Retail

Store and curbside support with instant answers

Chatwoot gives shoppers inventory visibility, pickup coordination, and post-purchase care across chat, SMS, and WhatsApp.

  • Inventory and pickup status in one thread
  • Templates for hours, locations, and promos
  • Routing by store, region, or department

Key outcomes

Drive store visits

Answer "is it in stock?" and hold requests fast to capture intent.

Smooth BOPIS/curbside

Coordinate pickup windows and handoffs without phone calls.

Reduce returns

Guide sizing, compatibility, and care questions before purchase.

Consistent brand voice

Standardize replies and SLAs across every location.

Powered by core features

The features that make retail support seamless across every store and channel.

Conversation #5103
Live ChatSKU check
JT

Do you have the navy XL hoodie at the Westfield store? SKU NV-HD-XL-042

Live Chat · 11:23 AM

SKU NV-HD-XL-042 · Store #42 Westfield · 3 in stock

Great news! We have 3 in stock at Westfield. Want me to put one on hold for you? Holds last 24 hours.

Store Agent · 11:24 AM

JT

Yes please! I'll pick it up this afternoon.

Live Chat · 11:25 AM

Context

Store

#42 Westfield

SKU

NV-HD-XL-042

Hold

Active 24h

Inventory Checks

Inventory checks without hold music

Customers ask about stock, staff confirm SKUs and holds in-line, and Chatwoot records store, pickup window, and loyalty info for follow-ups.

  • Capture SKU and store location up front in conversation
  • Ping store staff with @mentions and private notes for a quick confirmation
  • Send hold confirmations with canned responses and macros
  • Answer "is it in stock?" fast to capture purchase intent
BOPIS & Curbside

Coordinate pickups with minimal friction

Share pickup instructions with canned responses, message customers when your order system reports the order is ready, and track the handoff in the same thread, all without phone calls slowing the team down.

  • Send pickup instructions when your order system posts the status change
  • Notify customers and staff when order is ready at curbside
  • Track handoff completion and capture feedback in-thread
Curbside Pickup Flow

Order #8847 packed

Posted by your order system via API · 2:10 PM

WhatsApp sent to Maria Chen

"Your order is ready for pickup at Store #42"

Customer replied: "I'm at spot B3"

Assigned to curbside team · 2:32 PM

Handoff complete

CSAT survey sent · Resolved at 2:38 PM

Plays to launch

Concrete workflows your retail team can use immediately.

Store inventory checks

Keep store teams and shoppers aligned.

  • Capture SKU and store up front
  • Ping store staff via tags or integrations
  • Send confirmations and hold expirations

BOPIS and curbside

Coordinate pickups with minimal friction.

  • Auto-send pickup instructions
  • Notify when order is ready
  • Track handoff and capture feedback

Promo and campaign spikes

Handle volume from sales events.

  • Route by channel and label
  • Use canned responses for common questions
  • Escalate VIPs to priority queues

Post-purchase care

Keep customers loyal.

  • Share care instructions
  • Offer exchanges before refunds
  • Collect CSAT and follow up with unhappy shoppers

Platform

Infrastructure and integrations that make retail support stick.

Omnichannel inbox

WhatsApp, SMS, chat, email, Instagram, and Facebook in one place with history.

Deployment options

Cloud for simplicity or self-host if you need tighter data control.

Retail integrations

Connect POS, inventory, and order systems with the REST API, Dashboard Apps, and outbound webhooks.

Common questions

Practical answers retail teams ask before rolling this out.

Can Chatwoot route conversations by store?

Yes. Create an inbox per store, region, or department, then use automation rules and SLA policies, both part of the Business and Enterprise plans, to assign and time each conversation.

Do you support Instagram DMs?

Manage social DMs alongside chat, email, SMS, and WhatsApp in one inbox.

How does Chatwoot keep replies on-brand?

Use shared canned responses and macros so every store answers the same way, per-inbox signatures for each brand, and private notes when the team wants to agree on the wording before replying.

Can we manage curbside and BOPIS updates?

Yes. Keep the order and SKU on the contact as custom attributes, have your order system post status changes into Chatwoot through the REST API, then reply with canned responses while automation rules assign the store team.

How do we connect loyalty or POS data?

Write loyalty tier and recent orders onto the contact as custom attributes with the Contacts API, or render your POS beside the conversation with a Dashboard App. Agents and Captain Copilot then draft replies from that context.

Related resources

See how Chatwoot works for retail

Bring your store conversations and we'll configure routing, inventory context, and Captain live.