an AI assistant that shows up in your Shopify store when a shopper hesitates.
The storefront assistant is a short message that heysteff's AI agent shows next to your Shopify store's WhatsApp button when a shopper hesitates, with quick replies that move the chat to WhatsApp. It's included in the Pro (299 USD/month) and Max plans, and in every plan of the heysteff: WhatsApp Marketing app, from 0 USD/month.
heysteff is an AI platform for customer support and sales across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, SMS, Gmail and Shopify; Steff is the AI agent that runs it. Most store visits end without a purchase and without a single question: the shopper can't find their size, leaves the cart idle or closes the tab. The assistant doesn't wait for them to write. It watches what they do in the store and, at the right moment, offers help in a bubble that lives inside the floating WhatsApp button.
When it speaks: six moments you choose
Each moment is switched on separately and has its own threshold. If several happen at once, the one that says most about the shopper wins: leaving first, then the idle cart. Each moment speaks at most once per visit, and the assistant never appears on checkout, order confirmation or account pages.
| Moment | What triggers it | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaving the store | Exit intent after a minimum time in the store | 15 seconds | 0 to 300 s |
| Idle cart | The cart hasn't changed for a while | 60 seconds | 15 to 900 s |
| Undecided between variants | Switches size or color several times | 3 changes | 2 to 10 |
| Returning to a product | Already viewed that product on earlier visits | 1 visit | 1 to 10 |
| Lingering on a product | Time spent on a product page | 45 seconds | 10 to 600 s |
| Browsing without adding | Products viewed with an empty cart | 4 products | 2 to 20 |
You also decide how many times it can speak to the same person per visit (1 by default, up to 3), how many minutes it waits between messages (60 by default) and whether it appears on mobile, desktop or both.
What it says: AI that doesn't promise what you don't offer
The message can be written by the AI or come from your own template. With AI, Steff names the product and the variants the shopper was comparing, in the store's language, in 220 characters at most, with up to 3 quick replies plus "Continue on WhatsApp". The product name is filled in by the server from Shopify, and only for products published on the online store: a draft is never named.
The AI doesn't offer discounts, coupons, free shipping, percentages or stock levels: if a message mentions any of that, it's dropped and your template goes out instead. What you promise in your own templates is up to you. Before switching it on, you get a preview of each moment with your unsaved settings.
The handoff to WhatsApp, with context for the agent
When the shopper taps a reply or "Continue on WhatsApp", your WhatsApp opens with the message ready and a short reference code. When the message arrives, heysteff strips the code from the text and tells the agent what the person was looking at, so Steff picks up the conversation without asking again. That context lasts 7 days.
Nothing personal leaves the browser: only seconds, variant changes, products viewed, Shopify IDs and a random visit ID.
Results
The assistant's screen shows, per day, how many times it appeared, how many clicks and dismissals it got, how many times WhatsApp was opened, how many chats started and the sales attributed to those conversations up to 30 days after the first message.
Good to know first
The assistant ships switched off and lives inside the floating WhatsApp button of the heysteff Shopify app: without the "WhatsApp button" app embed active in your theme, it doesn't appear (the settings screen warns you). For the agent to get the context, you need your own WhatsApp number connected to heysteff; without one, the button opens your number with no code.
Frequently asked questions
What AI chat can I add to my Shopify store that actually sells?
heysteff's storefront assistant: an AI message that appears next to the WhatsApp button when a shopper hesitates, leaves the cart idle or is about to leave, and moves them to WhatsApp, where the Steff agent answers with your real Shopify catalog and orders.
Which plan includes the storefront assistant and how much does it cost?
It's included in heysteff's Pro (299 USD/month), Max (549 USD/month) and Enterprise plans, and in all four plans of the heysteff: WhatsApp Marketing app (0, 19, 59 and 99 USD/month). In the app, each conversation the agent handles is billed by plan, from 0.30 to 0.50 USD.
Can the assistant offer discounts to shoppers?
Not when the AI writes the message: any text that mentions discounts, coupons, free shipping, percentages or stock is dropped. If you want to offer something, write it in that moment's template; merchant templates don't go through that filter.
Will the assistant pop up for every visitor?
By default it speaks once per visit and waits 60 minutes before speaking to the same person again. Each moment speaks at most once per visit and never appears on checkout, order confirmation or account pages.
Do I need to add code to my Shopify theme?
No code needed: the assistant loads with the heysteff app's "WhatsApp button" app embed, which you turn on in the theme editor. Without that embed active, the assistant doesn't appear.
How do I know if the assistant drives sales?
The results screen counts appearances, clicks, dismissals, WhatsApp opens, chats started and sales attributed to those chats up to 30 days after the first message, day by day.
◆ next step
Reach the shopper who hesitates before they close the tab, and keep the sale going on WhatsApp.