Custom launch messages
The launch message is the first thing a customer sees when they open chat, and ShopGuide gives you real control over it — scoped by page type, with a merge-tag syntax for personalizing it without writing any code.
How it's structured
Left alone, the chat opens with a generic, AI-generated greeting. You can replace that with your own message and up to six quick-action buttons, at three levels: Global (the default for every page), Collection pages (a separate message shown only there), and Product pages (same idea, product-scoped). All three live in the ShopGuide admin's Settings page, and each supports a different message per storefront language.
A fourth option lives in the theme editor: any individual ShopGuide Chat block can turn on "Use custom launch message" to override everything above for that one page, with its own richtext message and buttons.
Priority when a page loads, most specific wins: block-level override, then the product-page message on product pages, then the collection-page message on collection pages, then the global message, then the built-in default.
What happens if you don't set one
Even without a custom message, there's one automatic dynamic behavior: Auto-Scroll. After an idle delay — 120 seconds by default — with no interaction, the page scrolls to the chat bubble and opens it with a short, AI-generated check-in that mentions the current product by name on product pages, or offers a general "still browsing?" nudge elsewhere. It never fires once the customer has interacted with the page or the chat, and there's no exit-intent, scroll-depth, or cart-abandonment trigger behind it — idle time is the only signal. You can scope it to product pages only (the default) or turn it on everywhere.
Merge tags
Type these literally into the block-level launch message or its buttons — they resolve at render time:
| Merge tag | Resolves to |
|---|---|
[[product.title]] | Current product's title (product pages) |
[[product.vendor]] | Current product's vendor |
[[product.type]] | Current product's type |
[[collection.title]] | Current collection's title (collection pages only) |
[[page.title]] | The page's title — product name, collection name, or shop name, depending on the template |
[[shop.name]] | Your store name |
For example: Interested in [[product.title]]? I can help with sizing, shipping, and more.
There's no {customer_name} or other curly-brace variable here — Shopify's dynamic-source connector doesn't persist reliably on app-block settings, which is why merge tags use this literal double-bracket syntax instead.
Setting one up
For a global, collection, or product-page message: open Settings, find the launch-message section for the scope you want, turn it on, and write your message plus up to six buttons. If your store runs multiple languages, add a message per language — the widget resolves the customer's locale on its own.
For a page-specific override: open that page in the theme editor, select the ShopGuide Chat block, turn on "Use custom launch message," and write your richtext message and buttons — merge tags work here too.
Writing one that actually works
Keep it short — a sentence or two plus buttons, not a paragraph. Lead with how you can help, not a sales pitch. Use the buttons for the two to four questions customers actually ask most on that page type. And keep the tone conversational; it's a chat, not a banner ad, even if it matches your brand voice.