Explainer
Chatbot for a store: what it is and which one you need
This page explains the difference between bot types and helps you decide where to start. If you are already choosing between products, the comparisons section is closer to what you need.
Scripted bot versus AI bot
A scripted bot is a tree of buttons. It is reliable and predictable, but a customer who writes “got the 256 blue iphone 15 pro” never lands in the tree: no button anticipates that question.
An AI bot parses the message and searches the catalog. The price of that is data: with no catalog and no stock it speaks in generalities and starts inventing. So “scripted or AI” reduces in practice to “do I have a structured catalog”.
What a chatbot needs from your store
Three things: a catalog, live stock and a pricing rule. The catalog can be an Excel price list, or a source you already run — Billz, 1C, MoySklad, a YML feed.
The pricing rule is a minimum price and a maximum discount per item. Without it a bot either never bargains or bargains arbitrarily. Here the discount is computed by a deterministic engine; the language model never sees the floor and cannot go under it.
Which channel to connect first
The one where conversations already happen. Launching a bot in a channel with no traffic is the most common mistake: it works, and nobody writes to it.
In Uzbekistan that is usually a Telegram bot or Instagram Direct. Telegram Business attaches the bot to your personal account, and a web widget makes sense once the store has a site with traffic.
What it costs
Do not count the subscription alone. Budget for preparing the catalog, for reviewing answers before publishing, and — if the catalog is large — for setting up till synchronisation.
The subscription itself starts free: one Telegram bot and up to 50 products, enough to test the idea on your own goods. Starter is 249 000 UZS per month, Pro with Instagram Direct and controlled bargaining is 1 190 000 UZS. 14-day trial, no card.
What a chatbot will not do
It will not handle a complaint or negotiate a disputed price — those go to an operator, which is a designed path and not a failure.
It will not replace selection that needs a measurement, a project or a health constraint. And it does not create demand: a bot improves conversion from enquiry to order, but the enquiries have to come from somewhere.
What to read next
Channels, catalog sources, and comparisons against specific products.
Frequently asked
How do I create a chatbot for my store?
The order is: load the catalog from an Excel price list or connect a source like Billz or 1C, set minimum prices, pick a channel, test answers on your own products, publish. In EzguSavdo this happens in the panel with no developer, and the free plan covers the whole path to publishing.
Do I need a developer to connect a chatbot?
For a Telegram bot, Telegram Business and the web widget, no — connection happens in the panel. A developer is needed if the catalog lives in a bespoke system and synchronises through the Open API, or if orders must reach a CRM through a non-standard flow.
How is a chatbot different from an Instagram auto-reply?
An auto-reply sends the same text to every message. An AI chatbot parses the request, searches the catalog, checks availability, states the price and carries the conversation to an order. The difference shows on the first question about a specific product.
What happens if the bot answers wrongly?
Answers should be reviewed before publishing, and there is a test mode for that. In production the bot does not invent products: cards are built from your catalog with live prices and stock, and zero-stock items are dropped. An unclear dialog goes to an operator with the conversation history.
Does the chatbot work in Uzbek?
Yes, in Uzbek and Russian, including voice message recognition in Telegram. For Tashkent that is a meaningful share of enquiries: customers often describe what they want by voice rather than text.
Try it on your own catalog
Upload a price list and message the bot like a customer. Free plan, no card.