Overview
eStoreware AI Assistant provides three configurable surfaces: an admin Copilot, a public storefront assistant with shopping tools, and a separately enabled My account experience. The assistant draws product and policy answers from information visible in your store. Catalog accuracy and clear compatibility descriptions matter.
Storefront
Product and policy questions, comparisons, recommendations, SKU quick orders, and confirmed cart additions.
My account
Signed-in customers can read their own orders, visible quotes, saved products, and basic profile.
Admin
Operational answers plus explicitly confirmed, audited single and bulk base-price changes.
Install and license
- Use a nopCommerce 4.80 store running .NET 9 and SQL Server. Install and license eStoreware Core first.
- Install the AI Assistant deployment package using nopCommerce Configuration → Local plugins, then apply changes or restart as prompted.
- Open eStoreware → Licensing and validate the AI Assistant license for the intended store and domain.
- Open eStoreware → AI Assistant → Settings. Enable the admin assistant only for permitted staff and configure the OpenAI API key and selected model. Keep the key in the plugin settings; never paste it into a chat.
- Open eStoreware → AI Assistant → Customer assistant to enable the storefront experience and floating button for the intended store. Enable My account separately if required.
- Review permission assignments, daily request limits, storefront policies, and any optional Advanced Quotes handoff before inviting users.
Hosting note: Cart previews are single-use and kept in application memory for ten minutes. Start with one application worker or validated sticky sessions so a confirmation reaches the same worker.
Choose the right options
| Surface | What it controls | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Admin Copilot | Operational questions; authorized price previews and confirmations. | AI permission, product-edit permission for writes, API key, model, audit access. |
| Storefront assistant | Public Q&A plus shopping and cart tools under the same storefront setting. | Store enablement, floating button, public catalog visibility, limits. |
| My account | Local customer-specific lookup for signed-in users. | Separate account toggle, sign-in flow, quote module access where installed. |
These are enablement options, not separate purchase or price promises. Contact eStoreware about licensing and availability for your deployment.
Prepare the catalog and policies
The assistant searches public product data and approved store knowledge. Add exact SKUs, manufacturer model numbers, and concise compatibility statements to product names, SKUs, and descriptions. A phrase such as “fits Brother HL-L2405W” is more useful than a broad “fits Brother printers.” Publish clear shipping, returns, and warranty pages before relying on policy answers.
Compatibility is based on the catalog wording; the assistant does not independently certify that a supply fits a device. Product cards show the normal customer-visible quantity-one price and public stock message when those can be displayed. Options, quantity tiers, and final totals must be checked on product, cart, and checkout pages.
Shopping and cart workflows
Try a specific question such as “Show TN830 and TN830XL toner for a Brother HL-L2405W.” Then ask “Compare those two.” Follow-ups use recent context from the current assistant session; clearing the conversation resets it.
For quick ordering, enter exact SKU and quantity pairs such as “NBTN830XL, 1”. Review the preview before pressing Confirm Add to Cart. A preview alone does not change the cart. If a product needs options or has special pricing, use its product page. Cart and checkout remain the source of final price and availability. A configured Advanced Quotes installation can expose a cart-to-quote handoff; quote submission occurs through the normal form.
My account
Signed-in customers can choose My orders, My quotes, Saved products, or My profile, and can ask an account question. The plugin checks sign-in for each request and returns only information the current customer may view. Customers make changes through the linked account pages, not through the assistant.
Quotes appear only when the optional quote module and its permissions are available. The module’s account and store access rules still apply.
Admin Copilot and price changes
Permitted staff can research orders, products, inventory, payments, logs, plugins, and licensing. To change an individual product’s base price, the assistant shows the exact product and proposed value, then waits for confirmation. Bulk cost-markup changes show each affected row for review before confirmation. Writes require the relevant product-edit permission and produce audit records.
Base product prices are shared catalog values across stores. Check the affected product set and every preview row before confirming. A plugin rollback does not undo already committed price or cart changes.
Privacy, limits, and operating boundaries
- Public and admin AI requests use the configured OpenAI service. Relevant public catalog content, approved knowledge, recent question context, and permitted admin results may be included in those requests.
- My account questions and results are processed locally. They are not sent to OpenAI or saved as assistant chat history.
- Daily request limits and delays help control usage; review API-project usage and budget controls separately.
- Product retrieval is bounded and works best with clear English catalog language. It is not an exhaustive compatibility database.
- Admin pricing changes and cart additions always require explicit confirmation. Do not retry an uncertain write until you inspect the cart or audit record.
Troubleshooting
The assistant is missing
Check the license, store-specific enablement, floating-button setting, permission, and whether the active storefront is loading the current plugin assets.
A product is missing or the answer is weak
Confirm the product is published and visible to that customer and store. Search its exact SKU, then improve model and compatibility wording in the catalog. Ask about one printer or device at a time for a broad search.
The card price differs from checkout
Cards describe a quantity-one public price. Quantity tiers, options, taxes, discounts, and final cart context can change the payable total. Use the product page and cart for a final check.
My account or cart confirmation fails
Refresh sign-in, check account/store permissions, and retry a new preview if the old one expired. For multiple workers, verify sticky sessions. If a confirmation result is uncertain, inspect the cart before attempting another addition.
Admin price confirmation fails
Check product-edit permission, preview expiry, current product price, and audit history. A changed product price may invalidate an older preview.
Get support
See the AI Assistant FAQ or contact eStoreware support. Include your plugin version, store, approximate time, and safe steps to reproduce. For price operations, include the audit ID. Do not send passwords, API keys, full customer records, or private account questions.