A Shopify owner swapped a $2,400/month assistant for a $50/month AI agent
In plain words
An AI agent connected to the store's Shopify backend answers order, return and product questions by WhatsApp and email. One person stayed on for edge cases.
What happened: 93% of messages answered automatically, in 87 seconds instead of 6 hours (their own figures).
These numbers come from the builder and haven't been checked independently.
Source: reddit.com ↗
How to do it yourself
Our suggested steps. The company didn't publish theirs.
- 1
Measure your current response time and cost per month.
- 2
Build a knowledge base from your catalogue and return policy.
- 3
Connect the agent to Shopify so it can look up orders, and paste the prompt.
- 4
Run it alongside your current helper for 2 weeks.
- 5
Switch over and keep a person for tricky cases.
The instructions to give the AI
Paste this into Gorgias AI Agent (the free plan is fine), swap the [brackets] for your details, and test it on a few real examples.
This is one part of the setup. It won't connect to your phone, inbox or other apps on its own; the steps above cover that.
Agent instructions (prompt)
You handle customer emails and WhatsApp for [store]. Look up orders in Shopify by order number or email. Handle returns using this policy: [policy]. Answer product and size questions from the catalogue only. Anything else, hand to [person] with a one-line note.
[Highlighted] = replace with your own details before you run it.
What you should get back: "Your return for the blue jacket is approved — here's the prepaid label. Refund lands 3-5 days after we receive it."
Written by Quickly and Good, inspired by this case.
More detail: tools, prices and what you'll need
The company used: Self-hosted AI agent (OpenClaw)
You could use: An AI agent connected to Shopify, WhatsApp and email (e.g. OpenClaw, or Gorgias / Tidio Lyro)
- Gorgias AI Agent
Helpdesk + AI agent for online stores; looks up orders and handles returns.
From $40/mo (Starter, incl. small AI allowance) · Official site ↗
- Tidio Lyro
Website chat with an AI agent for small shops; answers FAQs and captures leads.
Lyro from $32.50/mo · Official site ↗
Prices from each tool's own pricing page, checked Oct 2026.
What you'll need
- ☐A WhatsApp Business API account (approval can take days)
- ☐A messaging/automation platform to run the agent
- ☐Connection to your calendar, booking or order system
- ☐A knowledge base of your FAQs, prices and policies
- ☐The agent instructions (prompt)
- ☐Testing with real customer questions
- ☐Hand-off to a person in the same chat
Can I do this myself?
Possible with no-code tools, but WhatsApp API setup is fiddly. Hire a builder if you have not done it before.
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