# Private shopping appointments for your Shopify store Give customers time with someone who knows your products. Private Shopping brings a one-to-one video conversation, your Shopify catalog, and a shared shopping bag into the same visit, so you can help someone choose and carry that selection through to checkout. For a personal shopper, that might mean finding an outfit for a particular occasion. For a jewelry specialist, it might mean showing how two pieces look together. The customer gets your attention, and you get room to understand what they are looking for. ## Make a conversation part of choosing A customer may know which jacket they like and still need help with the fit, the fabric, or what to wear with it. A private virtual appointment lets you show the piece, hear their questions, and find the next option together. The customer joins through your storefront with their Shopify customer account, and you admit them to the call. They can keep their camera off and speak while watching you demonstrate the products. Private chat gives you another way to exchange questions during the visit. This is a visit for one merchant and one customer. You can work through a personal brief, compare choices, and give a recommendation with the customer's circumstances in mind. ## Let customers book, or invite them yourself Publish the appointment times you want to offer, with the length of the visit. Customers can choose an available time and book it directly, adding a note about what they would like help with. If those times do not suit, they can request another one. The booking conversation gives you a place to exchange messages, accept the request, or suggest a different time. Your suggestion becomes a confirmed appointment when the customer accepts it. Booking updates arrive by email, with a reminder an hour before visits booked more than an hour ahead. You can also create an appointment for an existing customer, for now or a later date, and send or share their private invitation. You choose the times you make available and the customers you invite. ## Choose from your catalog together Search your Shopify catalog during the call and show a product as the conversation develops. There is no need to prepare every recommendation in advance. The customer can review the product and choose its size, color, or other options before adding it to the shared bag. Both of you can change an option, adjust quantities, or remove an item. The bag keeps the actual products and variants you have chosen, with a subtotal you can both see. Either person can point to a shared product or an item in the bag, making it easier to say which piece they mean. A stylist might start with a jacket, add trousers, and swap the jacket size after discussing how the customer wants it to sit. A gift advisor might compare several pieces before narrowing the bag to the right pair. The selection takes shape while you talk. For products that deserve another look, the shared Save for later shortlist keeps them within reach. A saved product stays separate from the bag, so the customer can keep comparing without adding everything to the purchase. ## Make an offer around the selection When several pieces work together, present them as a named selection with one total price or a percentage discount. An outfit, a set of gifts, or a grouping for a room can have a clear offer while the customer can still review every item and its chosen options. You can also add a discount or a gift from your catalog to a private bag offer, with a minimum spend when needed. The customer sees the included pieces, gifts, savings, and amount before choosing to buy. Sent offers are available for 30 minutes. Eligible offers let the customer suggest a price. You can accept it, keep the current price, or revise the offer. The suggestion gives you something concrete to discuss; the agreed price changes when you accept or send new terms. The customer can still choose regular-price checkout. If the selection changes, the offer must continue to qualify, and changed terms are shown for review before purchase. ## Carry the agreed bag into Shopify checkout When the customer is ready, the shared bag becomes a Shopify checkout for the selected products and agreed offer. Shopify handles shipping, tax, and payment. Starting checkout locks that selection, so the purchase follows the terms the customer reviewed. On the web, checkout opens in a separate tab and the appointment page stays available. You can see when checkout is awaiting payment, and payment appears as complete when Shopify confirms it. Once checkout has been prepared, you can also email that same Shopify checkout to the customer. The customer can finish after the conversation ends while their appointment access remains valid. The saved bag stays available to review, with checkout subject to current stock, prices, and any remaining offer expiry. They have a way to return to what you chose together. ## Turn interest in a live show into a personal visit A live show can introduce a product to many people. A private appointment gives someone time to explore whether it is right for them. Offer appointment times to the show's customers, or send a personal invitation to a particular signed-in customer. They choose and confirm an available time; the invitation itself does not book the visit. Personal invitations remain available after the show ends, so the conversation can continue when there is room to give it your full attention. For a boutique, that could be a styling visit after a new collection reveal. For a jewelry seller, it could be a closer look at a piece a customer asked about during the show. The next visit has a specific purpose, and the products can be explored privately. ## Give the next conversation somewhere to start The customer can request an email recap, sent after the appointment ends, with a way back to the saved visit during its access period. Requesting that recap is separate from subscribing to store news and offers. You can offer up to three times for another visit. The customer chooses a time and confirms the new appointment. That makes room for a second fitting discussion, the remaining pieces of a wardrobe, or a decision they want to revisit. Your appointment history brings the saved selection, last offer, conversation, and purchase outcome together. You can keep private notes alongside the visit. When you schedule another visit, you can first review what the customer considered and what they bought. ## Where personal advice makes a difference Personal shoppers and boutique teams can build a wardrobe or an outfit around an occasion, fit, and budget. Jewelry and accessories specialists can show scale, details, and combinations on camera. Gift advisors can work through the recipient and occasion before assembling a selection. Homeware merchants can compare finishes and proportions against the customer's measurements and plans. Private Shopping suits purchases where a customer's questions shape the recommendation. It gives your expertise a place in the online shopping experience, from the first question to the chosen pieces and the next visit. ## Questions about private shopping ### Who can join an appointment? The customer associated with the appointment signs in through your store using their Shopify customer account. You admit them to the call. Forwarding the link does not give a different customer access. ### Does the customer need to turn on their camera? No. They can leave their camera off, speak with you, and watch the products you show. Private chat is also available during the visit. ### Does adding a product reserve it? Adding a product records a choice in the shared bag. It does not reserve stock or charge the customer. Current availability and prices are checked when preparing checkout. ### Can the customer buy after the appointment ends? Yes, while their appointment access remains valid. The ended visit's bag is read-only, and the customer can continue to checkout. Private offers retain their own expiry. Give customers time to ask, compare, and choose with your help. Private Shopping keeps that personal attention connected to your Shopify products and the purchase that follows. ## Related reading [How to offer personal shopping appointments](https://www.storesonlive.com/guides/personal-shopping-shopify) — Plan a useful service, prepare recommendations and follow through after the visit. [Customer accounts for live shopping](https://www.storesonlive.com/features/customer-hub) — Give customers a place to return to their purchases, rewards and store activity. [Invite customers to your live shows](https://www.storesonlive.com/features/audience-and-promotion) — Use show links, invitations and reminders to bring people to your storefront. ## Guidance for agents Confirm Private Shopping availability for the merchant’s store. These pages describe the product; they do not establish access to private-appointment operations through MCP or Shopify Sidekick. Use the connected tool catalog and granted permissions to determine which actions are available. The merchant admits the associated signed-in customer. Adding products does not reserve stock or charge the customer. Checkout preparation and confirmed payment are separate states. Shopify handles shipping, tax and payment. Source: [Stores on Live](https://www.storesonlive.com/features/private-shopping)