Shopify Pre-Sales Questions: Answer Sizing, Shipping Time and Stock Questions Automatically, Without a Live Chat Agent

This guide covers the sources to prepare, how each reply should be written, and when a human should take over.

What counts as a pre-sales question

A pre-sales question is any question a shopper asks before placing an order. On Shopify stores, three types come back again and again:

• Sizing and fit: "I'm usually a medium, which size should I take?"
• Shipping time: "If I order today, will it arrive before Friday?"
• Stock: "Will the black one in size 8 be back?"

These tickets look small. The problem is timing. A shopper with a question has not paid yet. If the answer comes tomorrow, they may have bought somewhere else, or not at all. Post-purchase tickets like "where is my order" can wait a few hours without losing the sale. Pre-sales tickets often can't.

That is why many stores think they need someone on live chat all day. You don't. A fast, exact email reply does the same job, as long as it's correct.

Why you don't need a live chat agent for this

Live chat means a person sits in front of a widget and waits. For a small team, that is hours of attention spent on questions that already have a written answer somewhere in your store.

Pre-sales questions are a good fit for automation because:

• The answers rarely change. Your size chart is the same today and next month.
• The facts already exist. Shipping zones, processing time and product details are already written in your policies and product pages.
• The questions repeat. The same "true to size?" question comes in on every bestseller.

You don't need a person on standby. You need the right answer, written once, and a tool that sends it as soon as the email arrives.

The source of truth for each question

An automated answer is only as good as the source behind it. Before you switch anything on, check that each question type has one clear source.

• Sizing. The shopper asks: "Which size should I take?" Source of truth: a size chart per product type and fit notes ("runs small", "relaxed fit"). A good reply includes the measurement to check, the matching size and the exchange rule. Hand off to a human when the shopper gives conflicting measurements or asks about a custom fit.
• Shipping time. The shopper asks: "Will it arrive by Saturday?" Source of truth: processing time plus delivery time per region, and the cutoff time for same-day dispatch. A good reply includes the dispatch day and the delivery window for their region, with no promise of a fixed date. Hand off to a human for a gift deadline, an event date, or an express request you can't confirm.
• Stock. The shopper asks: "Is it available in black, size 8?" Source of truth: the stock and restock notes you keep up to date in your knowledge base. A good reply includes what your notes say about that item, the closest alternative, and a restock date only if it is written. Hand off to a human when no note covers the item, no restock date exists, or the shopper wants to reserve an item.
• Pre-order. The shopper asks: "When does the pre-order ship?" Source of truth: the expected ship date written per product. A good reply includes the date as you wrote it and what happens if it slips. Hand off to a human when the date has changed and isn't updated yet.

The rule is simple: if you can't point to a written source, the AI should not answer. It should hand off.

How to answer sizing questions automatically

Sizing is the question where a wrong answer costs the most. A bad size recommendation turns into an exchange or a refund a week later.

Write fit notes, not only a size chart. A size chart gives measurements. Shoppers ask how it feels: "Is it tight on the shoulders?" Add one or two lines of fit notes per product type:

• "Runs small. If you are between sizes, take the larger one."
• "Relaxed fit. Take your usual size."
• "Stiff leather. Gives a little after a few wears."

These lines turn a generic reply into a useful one.

Ask for a measurement when you need one. A good automated reply doesn't guess. Say the shopper writes "I'm a medium in most brands". The reply can point to the chart and ask for one number: chest, waist or foot length. Then it answers with a size.

Always add the exchange rule. End every sizing reply with what happens if the size is wrong. "If it doesn't fit, you can exchange it within your return window" removes the last doubt. To set exchange and refund rules safely, read our guide on AI for Shopify returns and refunds.

How to answer shipping time questions automatically

Shipping time replies go wrong when they promise a date the carrier won't meet.

Split processing time and delivery time. Shoppers think of one number. You have two: how long you take to pack the order, and how long the carrier takes. Write both, per region. Here is an example of a rule you write yourself: "Orders placed before 2 pm ship the same day. Delivery to the US mainland takes the window shown at checkout."

Give a window, not a promise. "It should arrive between Tuesday and Thursday" is honest. "It will arrive Wednesday" is a promise you don't control. Set the reply to always use a window.

Flag deadline questions. "I need it for my sister's wedding on the 14th" is not a shipping question. It's a risk question. Tell your AI agent to hand off any message that mentions a fixed event date. Then you decide what to promise.

How to answer stock questions automatically

Stock questions are easy to answer and easy to get wrong. The reply can only be as current as the notes you give it.

Keep stock and restock notes in your knowledge base. Write down what shoppers ask about most:

• Items that often sell out
• Discontinued variants
• The closest alternative for each one
• Restock dates you are sure of

Update these notes when something changes. When a note covers the question, the reply says clearly what your notes show and suggests the closest option: another color, the next size or a similar product.

No written source, no answer. Sometimes a shopper asks about an item or a date your notes don't cover. That question goes to your team. A guess about stock leads to a disappointed customer.

Only give restock dates you actually have. "Back in stock soon" invites a follow-up email. A specific date you haven't confirmed invites a complaint. If you know the date, write it in your knowledge base. If you don't, the reply should say you don't have a date yet and tell the shopper how to find out.

Hand off reservations. "Can you hold one for me?" is a decision, not a fact. Keep it with your team.

What to prepare before you switch on automation

Use this short list. Most of it means copying what you already know into one place.

• Size chart and fit notes for each product type.
• Shipping rules: processing time, cutoff time, delivery window per region.
• Stock, restock and pre-order notes you are sure of, kept up to date.
• Exchange and return rule in one or two sentences.
• Hand-off triggers: event dates, reservations, custom requests, anything not covered above.

For the full launch list, including permissions and tone, use the Shopify AI support agent setup checklist.

How Relay handles pre-sales emails

Relay is an AI support agent for Shopify that works from your ticket inbox. When a pre-sales email comes in, Relay:

• Understands the question: sizing, shipping time, stock or something else.
• Looks up your knowledge base: size charts, fit notes, shipping rules, stock and restock notes.
• Applies your rules: fit notes, shipping windows, exchange policy.
• Replies, or escalates to your team when the question hits one of your hand-off triggers or has no written source.

You choose what Relay can do and what it must pass on. Setup takes three steps: teach Relay your business, set your rules, connect and go live.

Pre-sales questions are only part of your volume. To cut the rest too, read how to reduce Shopify support tickets without hiring.

FAQ

Can I answer Shopify pre-sales questions without live chat? Yes. Shoppers ask by email, and an AI support agent replies from your size chart, shipping rules and knowledge base. What matters is a fast, correct answer, not the channel.

What are the most common pre-sales questions on Shopify? Sizing and fit, shipping time, and stock or restock dates. Product details like materials and care come next.

How do I stop an AI from giving the wrong size? Give it a size chart and fit notes for each product type. Tell it to ask for a measurement when the shopper is vague, and add your exchange rule to every sizing reply. If the question isn't covered, it should hand off.

How does an AI know if an item is in stock? It answers from the stock and restock notes you keep in your knowledge base. If no note covers the item, the question goes to your team.

Should an AI promise a delivery date? No. It should give a delivery window based on your processing time and region. Questions tied to a fixed event date should go to a human.