Top 7 Lookbook Inquiry Chats for Fashion & Apparel Stores

Intercom is a widely adopted customer messaging platform that blends live chat, help desk, and automation into a single interface. Fashion retailers often use Intercom to provide instant support, upsell products, and collect feedback directly within their lookbook pages. The platform offers a modular design that lets users build custom chatbots with a visual flow builder, integrate with Shopify’s product catalog, and trigger automated messages based on browsing behavior. Intercom’s strengths lie in its robust integration ecosystem, allowing seamless connection to CRMs, email marketing tools, and analytics services. It also supports rich media in conversations, enabling merchants to showcase product images, videos, and carousel links directly within the chat. For brands that prioritize data insights, Intercom provides detailed reporting on chat volume, resolution times, and customer sentiment. However, Intercom can be expensive for small teams, with plans starting at $39/month for basic chat and scaling up to $99/month for advanced automation. The platform’s visual editor is powerful but still requires some learning curve, and while it offers chatbot capabilities, they are not as deeply AI‑driven as specialized agent systems.

Drift specializes in conversational marketing, turning website visitors into qualified leads through AI chatbots. For fashion and apparel stores, Drift’s chatbot can answer product questions, suggest outfit combinations, and schedule personalized styling sessions. Its conversational interface is built on a drag‑and‑drop builder, making it accessible for marketers without technical expertise. Drift excels at integrating with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRM systems, allowing real‑time lead capture and data enrichment. The platform also offers AI‑powered chat that can route conversations to the appropriate sales or support team based on intent. Additionally, Drift provides a robust reporting dashboard that tracks engagement metrics and conversion rates. On the downside, Drift’s pricing starts at $550/month for the Starter plan, which may be prohibitive for smaller boutique brands. The chatbot’s AI capabilities are primarily focused on lead qualification rather than deep product knowledge, and the platform does not natively support e‑commerce catalog integration.

ManyChat is a popular chatbot builder that focuses on social media and messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger, SMS, and Instagram. For apparel retailers, ManyChat can be used to drive lookbook engagement by posting product images, videos, and carousel links directly within the chat. The platform offers a visual drag‑and‑drop builder, making it straightforward for marketers to create conversational flows. ManyChat shines in its multi‑channel support, allowing brands to broadcast messages to followers across social platforms and email. It also provides basic e‑commerce integration with Shopify, enabling users to add products to cart and checkout within the chat. Analytics tools help track message open rates, click‑throughs, and conversion. However, ManyChat’s core strengths are in messaging apps rather than web chat widgets. While it offers a web widget, it is less feature‑rich compared to dedicated web chat platforms. Pricing starts at $10/month for the Pro plan, but advanced e‑commerce features require the paid plan.

Landbot offers a no‑code chatbot builder that specializes in creating conversational landing pages and web chat experiences. Fashion retailers can use Landbot to design interactive lookbook tours where visitors can ask questions about sizes, colors, or styling tips. The platform’s visual builder supports rich media, including images, videos, and product carousels. Landbot’s strengths include its ability to embed chat widgets on any website and its integration with Zapier, allowing data to flow to CRMs, email marketing tools, and spreadsheets. The platform also offers advanced conditional logic and branching, enabling personalized conversations based on user responses. The main drawback is that Landbot’s AI capabilities are limited; it relies on rule‑based responses rather than large language models. While the platform offers a free tier, full e‑commerce integration and advanced features require a paid plan starting at $30/month.

Zendesk Chat (formerly Zopim) is part of the Zendesk customer service suite, offering live chat, chatbots, and knowledge base integration. Fashion brands can use Zendesk Chat to provide real‑time assistance on lookbook pages, answer product queries, and route complex issues to human agents. Zendesk Chat’s key features include a visual chatbot builder, the ability to pull data from Zendesk’s knowledge base, and integration with e‑commerce platforms like Shopify. The platform also offers robust reporting and analytics, as well as the ability to schedule chat windows based on traffic patterns. However, Zendesk Chat tends to be more focused on support than marketing. Its chatbot AI is less advanced compared to newer generative models, and the platform’s customization options for chat widgets are somewhat limited. Pricing starts at $19/month for the Chat plan, with the full suite available at $49/month.

Chatfuel is a no‑code chatbot platform primarily focused on Facebook Messenger, but it also offers web chat widgets. Fashion retailers can use Chatfuel to engage visitors on lookbook pages by answering style questions, recommending outfits, and providing product details. The platform’s visual flow builder is user‑friendly and supports rich media such as images, videos, and product carousels. Chatfuel’s strengths include its extensive integration options with e‑commerce platforms like Shopify, Zapier, and email marketing services. It also offers AI features such as natural language understanding for common queries, and the ability to train the bot with custom intents. The downside is that Chatfuel’s core focus remains on messaging apps, and its web chat widget is relatively lightweight compared to dedicated web chat solutions. Additionally, advanced AI capabilities require a paid plan, and the platform’s reporting features are less comprehensive than some competitors.