How the AI Shopping Assistant works

The POWR AI Shopping Assistant helps shoppers on your store get answers, find the right products, and check out faster — all on its own, with no coding required.

The assistant is made up of three pieces that work together on your storefront: the chat, nudges, and pills (the tappable chips inside the chat). This article explains what each one does in plain words and how they fit together. For a higher-level overview, see Intro to the POWR AI Shopping Assistant.

The chat

The chat is the heart of the assistant. It appears as a floating chat bubble on your storefront. When a shopper clicks it, a chat window opens where they can type questions in plain language and get answers in real time.

The chat can:

• Recommend products based on what a shopper is looking for
• Show product details
• Add items to the cart
• Guide shoppers toward checkout

It answers using your live Shopify catalog, content, and inventory, so shoppers get accurate, up-to-date information about what you sell. To learn more about what the assistant can see, read What does the AI Shopping Assistant know about my store?.

Each chat session is called a conversation — one shopper's back-and-forth with the assistant. The assistant keeps context as the shopper moves between pages in the same browser tab, so they don't have to start over each time they click around your store.

Nudges

A nudge is a small, friendly prompt that appears near the chat bubble at just the right moment to invite a shopper into the chat. Think of it as a gentle tap on the shoulder rather than a pop-up that gets in the way.

For example, a nudge might:

• Show a "Need help finding something?" message on a product page
• Appear when a shopper looks like they're about to leave

Nudges are designed to be helpful, not pushy — shoppers can dismiss any nudge they don't want. You decide which nudges are turned on for your store.

For a closer look, see What is a Nudge?.

Pills

Pills are the tappable chips shown inside the chat, so shoppers aren't faced with a blank text box. They come in two types: Conversation Starters that suggest a first question (like "What are your bestsellers?" or "Help me find a gift"), and Quick Replies that the assistant offers during a chat to keep things moving. Either way, tapping a pill is a one-tap way to start or continue the conversation.

For more, see What are pills?.

How it all fits together

The three pieces each play a role in the same journey:

• Nudges bring shoppers into the chat at the right moment.
• Pills help them start the conversation without typing from scratch.
• The chat does the work of answering questions and guiding shoppers toward a purchase.

All three run on your storefront automatically once the app is enabled. You can customize them and toggle pieces on or off inside the app — and because it works on Shopify with no coding required, you can be up and running quickly. The assistant is free during early access.

Related articles

• Intro to the POWR AI Shopping Assistant
• What is a Nudge?
• What are pills?
• What does the AI Shopping Assistant know about my store?

Still need help? Reach our team at support@powr.io.