Outbound Messaging: Chat at the Right Time & Place

We have talked a lot about why chatbots fall short and why they suck! And a big reason is timing.

A chatbot that pops up immediately and refuses to go away is objectively annoying. It interrupts the shopping experience, pulling attention at the wrong moment.

A bad chatbot experience can easily taint the entire shopping session.

A chatbot that appers when a shopper actually needs help? Useful and hopefully doesn’t suck!

That is the idea behind alby’s Outbound Messaging. It gives brands a way to surface guidance only when it makes sense: at the right time and the right place.

Outbound Messaging in Practice

alby’s Outbound Messaging gives brands control over where and when to engage with shoppers.

Traditionally, brands rely on a single static chat entry point (usually tucked into the bottom-right corner of the site). With Outbound Messaging, brands can instead map the shopper journey, identify where drop-off happens, and deploy AI-driven guidance at critical moments.

A few examples of what this looks like in practice:

The homepage is often where shoppers decide in seconds whether a brand is “for them.”

Outbound Messaging can greet first-time visitors with a welcome offer — or spotlight what the brand is known for, from bestsellers to trend-forward collections.

Surfacing a sizing guide to shoppers browsing a category page

Category pages are where decision fatigue starts to creep in. Outbound Messaging can proactively offer help before shoppers bounce.

This is a great place to route shoppers into sizing guidance, fit preferences, and product education, reducing returns while making the experience feel more personal.

Recommending products to undecided shoppers who’ve spent 30+ seconds on a PDP

A shopper who spends 30+ seconds on a product page is showing intent, but they’re usually hesitating for a reason. Sometimes they’re not even sure what they’re missing: sizing, fit, material, or how it compares to other options.

Outbound Messaging can detect that moment and step in with the right guidance, helping undecided shoppers move forward with confidence.

It All Comes Down to Controls

Outbound Messaging only works if brands have real control over when and where messages appear. Different shoppers are looking for different guidance, and brands know their shoppers better than anyone else.

Giving them control just makes sense.

In alby’s Outbound Messaging beta, we already offer flexible controls that let brands decide exactly who sees what and when.

Current controls include:

Visitor type
First-time visitors behave differently than loyal customers. Messaging should reflect that.
Page type & time on site
A shopper on a homepage, category page, or product page has different intent.
Device type
Mobile and desktop shoppers interact in different ways.
UTM parameters
You can tailor messaging for shoppers coming from email campaigns, paid ads, or social traffic, etc.

And more!

Why Does This Matter for Retailers?

Brands that invest in AI-guided shopping are already setting a higher standard. Shoppers now expect fast answers and relevant guidance as they browse.

Outbound messaging builds on that expectation. It gives brands a way to invite shoppers into an AI conversation at the right moment, instead of waiting for them to ask or interrupting them too early.

Try alby free on Shopify: apps.shopify.com/alby
Not on Shopify? Talk to our team: alby.com/talk-to-us

Carey Landon