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Basic configuration

After installing ShopGuide, these essential configuration steps help the chat match your brand and work well for your customers.

Where Configuration Lives​

ShopGuide configuration is split across two places:

  • Appearance page (in the ShopGuide admin app) — colors, chat header, profile image, container sizing, shadows, borders, and other visual details that apply store-wide
  • Settings page — AI behavior, support channel, launch messages, bubble/proactive-message behavior, voice input, and general options

Some of these (heading, primary color, product context, custom launch message) can also be overridden per page from the theme editor's ShopGuide Chat section settings.

Core Configuration Steps​

1. Chat Appearance​

On the Appearance page:

  • Chat Heading: Defaults to "ShopGuide" — set it to your store name or "Ask [Store Name]"
  • Colors: Bot background/text, user background/text, and container background colors
  • Shadows & borders: Optional container shadow and border styling
  • Profile image: Add a logo or avatar and control its size and visibility
  • Style templates: Preset visual styles are available; some are gated to paid plans

See Chat appearance for the full reference.

2. Support Channel​

In Settings → Essentials, choose how the AI hands off customers it can't fully help:

  • Email: The AI asks for the customer's email, then sends a summary to your support inbox
  • Slack: Same flow, posted to a Slack webhook (with an optional custom message template)
  • WhatsApp: The AI shows a pre-filled click-to-chat button — no email needed

3. Launch Message & Bubble Behavior​

In Settings → Essentials and Settings → Bubble:

  • Global Custom Launch Message: Replace the AI-generated opening message and its buttons across all pages (or per page, via the theme editor)
  • Bubble position, icon, and size: Where and how the chat bubble appears
  • Proactive messages: A short message shown near the bubble after a configurable delay, defined per store language
  • AI notification bar: An optional bar showing the latest AI message when the chat itself isn't visible

4. Store Language​

Set your Store Language in Settings so the AI responds in the right language by default. ShopGuide's widget currently ships translations for English, German, and Dutch; other languages fall back to the AI detecting and responding in the customer's language without translated UI strings.

Configuration Best Practices​

Brand Consistency​

  • Use colors that match your store theme
  • Keep the launch message and buttons consistent with your brand voice

Testing Your Configuration​

  1. Visual check: Does the chat match your brand on the Appearance page?
  2. Functionality test: Can you send and receive messages, and does the support handoff work?
  3. Mobile test: Does it work well on mobile devices?

Common Configuration Issues​

Chat not visible?

  • Confirm the ShopGuide Chat section is added and saved in the theme editor
  • Check that "Display Bubble" is enabled in Settings → Bubble

Colors look wrong?

  • Verify color values on the Appearance page
  • Remember per-page overrides in the theme editor take precedence over global Appearance settings

Support handoff not working?

  • Confirm a support email or Slack webhook is configured for your chosen channel
  • For WhatsApp, confirm a valid phone number is set

Next Steps​

With basic configuration complete:

You can always adjust these settings later as you learn what works best for your customers.