How to Add a Chatbot to Shopify (No App Needed)

The simplest way to add a chatbot to your Shopify store is to paste the chatbot's one-line script into your theme's theme.liquid file, just above the </body> tag. There's no app to install, it takes about five minutes, and the chatbot appears on every page of your store. This guide walks through the setup and shows how to prepare the chatbot for a Shopify store.

The examples use Helovo, but the installation steps are the same for any chatbot that gives you a script tag.

First, prepare the chatbot for your store

Most questions an online store gets are about the same few things: shipping, returns, sizing and payment. For the chatbot to answer them correctly, write down:

• Shipping: your carrier, delivery times, free shipping threshold and whether you ship internationally.
• Returns and exchanges: the deadline, the conditions and the steps a customer follows.
• Payment: accepted cards, wallets and any buy-now-pay-later options.
• Product details: size charts, fit advice, materials and care, and your best sellers.
• Order tracking: where customers can follow their order.
• Promotions: current sales and when they end.

When you create a free Helovo account and add a chatbot, this goes into its instructions. Starting from the "Sales assistant" or "Customer service" template saves time.

Step 1: Allow your domains

The chatbot only opens on domains you allow. A Shopify store usually has two addresses:

• Your own domain, for example linenandco.com
• Shopify's address, for example linenandco.myshopify.com

On the chatbot's Install screen in Helovo, add the address your store opens on. If customers can reach both, add both. Addresses with and without www count as different, so check which one your store uses.

Step 2: Copy the code

The Install screen gives you a line like this:

<script src="https://api.helovo.com/widget.js" data-bot="pk_…" async></script>

Step 3: Add it to theme.liquid

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes.
2. Next to your live theme, click the ⋯ button and choose Edit code.
3. In the Layout folder on the left, open theme.liquid.
4. Find the </body> line near the end of the file (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F helps).
5. Paste the code just above that line and click Save.

Open your store in a new tab and you should see the chat button in the bottom-right corner.

Note: the code is added to the theme you edited. If you switch or publish a new theme later, repeat these steps in the new theme.

Does the chatbot show on the checkout page?

Shopify doesn't allow theme code on checkout pages, for security reasons. The chatbot appears on product, collection, cart and content pages, but not during checkout. The questions people have at checkout (shipping cost, payment options) are ones the chatbot already answers on product and cart pages.

What the chatbot won't do

The chatbot doesn't connect to your Shopify orders. When someone asks "Where's my order?", it can't look up their order number; it points them to your tracking page, their order confirmation email or to you. Say so in the instructions:

If asked about an order's status: I can't see order details here.
You can track your order from the "View your order" link in your
confirmation email, or email help@linenandco.com.

If the chatbot doesn't show up

• The domain doesn't match: add the exact address your store opens on (myshopify.com or your own domain, with or without www).
• Wrong theme: make sure you added the code to your live theme.
• The chatbot isn't active: a draft or paused chatbot doesn't appear in your store.
• Browser console: press F12 and look for warnings starting with "[Helovo]" in the Console tab; they usually say exactly what's wrong.

Watch the first week

Check the Conversations page in your dashboard every day after going live. Conversations handed to you show what the chatbot didn't know; add that information to its instructions. Before a sale, add the details to the instructions, and remove them when it ends.

For more on setting up an assistant for a small business, see AI chatbots for small business and how to write chatbot instructions.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Shopify App Store chatbot app better?

Both work. A script keeps the chatbot independent of Shopify: you can use it on another site too, and if you ever change platforms you just move one line. You don't install an app or give anyone access to your store data.

Can it answer in several languages?

Yes. Set the language to "Automatic" and the assistant replies in whatever language the visitor writes in.

Will it slow down my store?

The script loads with async, so it doesn't hold up your pages; your store's content loads first.

How much does it cost?

With Helovo, setting up and testing your chatbot is free; you subscribe when you want it to talk to visitors in your store. See the pricing page, or our guide to chatbot pricing.