#Why add a WhatsApp chat button to a Shopify store?
Shoppers hesitate at the same few places. Is this the right size? Will it arrive before Diwali? Is cash on delivery available at my pincode? A shopper who has a question and no quick way to ask often leaves.
A chat button gives them a quick way. Shoppers already use WhatsApp daily, so the question costs them one tap and no form. For you, it turns a lost visit into a conversation you can answer.
There is a billing reason too. When a customer messages you first, a 24-hour timer starts. Per Meta's pricing documentation (checked 26 Oct 2026), this is called a customer service window.
When a WhatsApp user messages you or calls you, a 24-hour timer called a customer service window starts.
Inside that window you can reply in free text, with no template. Our 24-hour window explainer covers what is free and what Meta charges after 1 Oct 2026.
#How do you add the chat button with Chirpoo?
The button is part of Chirpoo Commerce, ₹1,499 a month excluding 18% GST, with the Shopify store messages. It includes one WhatsApp number and 5 team logins.
- Sign in to Chirpoo with an email code and start the 14-day trial. No card is needed.
- Connect your WhatsApp number and your Shopify store.
- Switch on the WhatsApp chat button for your store theme.
- Open your store and tap the button yourself. Send a message and see it arrive in the inbox.
You do not edit theme code. Use Shopify test mode and your own phone to check it before shoppers see it.
If you run more than one number in the workspace, you choose which number sends.
#What does your team see when a chat lands?
Every chat from the button arrives in Chirpoo's shared inbox, not on one person's phone. Your team sees the same list.
From there, anyone with a login can:
- assign the chat to a person, so two people do not answer the same shopper
- add an internal note that the customer never sees
- snooze a chat until the courier replies, or mark it unread to come back to it
- search past chats by name or number
- use quick replies for the answers you give daily, such as return rules
Each chat shows how much of its 24-hour reply window is left, so your team knows when free text stops and a template is needed. Chirpoo keeps one contact per phone number, so a shopper who messages from the button and later orders is the same contact, with their tags and consent in one place. Our shared inbox guide goes through the team workflow.
Chirpoo's order attribution credits cart reminders, broadcasts, flow sends and ad clicks, not a chat the shopper started, so judge the button by its chats. Ten useful questions a week means it is working. None means shoppers who need help are not finding it, so move it or reword the greeting.
Ads are tracked separately. If a contact came from a click-to-WhatsApp ad, Chirpoo keeps the ad's headline and link on the contact. Read the click-to-WhatsApp attribution post for how that works.
#What happens on a phone?
Phones are where many store visits happen, so this is the case to test first. On a phone, a tap on the button takes the shopper to WhatsApp to send their message. They are in an app they already use and already trust, and they come back to your store afterwards.
Your team can work from a phone too. Install Chirpoo on the phone as an app: on iPhone, add it to the Home Screen first. Then push alerts tell you a shopper has chirped, so you answer while the shopper is still deciding. There is a separate post on push notifications on phones.
#What should you do first after the button goes live?
Set an AI or quick-reply answer for the three questions shoppers ask most, and agree who watches the inbox in which hours. Chirpoo's AI agent is off until you switch it on. When it is on, it answers in your tone, looks up products and orders, never sends offers and hands over to a human. Read the AI agent rules before you switch it on.
A button also works best next to the other store messages. The order updates post covers confirmed and shipped messages, and the review request post covers what to send after delivery. Compare the options in the ranked list of Shopify WhatsApp apps.
Start free for 14 days, add the chat button to your store, and send yourself the first message from your own phone. The full picture of what Chirpoo does for stores is in the WhatsApp for Shopify guide.
Frequently asked questions about Chirpoo and this topic
Does the chat button cost extra?
The button is included in Chirpoo Commerce at ₹1,499 a month excluding 18% GST, with one WhatsApp number and 5 team logins. Chirpoo adds nothing per message. When shoppers message first and you reply within 24 hours, you are in an open service window.
Can two people answer the same shopper?
You can assign each chat to one person so they do not collide. Anyone on the team can also add an internal note the shopper never sees, snooze the chat or mark it unread, and search past conversations from the shared inbox.
Does the button work on mobile?
Yes. The button is built for phone visits: one tap takes the shopper to WhatsApp to send a message. Your team can install Chirpoo on a phone and receive push alerts, adding it to the Home Screen first on iPhone.
Do I need to hire someone to watch it?
No, but someone should own it. Pick a person or a rota for the busy hours, use quick replies for repeat questions, and switch on the AI agent only when you are happy with how it answers. It is off until you turn it on.