Connect Printify to WhatsApp and AI Chat for Shopify
Yes. AeroChat works directly with Printify. It reads print order status and shipment tracking from Printify, and changes shipping addresses and cancels orders that have not gone to production through Printify’s API, on WhatsApp, Instagram, web chat and every other channel your shoppers use.
If your Shopify store sells print on demand products made and shipped through Printify, your customers wait longer than for stock items, and they ask about it. AeroChat answers on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, web chat or email, from the order status Printify holds: in production, shipped, delivered. It can also fix a wrong address before the item is printed. Your Shopify store is built into AeroChat, and Printify connects through its public API. You describe the workflow in your own words, AeroChat builds it, and Printify stays the place your production and fulfillment run.
What you can do with Printify and AeroChat
- Answer “what is happening with my order?”. AeroChat finds the Printify order that matches the Shopify order and tells the customer where it is: on hold, sending to production, in production, shipped or fulfilled.
- Share shipment tracking. AeroChat reads the order’s shipments from Printify and sends the carrier, tracking number and tracking link, and the delivery date once it is delivered.
- Change the shipping address before printing. When a customer gave the wrong address, AeroChat sends the new one to Printify while the order can still be edited, and tells them if it is too late.
- Cancel an order before it goes to production. When a customer cancels soon after ordering, AeroChat cancels the Printify order if it is still on hold, and passes the refund to your team.
- Explain split shipments. When items in one order ship separately, AeroChat reads each shipment and its line items and tells the customer which item is in which parcel.
- Pass orders with problems to your team. When an order or an item shows “has issues”, “unfulfillable” or canceled, AeroChat explains it simply and hands the conversation to your team with the order details.
What it looks like on WhatsApp
Customer: I ordered a custom hoodie 4 days ago and nothing yet. Order 3317. (example)
AeroChat: Your order #3317 is in production right now. Each hoodie is printed when it is ordered, which takes 2 to 5 business days, then it ships. You will get your tracking link as soon as it leaves the print facility.
In Printify: nothing changes. AeroChat read the order’s status.
Customer: Oh no, I put my old address on order 3402. Can you change it? (example)
AeroChat: Yes, it has not gone to print yet. What is the new address, with postal code?
Customer: 18 Willow Lane, Apt 4, Riverton, 84065.
AeroChat: Done. Order #3402 will ship to 18 Willow Lane, Apt 4, Riverton, 84065.
In Printify: the order’s shipping address is updated directly to the new address.
Works on every chat channel
Your shoppers message you wherever they already are. The same Printify connection and the same workflows run on each of these channels, and Printify stays the record whichever one they use.
| Channel | What your shoppers can do |
|---|---|
| Message your WhatsApp Business number to check a print order, get tracking, change the address or cancel before printing. Voice notes are transcribed, so a spoken request works too. | |
| Send the same requests by direct message. A comment on your post can get an automatic reply that moves the conversation to a DM. | |
| Facebook Messenger | Send the same requests to your Facebook Page. Comments on your Page posts can get an automatic reply too. |
| Telegram | Send the same requests to your business on Telegram. |
| Web chat | Ask the same questions in the chat on your Shopify store. |
| Write to your Gmail or Office 365 address and get the same answer the chat gives. |
How the connection works
There are two parts. Your Shopify store is built into AeroChat: you install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store and connect the store in the dashboard, and it syncs your products and looks up orders, checking the customer’s email or phone number first. Printify connects through its public API, documented at developers.printify.com. Each Printify order keeps your store’s order number, so AeroChat can find the Printify order behind a Shopify order.
- What AeroChat reads from Printify: orders in your Printify shop with their status, line items and line item status, shipping address, the store order number, and shipments with carrier, tracking number, tracking link, delivery date and the items in each.
- What AeroChat writes to Printify: shipping address changes on orders that can still be edited, and cancellations of orders that are on hold or waiting for payment.
To connect, log in to Printify, open My Profile, then Connections, and generate a personal access token with the orders scopes. Copy it right away, because Printify shows it only once. Printify’s tokens are valid for one year, so set a reminder to renew it. Printify’s API documentation does not name a plan for API access. Printify accepts address changes only while an order can still be edited, and cancels only orders that are on hold or waiting for payment. Once an order is in production, AeroChat tells the customer and hands the request to your team.
You describe the workflow in your own words, for example “when a customer asks about their order, find it in Printify and tell them if it is in production or shipped”. AeroChat builds the workflow as a draft and asks for the Printify token and shop ID by name. You enter them in the AeroChat dashboard. They never pass through the conversation.
Workflows to copy
Six ready-made workflows for Printify. Copy one into AeroChat, add your Printify token, and it runs on every channel.
1. Answer “what is happening with my order?”
Copy this into AeroChat
When a customer asks about their order, ask for the order number and check the email or phone number matches the order in Shopify. Find the Printify order with the same store order number and read its status. Explain it in plain words: on hold means it is waiting to be sent to print, in production means it is being printed, fulfilled means it has shipped. Give our production time from the knowledge base, for example “2 to 5 business days” (example). If it has shipped, send the tracking. Reply in the customer’s language.
2. Share shipment tracking
Copy this into AeroChat
When a customer asks for tracking, check the order details match in Shopify and find the Printify order. Read its shipments and send the carrier, the tracking number and the tracking link for each one. If a shipment has a delivery date, tell them it was delivered and when. If there are no shipments yet, tell them the order status and that tracking follows when it ships.
3. Change the shipping address before printing
Copy this into AeroChat
When a customer wants to change the shipping address, check the order details match in Shopify and find the Printify order. If its status is on hold or pending, ask for the full new address: name, street, city, postal code and country. Read it back and ask them to confirm. Send the change to Printify. If Printify accepts it, confirm the new address. If Printify says the order can no longer be edited, tell the customer it has gone to print and hand the conversation to our team with the new address.
4. Cancel an order before it goes to production
Copy this into AeroChat
When a customer asks to cancel an order, check the order details match in Shopify and find the Printify order. If its status is on hold or payment not received, confirm they want to cancel the whole order, then cancel it in Printify and tell them our team will process the refund. Hand the conversation to our team with the order number. If the order is already in production or shipped, tell them it cannot be canceled now and share our returns policy from the knowledge base.
5. Explain split shipments
Copy this into AeroChat
When a customer says only part of their order arrived, find the Printify order and read its shipments and the line items in each. Tell them which items have shipped, with tracking, and which are still in production. Explain that items can be printed at different facilities and ship separately. If an item is canceled, hand the conversation to our team.
6. Pass orders with problems to your team
Copy this into AeroChat
When a Printify order or one of its items shows has issues, unfulfillable or canceled, tell the customer in one plain sentence that there is a problem with their order and that our team will contact them. Hand the conversation to our team with the order number, the item and its status. Do not offer a refund, a reprint or a replacement yourself.
Who uses it
Shopify stores that sell custom and print on demand products, such as apparel, mugs, posters and gifts, use Printify to print and ship each item when it is ordered. AeroChat’s guide to chatbots for Shopify print on demand stores covers the questions these stores get. These recipes also fit:
- Fashion stores: order tracking and returns and exchanges.
What stays in Printify
Printify stays your record of production and fulfillment. Product design, print providers, order approval, sending to production, costs and billing all live there. Every address change and cancellation AeroChat makes shows on the order in Printify.
AeroChat handles the conversation. It reads order status and tracking to answer customers, fixes addresses and cancels orders before printing, and passes problems and refunds to your team.
WhatsApp workflows that use Printify
These end-to-end WhatsApp workflows run with Printify and your Shopify store behind them. See them all in the WhatsApp workflows library.
- WhatsApp Order Tracking That Answers From Your Store Data
- WhatsApp Order Changes and Cancellations Within Your Rules
- WhatsApp Delivery Updates From Your Order and Shipping Data
Questions
Does AeroChat work with Printify?
Yes. It connects through Printify’s public API with a personal access token from your own Printify account. It is not a Printify product, and AeroChat has no partnership with Printify or its print providers.
Can AeroChat cancel an order that is already printing?
No. Printify cancels only orders that are on hold or waiting for payment. For anything later, AeroChat explains this to the customer and hands the request to your team.
Does AeroChat refund the customer?
No. When AeroChat cancels a Printify order, it hands the conversation to your team, who refund the Shopify order as usual.
Which plan do I need?
On the Printify side, you need a personal access token from My Profile, Connections. On the AeroChat side, workflows via Skills are on every plan, with a 7-day free trial. Choose by message volume: Starter covers 500 AI responses a month, Growth 2,000 and Advanced 5,000.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
Answer print order questions in chat
Install AeroChat, paste the order status recipe, add your Printify token, and ask your own chat where a recent print order is.
7-day free trial.