Frequently asked questions
Questions about Curio itself — how it works, your data, setup and pricing. Looking for a specific store's own shipping or returns policy instead? That lives on that store's chat widget, grounded in what the merchant has written there.
About Curio
What is Curio?
A chat assistant for Shopify stores. It answers shopper questions from a merchant's own product catalog and the policies they write into it — shipping, returns, sizing, whatever they add — and hands off to a person when it does not know something rather than guessing.
Why does the live demo on this site show snowboards?
The demo on the homepage and at /demo runs against a seeded sample catalog, not a real store, so you can try the assistant before installing anything. Once installed on your own store, it only ever answers from your own products and your own policies — never sample data, and never another merchant's.
How it works
How does the assistant decide what to say?
It retrieves the most relevant products and knowledge documents for the question, then answers from those — it does not invent stock, prices or policies. If nothing relevant is found, it says so honestly and offers to bring in a person instead of guessing.
What happens if a shopper asks about something you don't stock?
The assistant says it cannot find that in the catalog, rather than describing a product that does not exist. That honest "I don't know" is tracked as part of the trust score in your admin, alongside how often replies are actually grounded in real catalog or policy content.
Can a real person take over a conversation?
Yes. A shopper can ask for a person at any point, and the assistant hands the thread to your team's inbox and stops answering it until a merchant replies or explicitly hands it back. You always keep the option to step in.
Data & privacy
What data does Curio use to answer questions?
Your store's own product catalog and whatever knowledge documents you add — shipping, returns, warranty and so on. Nothing else is used to ground a reply.
Can the assistant see or answer from another merchant's store?
No. Every store's catalog, knowledge base and conversation history is scoped to that store alone. There is no shared pool of data across merchants.
What happens to my data if I uninstall?
Shopify revokes Curio's access to your store immediately on uninstall, and your plan drops back to Free. Your catalog and conversation history are kept in case you reinstall, rather than deleted outright — see the Privacy Policy for the full detail on retention and deletion.
Setup
How do I install Curio?
From the Shopify App Store, or the "See Curio on my Shopify store" link on this site. Installing syncs your product catalog, and you add shipping/returns/policy answers under Knowledge in the admin — then switch on the storefront chat widget from the theme editor.
Do I need to write my own FAQ content?
For the assistant to ground policy answers, yes — a short shipping and returns entry covers most of what shoppers ask. Product questions need nothing extra; the assistant already has your catalog once it syncs.
Pricing
What does Curio cost?
Free: grounded catalog chat, human handoff and shopper feedback, no card required. Curio Growth is $19/month and adds scheduled campaigns, proactive opener chips and deeper shopper insights. Shopify Billing applies once installed on a production store; the demo on this site is never charged.
Is the live demo on this site free to try?
Yes, with no account and no install.