A chatbot for an online shop

01What the bot handles from text

Everything that is, or should be, written down and does not change from customer to customer.

• 01Delivery and payment — prices, carriers, the cut-off for next-day, cash on delivery.
• 02Returns and exchanges — the window, how to do it, who pays postage.
• 03Sizing and specs — the size chart, the material, whether it runs true or small.
• 04Availability and restocking — if stock levels are on the site, the bot reads them.
• 05Complaints — the procedure and deadlines; the complaint itself is handled by a person.

02Why “where is my order” needs an integration

This is the most common question after a purchase, and without a link to the order system the bot does not understand it. It can only repeat that delivery takes two to three days — which a customer waiting on day five already knows, and it annoys them.

With the integration the bot asks for the order number or e-mail, checks identity, and gives the real status: dispatched, with the carrier, here is the tracking number. That is the difference between a bot that helps and a bot that irritates.

Mind privacy: order status is personal data. The bot must not read it out to anyone who types a stranger's order number — there has to be at least some verification.

03When it should escalate

A complaint, a damaged parcel, a mistake in an order, a cancellation request after dispatch, anything with anger in the message. That is not a job for a bot; it should respond politely and pass it to a person, with the whole conversation.

Same for “what should I buy to go with this” — the bot can suggest what fits by spec, but for a more expensive purchase most people want to check the advice with a person.

04What not to expect

That it raises conversion on its own. A chatbot removes friction — a quick answer about sizing can save a basket — but if the problem is price or trust, the bot does not fix it.

That it replaces well-written product pages and terms. If customers have to ask for dimensions over chat because they are not on the product page, the fix is on the page, not in the bot.