The Universal Adapter for Ecommerce Chat: Every Channel Connected to Everything Your Store Runs On
A universal adapter for ecommerce chat sits between the chat channels your customers use and the systems your store runs on, so a customer on any channel can get any job done in the conversation. Channels plug in on one side: WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok Shop buyer chat, Shopee, Lazada, web chat and email. Business systems plug in on the other: your store, payments, couriers, CRM, calendars and spreadsheets. You describe each workflow once, and it runs on every channel. AeroChat is the universal adapter for ecommerce chat, and it does the work in the conversation, not just the connecting.
The problem it solves
An online seller today runs on many systems at once. Products and orders sit in a store platform. Some sales happen on marketplaces. Payments go through a gateway. Parcels go through one or more couriers. Customers sit in a CRM or an email tool. Each of these has its own login, its own data and its own way of working.
Customers don’t see any of that. They message from wherever they are, on WhatsApp, Instagram, a marketplace chat or the store’s web chat, and they expect one answer. “Where is my order?” needs the store and the courier. “Can I pay by link?” needs the payment gateway. “Can I change the address?” needs the store, before the courier picks it up. Without something in the middle, a person opens three tabs to answer each message, on each channel separately.
There are two usual ways sellers try to fix this, and both have limits:
- A separate tool per channel. One for WhatsApp, one for Instagram, the marketplace’s own chat tools. Each needs its own setup, and none of them talks to all your systems.
- Point-to-point connections. Connect the WhatsApp tool to the store, then to the courier, then do it again for Instagram. Every new channel or system means more connections to build and maintain.
How a universal adapter works
Think of a travel adapter. You don’t buy a new device for each country. You plug one adapter into the wall, and every device works. In ecommerce chat, the “devices” are your workflows and the “sockets” are the channels.
| Channels, on one side | The adapter, in the middle | Systems, on the other side |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, TikTok Shop buyer chat, Shopee, Lazada, web chat, email | Your workflows, described once: order status, returns, payment links, delivery booking, product questions | Store (Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Google Sheets), payments (Airwallex built in), couriers (POS Malaysia built in), and any system with a public API |
Three things follow from that design:
- Add a channel once, and every workflow runs there. Connect TikTok Shop buyer chat, and the product and sizing answers you already have work there from day one. See add a new sales channel without rebuilding customer service.
- Add a system once, and every channel can use it. Connect a new courier, and order tracking works on WhatsApp, Instagram, web chat and email at the same time.
- Each channel keeps its own rules. WhatsApp templates outside the 24-hour window, marketplace chat staying inside the marketplace, Instagram replies to people who messaged first. The workflow is the same, and the adapter runs it the way each channel works.
An adapter that acts, not just connects
A plain adapter only passes things through. For ecommerce chat that isn’t enough. The value is in what happens inside the conversation: the order looked up, the address changed, the payment link sent and detected as paid, the delivery booked, the return started. AeroChat connects the channels and systems, and then does that work in the chat, within limits you set on refunds, discounts and delivery promises. Anything outside those limits goes to your team with the conversation attached.
Where it matters most
- Sellers on several channels. A store plus Instagram plus WhatsApp plus a marketplace or two. See multi-channel customer service for online sellers.
- Sellers who use local payment and delivery systems. Big platforms build connectors for the biggest systems. Local gateways, regional couriers and custom tools are often left out. With AeroChat, any system with a public API connects the same way.
- Sellers who sell in chat. When the whole sale happens in the conversation, the chat needs the catalog, payment and delivery all at once. See conversational commerce.
How to set it up with AeroChat
- Get an AeroChat account with the 7-day free trial.
- Connect your channels from the dashboard, and your store. Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix and the Google Sheets store are built in, as are Airwallex for payment links and POS Malaysia for delivery.
- Connect AeroChat to your AI assistant: Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini.
- Describe your workflow in your own words. AeroChat builds the whole thing. No code needed.
- For other systems, log in to that system, get its API key or webhook endpoint, and add it in AeroChat.
- Turn on the workflow. New workflows start as drafts, so you test first.
Copy this into AeroChat
On every channel, when a customer wants to buy, confirm the items, quantity, delivery address and total, and send a payment link. When the payment is confirmed, create the order in our store, book the delivery with our courier and send the tracking link in the same chat. In Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop chat, answer product and delivery questions from our product details and policies, and keep the order in the marketplace. If a customer asks for something outside our policies, hand the conversation to our team.
One conversation, three systems
Customer, on Instagram: Can I order the oak side table and pay here? (example)
AeroChat: Yes. The oak side table is in stock, US$120, plus US$15 delivery. Can you share your delivery address?
Customer: 5 Elm Street, Unit 3
AeroChat: Total US$135 to 5 Elm Street, Unit 3. Here’s your payment link.
AeroChat, after payment: Payment received. Your order #9052 is booked with the courier for Thursday (example). Here’s your tracking link.
Behind the reply: stock from the store, payment through the payment gateway and detected automatically, delivery booked with the courier. Three systems, one chat, and the customer never left Instagram.
For the same idea from the problem side, see channels on one side, systems on the other and run the same workflows on every channel.
Questions
Is a universal adapter the same as an omnichannel inbox?
An inbox gathers messages from every channel for your team. A universal adapter also connects every channel to your systems and does the work in the chat. See omnichannel customer service.
Is it the same as Zapier?
Zapier connects apps with triggers and actions you set up step by step. AeroChat is built for the customer conversation. You describe the workflow, and it runs inside the chat on every channel. AeroChat also connects to 5,000+ apps through Zapier when you need it. See Zapier and AeroChat.
What if my system isn’t listed?
If it has a public API, it connects the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs. Browse the integrations.
Do I need to build anything?
No code needed. You connect your channels and systems in the dashboard and describe your workflows. Freelancers and developers can build further customizations on top of AeroChat if you want them.
Connect every chat to everything your store runs on
Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed. Connect two channels and your store, describe one workflow, and watch it run on both.
On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.