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Notes on selling and support on Shopify

What we learn building Ivy: what shoppers ask, how a store's chat should be priced, and when an assistant should stop and call a person.

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Comparisons

Live chat for ecommerce: what it does for sales, and the software worth paying for [2026]

Live chat for ecommerce is a chat window on your store where shoppers get an answer while they're still deciding. In 2026 the software worth paying for puts an AI agent in front of your team: it answers and sells at any hour, works on orders, and hands the rest to a person with the context. We compared seven tools on those points; for Shopify stores, Strathly comes first.

30 min read
  • Comparisons

    Gorgias vs Zendesk for Shopify stores: pricing, AI and which one to choose [2026]

    For a Shopify store, Gorgias beats Zendesk on Shopify depth and on price for a small team; Zendesk wins for large, multi-department support that goes well beyond the store. We compared both on billing, AI, orders and channels with prices read on October 24, 2026, and if your questions arrive in the storefront chat, there is a third option.

    23 min read
  • Customer support

    Chatbot vs live chat for Shopify stores: which one, and when you need both

    A chatbot answers your shoppers instantly, at any hour, from what your store has written down; live chat puts a person from your team in the conversation. For most Shopify stores the right answer is both in the same chat window: an AI agent that takes the repeat questions, and a clean handoff to a person for the rest.

    24 min read
  • Comparisons

    Gorgias alternatives for Shopify stores: 7 options compared on price and AI [2026]

    The best Gorgias alternatives for a Shopify store are Strathly, Richpanel, Re:amaze, eDesk, Zendesk, Tidio and Fin. We compared the seven on what their AI does in the chat, how they bill it and what a small team pays, with every price read on October 17, 2026. For a store whose questions arrive in the storefront chat, Strathly comes first.

    25 min read
  • Comparisons

    Intercom (Fin) alternatives for ecommerce: 7 options after the Salesforce deal [2026]

    The best Intercom alternatives for an online store sell in the chat, work on orders and bill a unit you can predict. Salesforce completed its purchase of Fin, formerly Intercom, on September 10, 2026; here are seven options for ecommerce, with prices read on October 17, 2026. For Shopify stores, Strathly comes first.

    27 min read
  • Customer support

    Black Friday customer service checklist for Shopify [2026]

    Black Friday customer service is won before the sale: publish the answers shoppers will ask for, decide who answers what and when, and prepare for the wave of order questions that comes after Cyber Monday. Here is the checklist, dated for 2026, with each task's place in Shopify.

    21 min read

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