Chatbait guides
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Free guides, templates and calculators for small store owners and creators. Every number is checked against its source and dated.
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Money and pricing · October 17, 2026
Shopify sales tax: what small US stores must collect
Does Shopify collect sales tax for you? What nexus means, 2026 state thresholds, and how to set up tax registrations in Shopify, in plain words.
Holiday season · October 16, 2026
Holiday shipping deadlines 2026: USPS, UPS and FedEx
The 2026 ship-by dates for Christmas delivery from USPS, UPS and FedEx, plus Royal Mail and Canada Post, and how to set your own store cutoff.
Holiday season · October 15, 2026
Small Business Saturday 2026 date and 15+ ideas
Small Business Saturday 2026 falls on November 28. Here are 15+ ideas for online and local shops, plus a ready-to-copy social post and email.
AI chat · October 14, 2026
AI chatbot pricing in 2026: per resolution, chat, or free
AI chatbots charge per resolution, per conversation, per message, or nothing. What each costs a small store, with real prices from five tools.
Holiday season · October 14, 2026
Black Friday email templates and subject lines (2026)
Ready-to-send Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails, 20+ subject lines by type, timing tips, and the US CAN-SPAM basics every sale email needs.
Holiday season · October 12, 2026
Black Friday checklist for small online stores (2026)
A week-by-week checklist for Black Friday 2026 (November 27) and Cyber Monday (November 30): stock, offers, site speed, shipping, policies and follow-up.
Creators · October 11, 2026
How to sell digital products as a creator: a simple start
What to sell, how to pick your first product, where to list it, and fee comparisons for Gumroad, Etsy, Shopify and Stan.
Holiday season · October 10, 2026
Black Friday sale ideas that keep your profit
12 Black Friday offer ideas beyond "percent off everything", each with when it fits and an example, plus how to check the maths before you discount.
AI chat · October 9, 2026
Shopify Inbox vs an AI chatbot: what each one answers
Shopify Inbox is free and knows your orders. An AI chatbot answers from your own pages on any platform. When each one fits a small store.
Holiday season · October 8, 2026
BFCM 2026 dates: Black Friday to Cyber Monday
The 2026 BFCM calendar: Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday and Green Monday, each date checked.
Creators · October 6, 2026
UGC rates in 2026: what creators charge for UGC videos
How UGC video pricing works, what add-ons cost extra, and templates for a rate card and a pitch email.
Creators · October 5, 2026
Media kit template for creators (what to include)
What to put in a creator media kit, how to pull real stats from Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, plus a copy-paste template and pitch email.
AI chat · October 2, 2026
Best free AI chatbots for small online stores in 2026
A plain look at free plans from Tidio, Crisp, Shopify Inbox, tawk.to and more, and which ones actually include AI, not just live chat.
Money and pricing · October 2, 2026
Shopify payout schedule: when you get paid, and delays
How Shopify payout timing works, what each payout status means, common reasons a payout is paused, and how to change your schedule.
Creators · September 29, 2026
How much to charge for brand deals (with a rate card)
How creators price sponsored posts, what usage rights and exclusivity add to the price, and a copy-paste rate card and email reply template.
Customer service · September 28, 2026
How to get more Google reviews for your small business
How to get your Google review link, when and where to ask, what's against the rules, and copy-paste templates to ask customers.
AI chat · September 26, 2026
How to add an AI chatbot to your Shopify store
Step by step: install an AI chatbot as a Shopify app embed, or paste a script yourself with Custom Liquid, plus a safety tip and how to check it worked.
Money and pricing · September 24, 2026
Shopify chargebacks: how to respond and win more of them
What a Shopify chargeback is, the deadline to submit evidence, the fee, and a response letter template you can copy.
Customer service · September 22, 2026
Instagram auto-reply messages for creators and shops
Ready-to-use Instagram DM reply templates for creators and shops, plus how to set up saved replies and FAQs in Instagram Direct.
AI chat · September 19, 2026
How to add a chatbot to WordPress, Wix, Webflow and more
Exact menu paths to paste a chatbot script into each platform, plus plan notes so you know what to check before you start.
Selling and marketing · September 18, 2026
Why is my Shopify store not getting sales? 12 checks
A step by step checklist to find out why your Shopify store has no visitors, or visitors but no sales, using Shopify's own reports.
Customer service · September 16, 2026
Abandoned cart email templates that bring shoppers back
Three abandoned cart emails with timing, subject lines, and what to fix on your site first, based on Baymard Institute's abandonment research.
AI chat · September 15, 2026
Tidio vs Chatbase vs Chatbait for a small store
An honest comparison of price, free plans, order lookup, lead capture and channels, so you know which tool fits a small store best.
Selling and marketing · September 14, 2026
Instagram bio examples for small businesses (30+ to copy)
Ready-to-copy Instagram bio templates for shops, creators and service businesses, plus the character limit and link rules from Instagram's own help pages.
Selling and marketing · September 11, 2026
Shoppers ask ChatGPT first. What small stores should do
AI assistants are starting to answer shopping questions directly. How they read your pages, and what small stores can do about it today.
Money and pricing · September 10, 2026
How to calculate profit margin (with a calculator)
Gross margin, net margin and markup explained in plain words, with a worked $40 example and the costs small stores forget to count.
Templates and policies · September 8, 2026
Free inventory spreadsheet template for a small business
A ready to use inventory spreadsheet with columns, a reorder point formula, and when to move from a spreadsheet to an app.
AI chat · September 8, 2026
Why shoppers hate store chatbots, and how to fix it
Real shopper complaints about store chatbots, why they happen, and a checklist to build one that actually helps instead of annoying people.
Selling and marketing · September 4, 2026
How to write product descriptions that sell
A simple formula for product descriptions, before/after examples for three shop types, and a fill-in template you can copy today.
Selling and marketing · September 2, 2026
Etsy vs Shopify: fees and which one fits
How Etsy and Shopify charge sellers, who each one suits, and how to run a shop on both at once.
AI chat · September 1, 2026
AI chatbot for clothing brands: answer sizing, cut returns
How sizing and fit questions turn into returns, what shoppers actually ask, and what to write on product pages so any chatbot can answer correctly.
Money and pricing · August 28, 2026
How to price handmade items: formula and worked example
The standard pricing formula for handmade products (materials, labour, overhead), a worked example, and a copy-paste costing template.
AI chat · August 27, 2026
AI chatbot for skincare brands: what it can and can't say
Shoppers want ingredient transparency, but a skincare chatbot can cross into drug claims fast. What's safe to answer, what isn't, with examples.
Customer service · August 24, 2026
How to respond to negative reviews for a small store
Steps, mistakes to avoid, and ready-to-use reply templates for negative reviews on Google, Etsy, and elsewhere.
Money and pricing · August 19, 2026
Etsy fees explained (with a calculator)
What Etsy actually charges US sellers: listing fee, transaction fee, payment processing, Offsite Ads, and a calculator to work out your own numbers.
Customer service · August 18, 2026
Customer service email templates for small online stores
Ready-to-send templates for order status, delays, refunds, declined returns, damaged items, angry customers, and review requests.
Templates and policies · August 14, 2026
About us page examples for online stores, with a template
What to include on an About us page, three example pages for different shop types, and a fill-in template to write your own.
Templates and policies · August 11, 2026
Shipping policy template for a small online store
A full copy-paste shipping policy for your website: processing time, rates, free shipping, international orders, and what US law requires about delays.
Templates and policies · August 7, 2026
FAQ page examples for online stores, with fill-in answers
The 20+ questions shoppers ask most, grouped by topic, with template answers to fill in, plus layout tips for your FAQ page.
Templates and policies · August 4, 2026
Return policy template for a small online store
A full copy-paste return policy template for your website, plus a short version for product pages, and the basic rules in the UK, EU and US.
Templates and policies · July 28, 2026
Order confirmation email templates (and shipping emails)
Copy-paste templates for order confirmation, shipping confirmation, delivered and back-in-stock emails, and how to edit Shopify's versions.
Templates and policies · July 21, 2026
Packing slip template, and how to edit it in Shopify
What a packing slip is, how it differs from an invoice, a copy-paste template, and how to print and edit packing slips in Shopify.