the same handful of questions: where's my order, can I return this, does it come in blue. A good chatbot answers those at two in the morning and hands the tricky ones to a person.
The ten tools below cover Shopify chat apps, AI agents inside helpdesks and messaging platforms. They're listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the vendor's own website or app store listing, read this week. If you want a general website bot rather than a store bot, my list of chatbot builders for small business covers that.
Ecommerce chatbots at a glance
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website or app store listing, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the page says the tool, or a plan or version of it, is free. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to start, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatty | Shopify AI chatbot and live chat app | A chatbot installed straight from the app store | Yes |
| eDesk | AI customer support for online sellers | Support across Amazon, eBay and your store | Not stated |
| Intercom Fin | AI customer agent | AI answers on top of a big helpdesk | Trial only |
| Kommunicate | AI customer service automation platform | Custom AI agents for support questions | Trial only |
| Re:amaze | AI customer service and helpdesk | Chat, helpdesk and AI agents together | Trial only |
| Richpanel | AI support and helpdesk for e-commerce | AI that acts on orders and subscriptions | Not stated |
| Shopify Inbox | AI sales associate app for Shopify | Answering shoppers on a Shopify store | Not stated |
| Siena AI | Empathic AI agents for commerce | Brand-voice support for consumer brands | Not stated |
| Wati | WhatsApp Business platform | Selling and support over WhatsApp | Trial only |
| Willdesk | Customer service tool for e-commerce | An all-in-one helpdesk for small stores | Trial only |
Ten ecommerce chatbots to try
Chatty
Best for: Small Shopify stores who want an AI chatbot, live chat and helpdesk inbox from one app, with a free plan listed.
eDesk
Best for: Sellers on Amazon, eBay, Walmart and Shopify who want every customer message and AI replies in one helpdesk.
Intercom Fin
Best for: Growing online brands who want Fin, an AI customer agent, inside a helpdesk built for the AI agent era.
Kommunicate
Best for: Support teams who want custom AI agents to answer customer questions across chat channels, starting with a 30-day trial.
Re:amaze
Best for: Online stores who want customer service, live chat and an AI agent in one helpdesk built for e-commerce.
Richpanel
Best for: Subscription brands who want AI that can look up a Shopify shipment and save a subscription across email, chat and SMS.
Shopify Inbox
Best for: Shopify merchants who want an AI sales associate in their store chat that knows their customers and answers shopper questions.
Siena AI
Best for: Consumer brands who want empathic AI customer service agents and a voice-of-customer view of what shoppers are saying.
Wati
Best for: Stores whose shoppers message on WhatsApp and Instagram who want automated replies and a shared team inbox.
Willdesk
Best for: Small Shopify sellers who want one inbox for live chat, email, WhatsApp and social messages across several storefronts.
Which chatbot suits which store
- A small Shopify store starting out: Chatty or Shopify Inbox.
- Selling on Amazon, eBay and your own site: eDesk.
- Subscription brands with lots of order changes: Richpanel.
- Customers who message on WhatsApp: Wati.
- One inbox across several storefronts: Willdesk.
- Growing support teams: Intercom Fin, Kommunicate or Re:amaze.
- Consumer brands that care about tone: Siena AI.
California's law on bots that sell
California's bot law, published by California Legislative Information as Business and Professions Code sections 17940 to 17943, makes it unlawful to use a bot to talk with someone in California online with intent to mislead them about its artificial identity, in order to incentivize a purchase. A business isn't liable if it discloses that it's a bot, and the disclosure has to be clear and conspicuous.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
The easy fix is to say so up front. Give the bot a name that doesn't pretend to be a person, or open the chat with a line saying it's an AI assistant and a human can take over. Shoppers don't mind a bot. They mind being fooled.
What a store chatbot should handle first
- Order status and tracking, pulled from your store's own data.
- Returns and exchanges, with a link to start one.
- Shipping times and the countries you deliver to.
- Sizing and product questions answered from your own pages.
- A clear handover to a person for anything else.
Connect it to your orders, or it can't help
A chatbot that only knows your FAQ page will frustrate people asking about their own order. The tools that make a real difference connect to your store, so they can look up an order, check its status and in some cases change it.
Before you choose, list the five questions customers ask most and check each tool can answer them with your data. My notes on what to look for in live chat software cover the features that matter beyond the bot.
Signs your chatbot is hurting sales
- Customers ask for a human straight away. Improve the first answer.
- It answers the wrong order. Check the store connection.
- It invents a policy. Limit it to your own pages.
- Chats end without an answer. Add a handover.
Do you make an ecommerce chatbot? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on store chatbots
Start with your inbox, not the tool. Count a month of customer messages by type, and pick the chatbot that can answer the biggest pile with your own order data. Switch it on for one channel first, read every conversation for a week and fix the answers it gets wrong.
Then tell shoppers it's a bot. In California that keeps you clear of the bot law, and everywhere else it's good manners.
If that raises the next question, see Best AI Chatbot for Website (2026): 10 Tools Compared.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ecommerce chatbot?
It's a chatbot or AI agent that answers shoppers and customers for an online store, covering orders, returns, shipping and product questions.
Should customers be told they're talking to a bot?
In California, a bot used to encourage a sale must not mislead people about being a bot, and a clear disclosure avoids liability. It's sensible everywhere.
Can a chatbot track orders?
Yes, if it connects to your store. Several tools on this list look up orders directly.
Is there a free ecommerce chatbot?
Some store apps list a free plan. Check the free plan column and the vendor's page for current limits.
Can a chatbot work on WhatsApp and Instagram?
Yes. Some tools on this list answer messages on WhatsApp, Instagram and other channels as well as your website.
Will a chatbot replace my support team?
It handles the repeat questions so your team can focus on the hard ones. Keep a clear route to a person.
