Instagram chatbot for ecommerce

An Instagram chatbot is software that handles incoming DM conversations automatically. A flow-based chatbot follows a script you design in advance. An AI chatbot, like Zipchat, reads your actual store data and generates responses based on what the customer asks, without a pre-built flow for every scenario. Zipchat is one AI agent that also works on your store, WhatsApp, Messenger, email, and your comments, so each customer keeps one conversation.

Zipchat connects to your Instagram professional account through Meta. DMs from Click-to-DM ads, Story replies, Story mentions, and your profile reach the same AI agent. It reads the message, checks your product catalog (and, on Shopify, the order lookup), and replies in seconds, in the customer's language. If the AI cannot resolve the issue, it escalates to your team in the same thread.

Connect your Instagram professional account from the Zipchat dashboard. It must be linked to your Facebook Page, and Instagram must allow access to messages from connected tools. Then connect your store: the catalog and AI answers work on any platform, the order lookup works on Shopify, and other platforms connect order data through an Agentic Skill. DMs and comments are separate switches. The full setup takes under 30 minutes.

A Click-to-DM ad is an Instagram ad format where the call to action opens a DM conversation with your brand instead of sending the user to a landing page. The person who clicks is already interested in your product. Zipchat answers that conversation in seconds, asks clarifying questions if needed, recommends specific products from your catalog, and links to checkout. You pay Meta for the click; an unanswered click is wasted.

Yes, once you turn comments on: DMs and comments are separate switches, so connecting Instagram does not turn comments on by itself. Zipchat reads new comments on the posts, reels, and ads of the accounts you connect. For each comment it can reply in public (an answer that everyone reading the thread sees), reply privately in a DM, like, hide, delete (only if you turn deletion on), or send it to your team. A comment can get one private reply within 7 days; if the person answers, the conversation continues in your DMs with the same agent. Live comments and mentions under other accounts' posts are not covered, and order details never go in a public reply. Draft Mode covers DMs, not comment replies. See the AI social media manager.

Yes. Zipchat reads your live product catalog. When a customer describes what they are looking for, or sends a photo, the AI identifies matching products and recommends them by name with a direct purchase link. The recommendation is generated from your actual catalog, not a pre-written script.

Yes, through an Agentic Skill. The standard order lookup is read-only: it cannot cancel, refund, or edit an order. Returns, size swaps, and order edits happen through an Agentic Skill connected to your store or your returns platform, and the AI confirms the result in the thread. Without that skill, the AI hands the request to your team. The AI can also share the discount codes you set up.

If a customer goes quiet, the AI can check back 1 to 23 hours after the customer's last message (1, 2, 3, 6, 12, or 23 hours, as you set), inside Meta's 24-hour window, and only if the conversation still needs it. There are no follow-up sequences, no post-delivery messages, and no broadcasts on Instagram. Broadcast campaigns are a WhatsApp feature.

On Shopify, when a customer asks "where is my order?", the AI asks for the order number and the email used for the purchase, then replies with the order status and tracking details. The lookup is read-only. The customer stays in the conversation they already have open. On other platforms, connect order data through an Agentic Skill. Order details never go in a public comment.

Zipchat escalates to your team. Depending on your settings, your team gets an email notification and takes over the live DM from the Zipchat inbox. The agent sees the full conversation history, so the customer does not have to repeat anything. Manual replies follow Meta's 24-hour window after the customer's last message.

Yes, for Story replies and Story mentions. When a follower replies to your Story, Instagram opens a DM and Zipchat answers it like any other DM, using the Story's image, video transcript, or caption when Instagram makes them available. When a customer mentions your brand in their own Story, Zipchat reads what it can from that Story and replies in DM. Story content can expire after about 24 hours, so the AI does not see every Story. Story replies are DMs, not comments.

Yes. The AI looks at photos customers send and suggests matching products from your catalog. Voice notes are transcribed, and the AI answers in text.

Yes. With Draft Mode, the AI writes each DM reply and your team approves it before it is sent. Your team can take over any conversation from the Zipchat inbox, where Instagram sits next to Messenger, WhatsApp, website chat, and email. Draft Mode covers DMs, not comment replies.

The best Instagram chatbot for ecommerce connects directly to your store data. It should recommend products from your live catalog, handle order tracking, take store actions like returns through your own integrations, and convert Click-to-DM ad traffic without a pre-built flow. Zipchat connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix and handles all of these use cases from one platform: order lookup on Shopify, and returns, swaps, and other platforms through Agentic Skills.

Zipchat plans start from $64/month, billed annually, and every plan includes a 7-day free trial. Every plan covers all channels, including WhatsApp AI and email AI; the Pro plan, at $240 per month, adds more replies, more training pages, and priority support. Visit the pricing page for full plan details.