Guides
The questions people ask before choosing
Five long answers to the questions that come up when evaluating artificial intelligence for an online store: what it is, how it differs from a chatbot, what it costs, how it installs on Shopify, and where things stand with the data.
What is an AI Layer for e-commerce
An AI Layer for e-commerce is a layer of artificial intelligence that sits on top of an online store and uses its real data — catalogue, prices, stock, orders — to answer customers and act on their behalf. It does not replace the platform: it adds the ability to understand natural language.
Read the guideRule-based chatbot or generative AI: the differences that matter
A rule-based chatbot follows a hand-written decision tree and stops at the first unforeseen question. A generative AI assistant interprets the sentence and queries the store's data. The practical difference is not how it speaks: it is what it can do when the question is new.
Read the guideAI chatbot for Shopify in Italian: how to choose it and how to switch it on
An AI assistant for Shopify installs from the App Store, connects to the store without pasting credentials and switches on from the theme editor: about five minutes, no code. The choice comes down to three things — whether it reads the catalogue in real time, whether it truly speaks Italian, and where the data lives.
Read the guideHow much does an AI chatbot for e-commerce cost
An AI assistant for e-commerce is priced in three ways: per agent, per resolved conversation, or a monthly fee including a bundle of conversations. Flow-e uses the third: €99 a month with 100 conversations and 500 AI searches included, €249 with 250 conversations and 2,500 searches, plus a free plan to try it.
Read the guideAI for e-commerce and GDPR: what to check before switching it on
When a merchant switches on an AI assistant, they remain the data controller for their customers' data and the vendor becomes a processor: a DPA is required. The three things to verify are where the servers are, whether conversations train third-party models, and how data is deleted.
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