Storefront chat
The storefront chat widget puts Janine directly on your website. Customers click a chat button, ask about a product, and Janine helps them from there. She can add items to their cart without the customer leaving the page.
This works differently from the outbound channels (email, SMS, etc.). Here, the customer starts the conversation.
What customers can do
When a customer opens the chat, they can ask Janine about product details, availability, or pricing. She can search your catalog if they describe what they’re looking for. She pulls from your knowledge base to answer policy questions about returns, shipping, or warranties. And she can drop products straight into the customer’s cart.
Setting it up
The chat widget is a Shopify theme app extension. To enable it:
- In Shopify, go to Online Store > Themes.
- Click Customize on your active theme.
- Look for App embeds or App blocks in the theme editor.
- Find Freway Storefront Chat and toggle it on.
- Save.
That’s it. The widget will appear on your storefront as a chat button in the corner of the screen.
How it works technically
The widget loads as a lightweight script through Shopify’s app proxy system. Customer messages go through the proxy to Freway’s backend, where Janine processes them and responds. All traffic routes through your Shopify domain, so customers never see a third-party URL.
The chat widget works on desktop and mobile. It’s a single bundled file, so it won’t noticeably affect your page load speed.
Chat and checkout
If a customer chats during checkout, Janine already knows what’s in their cart. She can answer questions about those specific products and help them finish.
If they’re just browsing, Janine works as a shopping assistant. She helps them find products and add them to their cart, which often turns a browse into a sale.
