If you’ve ever found yourself drowning in a sea of customer service tickets, struggling to keep up with repetitive inquiries like “Where’s my order?”—then you’re not alone. Shopify merchants worldwide face this challenge daily. But what if I told you there’s an AI-powered solution that’s not only transforming customer support but also boosting conversion rates and skyrocketing customer satisfaction?
Meet Siena AI, an AI chat agent designed for ecommerce businesses. In a recent episode of the Shopify 1% Podcast, Lisa Popovici, co-founder of Siena, sat down with Jay Myers to discuss how AI chat solutions are revolutionizing Shopify customer support. Let’s dive into the key takeaways from this insightful conversation and explore why AI chat agents are the game-changer Shopify merchants need.
Why AI Chat Agents Are the Future of Shopify Support
Lisa’s journey to founding Siena AI started with Cartloop, an SMS marketing platform for Shopify brands. Merchants using Cartloop kept asking for support beyond SMS, particularly email and chat. The overwhelming repetition of support tickets—where 70% of inquiries were simple, redundant questions—made it clear that chatbots weren’t cutting it. The solution? An AI-driven customer support agent that actually thinks and responds like a human.
Siena is not just a chatbot; it’s an empathic AI agent that integrates seamlessly into Shopify’s existing customer service platforms like Zendesk, Gorgias, and Intercom. Unlike traditional chatbots that rely on rigid decision trees, Siena understands context, asks clarifying questions, and takes real actions—whether it’s processing a refund, modifying a subscription, or handling order management.
How AI Chat Agents Are Boosting Conversion Rates
Ecommerce brands are increasingly using AI chat agents not just for support but also for driving sales.
Here’s why:
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Instant Response = Higher Conversions: 79% of customers expect an instant response when interacting with a brand online. Siena reduces response times, keeping shoppers engaged and more likely to purchase.
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Product Recommendations in Real-Time: AI chat agents can recommend relevant products based on customer preferences, increasing average order value (AOV).
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Proactive Assistance = Fewer Abandoned Carts: Many customers leave their cart when they have unanswered questions. With AI-powered chat support, merchants are seeing a 10% increase in ticket conversion rates—meaning more sales and fewer abandoned carts.
The Three Types of Brands Adopting AI
Lisa identified three types of brands when it comes to adopting AI for customer service:
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The Skeptics: These brands are still afraid of AI and may have only tried basic rule-based chatbots in the past. They worry about AI misrepresenting their brand.
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The Cautious Adopters: These brands have had some experience with automation but may have been burned by bad AI implementations. They do a lot of due diligence before choosing a vendor.
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The Visionaries: These brands embrace AI fully and see it as a long-term strategy. They invest time in training AI models and reap the benefits of higher efficiency and increased revenue.
Where do you see your brand?
AI-Driven Customer Support = Happier, More Loyal Customers
Did you know that 63% of customers are more likely to return to a store that offers live chat support? But here’s the catch—if that chat experience is slow, robotic, or frustrating, it can backfire. This is why traditional chatbots have failed and why AI chat agents like Siena are different.
Key benefits of AI-driven customer support:
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Faster response times: Reduce wait times from hours to seconds.
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Higher satisfaction scores: Customers get accurate, conversational responses that feel human.
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Increased loyalty and retention: A great support experience means customers keep coming back.
The Siena Advantage: AI That Feels Human
What makes Siena AI stand out from other AI support tools?
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Contextual Awareness: Siena doesn’t just pull from a knowledge base; it analyzes past interactions to provide accurate, personalized responses.
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Seamless Integrations: Works inside Shopify, Gorgias, Zendesk, and more—like a real human agent.
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Multi-Channel Support: Handles chat, email, WhatsApp, social media DMs, and SMS all in one.
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Actionable AI: Unlike basic chatbots, Siena can process refunds, modify orders, manage subscriptions, and more.
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Custom Personas: Brands can create multiple AI personalities to align with different customer interactions (e.g., professional for email, casual for Instagram DMs).
Getting Started: Is AI Right for Your Shopify Store?
Lisa recommends that brands looking to implement AI support ask themselves a few key questions:
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Are you drowning in customer support tickets? (Especially those repetitive “Where’s my order?” questions)
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Do you process more than 3,000 tickets per month? (AI makes the biggest impact at this scale.)
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Are you looking to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and boost conversions?
If the answer is yes, then AI chat agents are a no-brainer for your Shopify store. The best part? Siena customers typically see a 70-80% automation rate, meaning AI handles the majority of inquiries, freeing up human agents for complex cases.
Final Thoughts: AI is the Future—Don’t Get Left Behind
AI-powered customer support isn’t just a trend; it’s the future of ecommerce. Shopify merchants who embrace AI now will have a competitive edge—faster response times, happier customers, and higher conversion rates.
With AI chat solutions like Siena, brands can finally move beyond inefficient, rule-based chatbots and deliver an AI-driven, human-like customer experience that drives real business results.
Ready to Future-Proof Your Shopify Store?
Visit Siena AI to learn more, or book a demo to see AI-powered support in action!
