Use this guide to choose the setup path that matches how your business sells and where your customer data lives.
Most teams should connect their commerce platform first, then connect messaging channels, add capture tools, verify data and signals, and only then launch playbooks, routes, campaigns, or agents.
If you use more than one platform, start with the platform that has the most reliable customer, product, cart, and order activity.
Choose your starting point
You can combine paths: connect your main data source, then add the conversation or sales channels you use.
| Situation | Path |
|---|---|
| Your main store uses Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, or VTEX. | Choose Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, or VTEX. |
| Custom store or checkout; events sent by API. | Custom or API. |
| You sell on Mercado Libre (Colombia or Uruguay). | Mercado Libre for orders and post-sale conversations; campaigns are unavailable. |
| You use WhatsApp for conversations or commerce. | WhatsApp commerce. To show products, prepare a compatible store and a Meta catalog. |
For example, if you sell on Shopify and serve customers on WhatsApp, connect Shopify and verify your store data first. If you will collect subscribers at checkout, set up that opt-in. To show products on WhatsApp, prepare the Meta catalog and link it while connecting the number. Before launch, check consent and use an eligible internal profile for the tests your channel supports.
Recommended order
For most implementations, follow the steps that apply to your data source and channel:
- Connect the commerce platform or data source.
- Prepare and connect the messaging channel you will use first; complete any catalog prerequisites beforehand.
- Set up capture and consent for the channel, including checkout opt-in where it applies.
- Verify customer profiles, signals, and the data your integration provides before interpreting reports.
- Choose a first playbook, route, or campaign that the channel supports.
- Review the go-live checklist before customers receive messages.
This order keeps setup problems from turning into sending, reporting, or attribution problems later.
Shopify path
Use this path when Shopify is your main store.
Start here:
After the connection is working, use Shopify activity as signals for cart recovery, browse recovery, first purchase, repeat purchases, segmentation, campaign targeting, and attribution.
Wix path
Use this path when Wix is your main store.
Start here:
After the connection is working, confirm that customer profiles, orders, carts, and subscription status appear correctly before launching playbooks or campaigns.
WooCommerce path
Use this path when WooCommerce is your main store.
Start here:
WooCommerce setup depends on the Hellotext plugin and the correct business identifier and access token. Verify the plugin before you troubleshoot playbooks or reporting.
VTEX path
Use this path when VTEX is your commerce platform.
Start here:
After connecting, confirm that the events your first playbook needs are present on the correct customer profiles.
Mercado Libre path
Use this path if your business is in Colombia or Uruguay and Mercado Libre is an important sales and order-linked post-sale conversation channel.
Start here:
Mercado Libre may be part of a broader setup. If you also have a primary store, connect it for more customer and order context. Mercado Libre messages require an eligible transaction and cannot be used for campaigns or to contact buyers outside a sale.
WhatsApp commerce path
Use this path when WhatsApp is a primary channel for conversations, product discovery, or commerce. If you only need conversations, you can connect the number without a catalog. To show products and use your store’s checkout in chat, first connect Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, or VTEX and prepare a Meta catalog. Link that catalog while connecting the WhatsApp number.
Start here:
- Connect your catalog to WhatsApp if you will show products; this guide covers the prerequisites and number connection.
- Connect WhatsApp if you only need conversations.
- Messaging channels overview
- Who can I message? Consent and subscriber status
Custom or API path
Use this path when your data source is custom, your checkout is not covered by a standard integration, or your team needs to send events directly.
Start here:
- Integrate a custom store with Hellotext
- Developers and API overview
- Tracking events
- Tracking unidentified customers
- External tracking
For custom implementations, define the first business outcome before you implement every event. Cart recovery, browse recovery, first purchase, support handoff, and attribution each need different data.
What to do after setup
After you complete your path, run the checks that apply:
- Confirm that the customer profile reflects the connected source and, where relevant, the right channel and consent status.
- Check that the activity or signal your first workflow needs appears on the right profile.
- On channels that allow internal tests, use a profile you control to check the relevant message, click, reply, handoff, and report.
- For Mercado Libre, follow its guide’s checks using a new sale and an eligible conversation; do not send messages outside a transaction.
- Launch one use case and review its result before expanding.
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