# AI Shopping Assistant for Shopify and Magento, From Your Feed

> A practical guide to adding an AI shopping assistant to a Shopify or Magento store without an app or extension: getting a product feed out, placing the widget, and what the assistant answers.

Published: 2026-10-20 | Author: Vendigit
Canonical: https://vendigit.com/journal/ai-assistant-for-shopify-and-magento

Shopify and Magento sit at opposite ends of e-commerce. Shopify is hosted and app-driven; Magento (Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source) is self-hosted and built for large, complex catalogs. Yet the customer questions are the same on both: is this in stock, what does it cost, what's the difference between these two, how long does shipping take. An AI shopping assistant for Shopify and Magento can answer those from your own catalog, and Vendigit does it without an app or an extension. It reads a product feed and your policy pages, and answers on your website and in Telegram.

This guide covers how to get a feed out of each platform, where the widget snippet goes, the five setup steps, and what the assistant handles versus what goes to your team.

## How an AI shopping assistant for Shopify and Magento works here

Vendigit is not a Shopify app and not a Magento extension. It connects to your store the way a comparison site or ad platform does: through a product feed.

- **The feed** carries names, prices, sale prices, availability, categories, brands, images, product links and attributes. Vendigit reads XML (including Google Merchant feeds with `g:` fields, RSS and Atom), YML, CSV/TSV and JSON. A feed URL is re-synced every 6 hours.
- **Your policy pages** (shipping, payment, returns, warranty, contacts, FAQ, terms) are read once your domain is verified, up to 20 pages, and re-read weekly.

The assistant refers to products by id, and Vendigit renders the name, price and link on the product card straight from your feed. Whatever the feed says is what the card shows. The assistant is instructed not to state a price or stock level it didn't find.

Two things to know up front, so you can judge the fit honestly:

- **Languages.** The assistant replies in English, Ukrainian or Russian, matching the customer. Feeds can be in English, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish or German. If most of your customers write in another language, Vendigit isn't the right tool yet.
- **Scope.** It answers questions and hands over to people. It doesn't create orders, look up order status, process refunds or take payments.

## Getting a product feed out of Shopify

### The domain requirement

Vendigit verifies that you own the store's domain with a DNS TXT record, and only fetches feed URLs from that domain or its subdomains. A store that only has a `*.myshopify.com` address can't add DNS records, so you need a custom domain connected.

If you bought the domain through Shopify, you add the TXT record inside Shopify. [Shopify's DNS help](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/domains/managing-domains/edit-dns-settings) describes the path: **Settings → Domains**, open the domain, then **Domain settings → Edit DNS settings → Add custom record**, and choose TXT. If your domain is with another registrar, add the record there.

### Option 1: a feed app that publishes on your domain

Many Shopify stores already run a feed app for Google Shopping or Meta. Check where the app publishes its file. If the URL is on your own domain, paste it into Vendigit. If it's on the app vendor's servers or Shopify's file CDN, Vendigit won't fetch it, because it isn't on your shop's domain. In that case download the file from the app and upload it to Vendigit instead (up to 20 MB). An uploaded file isn't re-synced, so replace it when prices change.

### Option 2: Shopify's built-in CSV export

According to [Shopify's export help](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/import-export/export-products):

1. Go to **Products** in your Shopify admin and click **Export**.
2. Choose which products (all, current page, selected, or a filtered set).
3. Choose the CSV type and click **Export products**.

Exports of all products are emailed to you; small selections download in the browser. Shopify notes the CSV doesn't include product images, and very large variant counts can time out, so export in batches if needed. The CSV identifies products by handle rather than full URL, which makes it a reasonable way to try Vendigit, but a proper XML feed gives richer product cards.

## Getting a product feed out of Magento

### Option 1: a feed extension

Magento has no built-in public product feed, so most stores use a Google Shopping or multi-channel feed extension from the [Adobe Commerce Marketplace](https://commercemarketplace.adobe.com/). These typically write an XML file into a public folder on your store's domain on a cron schedule. That URL is exactly what Vendigit needs. Check that the extension exports availability, special prices, configurable product attributes (size, colour) and product URLs.

### Option 2: the native export

The admin export, per [Adobe's data export documentation](https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/commerce-admin/systems/data-transfer/data-export):

1. Go to **System → Data Transfer → Export**.
2. Set **Entity Type** to **Products** and keep the CSV format.
3. Filter attributes if needed and start the export.

The export runs through the message queue, so cron must be running; files are saved to `var/export` and downloaded from the admin. Upload that CSV to Vendigit to get started, then move to a feed URL for automatic syncs.

For feed structure and pitfalls, see [what a YML product feed is](/journal/what-is-yml-product-feed) and [common product feed errors](/journal/product-feed-errors).

## The five setup steps

### 1. Add your shop

Enter the store name and its domain.

### 2. Verify your domain

Add the `vendigit-verify=…` TXT record and press **Verify**. Vendigit checks several times over about a quarter of an hour; DNS can take up to an hour. After verification, it reads your policy pages, so check that shipping and returns are actually written on your site.

### 3. Add the widget or Telegram

In **Assistant → Widget**, set position, accent colour, welcome message and UTM tags, then copy the snippet. It belongs right before the closing `</body>` tag.

**Shopify.** Duplicate your theme first, as [Shopify recommends before editing code](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/theme-structure/extend/edit-theme-code). Then go to **Online Store**, open the theme's menu, choose **Edit code**, open `layout/theme.liquid` and paste the snippet just above `</body>`. Some themes use extra layout files, so check that yours renders through `theme.liquid`.

**Magento.** Adobe's [page setup documentation](https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/commerce-admin/content-design/design/page-setup) describes the **Miscellaneous HTML** field under **Content → Design → Configuration**, in the store view's **Footer** section, for scripts that go just before the closing body tag. Paste the snippet there and save. If your store enforces a Content Security Policy, you may need to allowlist the widget's script source.

The widget runs in an isolated shadow root, so theme CSS can't break it, and it only works on your domain and `www.` version.

**Telegram** is available from the Growth plan: create the channel in **Assistant → Telegram**, open the `t.me` link once to activate it, and share it. More in [Telegram bot for an online store](/journal/telegram-bot-for-online-store).

### 4. Add the product feed

Paste the feed URL or upload the file. Vendigit streams large feeds, maps fields automatically and shows the mapping. If a scheduled sync would shrink a catalog of 100+ products to under half, Vendigit keeps the existing catalog and reports the failure rather than wiping your products.

### 5. Test, then go live

Use **Assistant → Simulator** to ask real customer questions against your real catalog. Simulator conversations don't count toward your plan. Then press **Go live**.

## What it answers, and what reaches your team

| Handled by the assistant | Handed to your team |
|---|---|
| Price and availability, from the feed | "Can I talk to a person?" |
| Product discovery by need or description | Complaints, refund and warranty disputes |
| Alternatives, cheaper options, accessories, compatible items | Wholesale, bulk or custom pricing |
| Comparisons of products already mentioned | Damaged or wrong deliveries |
| Shipping, payment and returns, from your pages | Questions about an existing order |

On handover the customer is told a manager will reply in the same chat. The team members you choose get an email, and the dialog shows under "Needs a manager". A manager can reply or take over; the assistant pauses until the dialog is returned and then continues with full context.

It never asks customers for personal data. Card and passport numbers are masked on arrival, and phone numbers and emails are hidden from the AI.

## Plans for larger catalogs

| Plan | Price | Shops | Products per shop | Dialogs / month | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $20 / month | 1 | 10,000 | 300 | Website widget |
| Growth | $65 / month | 3 | 15,000 | 2,000 | Widget and Telegram |
| Business | $99 / month | Unlimited | 50,000 | 4,000 | Widget and Telegram |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited | By agreement | Widget and Telegram |

Prices are flat per month in USD, not per token or per resolution. A dialog is counted once per 8 customer messages. Magento stores with big catalogs or several store views will usually land on Business or Enterprise. Starter has a 14-day free trial. See the [pricing section](/pricing).

## FAQ

### Is there a Vendigit Shopify app or Magento extension?

No. Vendigit connects through a product feed and a script snippet, so there's nothing to install or keep updated on your platform.

### Can I use my Google Merchant Center feed?

Yes, if it's published at a URL on your own domain. Vendigit reads Google Merchant XML, including `g:` fields. Otherwise download it and upload the file.

### Does it work on a myshopify.com address?

You need a custom domain, because ownership is verified with a DNS TXT record.

### Which languages does it answer in?

English, Ukrainian and Russian, matching the customer's language.

### Can it check order status or process returns?

No. Those questions go to your team, with the full conversation attached.

Your Shopify or Magento catalog already has the answers your customers are looking for. [Start the 14-day free trial](https://app.vendigit.com/register). No card required.