What is conversational commerce?
Conversational commerce is selling through a conversation: a shopper asks questions in a chat, on WhatsApp or in Instagram DMs, and gets product advice, a cart and a checkout link without leaving the chat.
Also called: chat commerce, conversational shopping, chat-based selling.
By Santhul Joseph, AI EngineerUpdated
What it looks like
- A shopper asks "Which running shoe is good for flat feet, under €120?" and gets two or three matching products.
- They pick one, and the assistant builds the cart and shares a checkout link.
- After the order, they ask "Where is my order?" in the same chat and get the status.
- If they leave without buying, a short reminder can bring them back.
Why it works
A product page answers the questions the shop expected. A conversation answers the one the shopper actually has, at the moment they have it. That is the job a good shop assistant does in a physical store.
It also helps on Instagram and WhatsApp, where people already talk to brands and would rather ask than search through a website.
Conversational commerce in SimplyBoost
- The Shopify store assistant, on the Growth (€89 a month) and Pro plans, recommends products from your synced catalogue based on need, budget or use case.
- It builds a cart, shares a checkout link and answers "where is my order?".
- On Instagram, recommendations can show as a swipeable carousel of up to 10 products.
- Optional cart recovery on Instagram sends one reminder DM, with a discount code if you like.
- The price stays flat: no fee per conversation, per contact or per seat.
Questions people ask
Is conversational commerce the same as a chatbot?
A chatbot is the tool; conversational commerce is what you do with it. A store assistant that knows your catalogue and can build a cart is a chatbot used for selling.
Which channels does it work on?
Wherever shoppers talk to you: your website chat, WhatsApp and Instagram DMs are the most common.
How does SimplyBoost know my products?
It syncs your Shopify catalogue, weekly by default or daily, every two weeks or monthly, and you can press Sync now after a big change.