AI chatbot on WooCommerce: how it connects, and how often it actually re-reads your catalogue
Connecting an AI assistant to WooCommerce is the easy part: generate a key in the settings, authorise read access, sync. Ten minutes. The question almost nobody asks before signing is the other one, and it decides whether the assistant sells for you or embarrasses you: how often does it re-read the catalogue?
TL;DR
- The connection uses WooCommerce's REST API (
/wp-json/wc/v3): a read-only key, no plugin, no theme changes. - An assistant doesn't query your store on every question: it answers from a synced copy.
- The cadence should be chosen by looking at how fast your stock moves, not at random.
- Sell the last one at 10am while the copy refreshes at 3am, and the assistant will keep offering it all day.
How it actually connects
Nothing to install. WooCommerce exposes a REST API, and the assistant connects to it with a key/secret pair you generate yourself:
- In WordPress: WooCommerce → Settings → Advanced → REST API.
- Create a key with read-only permissions. Write access isn't needed, and if someone asks for it, that's the moment to ask why.
- Copy the key and secret once: WordPress won't show them again.
- Paste them into the assistant's configuration along with your store address.
From that point the assistant can read products, variants, prices and availability. It cannot change anything — and that's a property of the permission you chose, not a promise from whoever sold it to you.
The part nobody explains: the copy
An assistant doesn't call your WooCommerce every time a customer asks "do you have it in blue?". That would be slow and would put your site under load on every conversation. What it does instead is read the catalogue at intervals and keep a copy, then answer from that copy in milliseconds.
That's the right choice. But it means the answer is true as of the last read, not right now — and the gap between those two things is the whole difference between a useful assistant and one that makes you cancel orders.
How fresh it needs to be
There's no universal answer, but there is a question to ask yourself: how many times a day does the availability of something you sell change?
| Your catalogue | Sensible cadence |
|---|---|
| One-offs, second-hand, handmade | The most frequent you have — hourly |
| Fashion with sizes that sell out | Every 6 hours, hourly during sales |
| Stable catalogue, restocked | Daily |
| Price list that changes by season | Weekly is fine |
Daily is the default almost everywhere, and it's reasonable for most shops. It becomes wrong on the two days a year when it matters most: the launch and the sales. If you're running a promotion, raise the frequency beforehand, not after reading the reviews.
Questions to ask whoever sells it to you
- How often does it re-read the catalogue, and can I change it? If the answer is "it's automatic" with no number, there is no number.
- Can I force a sync right now? You need it on launch day, and you need it after fixing a wrong price.
- What happens if my site doesn't respond during a sync? The right answer is that it retries and keeps the previous copy — not that it empties the catalogue.
The two mistakes that actually cost money
Leaving it disconnected from the catalogue
An assistant that can't read your products can only speak in generalities, and on "do you have it?" generalities become invention. Connecting the catalogue isn't one feature among others: it's the thing you're buying.
Trusting the copy when stock is down to the last one
On the last item, the right sentence isn't "yes, available": it's "it shows as available, let me confirm today". A well-configured assistant can make that distinction; one configured in five minutes can't, and you pay for the return.
FAQ
Do I need to install a plugin?
No. It uses the REST API WooCommerce already has, with a read-only key. The theme isn't touched and the site doesn't slow down.
Are the answers based on up-to-date data?
Up to date as of the last sync. That isn't the same as "real time", which is exactly why the cadence should be chosen rather than inherited.
Does it work with Shopify too?
Yes, on the same footing: what changes is how access is authorised, not the reasoning about freshness. See the Shopify guide.
Can I use the same assistant on WhatsApp and Telegram?
Yes, if there's a single knowledge base. It's worth checking: three separate assistants to keep updated are three chances to say three different things.
How long does it take to connect?
The connection, ten minutes. The configuration that makes it useful — tone, rules on shipping and returns, when to hand over to a person — an afternoon, revisited after the first week of real conversations.
ShopBrain connects to both WooCommerce and Shopify and re-reads the catalogue on a cadence you set. If you're still choosing, continue with how to choose the right chatbot.
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