> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getsmartalex.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI voice agents for retail

> How retail and ecommerce teams use SmartAlex to handle order status, returns, stock and hours, booking, after-hours overflow, and outbound win-back calls, with an AI phone agent and a storefront widget.

SmartAlex gives a store or online shop an AI receptionist for retail that answers every call and every storefront chat, resolves the repetitive questions end to end, and only pulls in a person when it matters. Pair a retail AI phone agent on your published number with an inbound voice widget on the storefront, and you have voice AI for stores and ecommerce that runs day and night without adding headcount.

This page is written for builders. If you use Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, or any MCP client, you can stand the whole thing up from your editor: describe the agent, point it at your site, wire your order system in, and drop the widget on the storefront. SmartAlex is agent-native by design and works exceptionally well with Claude Code (the MCP server is listed in the Claude MCP directory). It complements the [retail call flow](/telephony/flows/retail) in the telephony docs, which covers the call mechanics and a full example script; this page is about building and shipping the vertical.

<Tip>
  The speech and language stack is curated, high-accuracy, and kept abstracted, so there is nothing to tune. You describe the agent and connect your data. The voice just works.
</Tip>

## What the agent handles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Order status and returns">
    Look up an order by number, email, or phone, read back the shipping and delivery status, start a return or exchange, and send the label or ticket reference by SMS or email.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Store hours and stock">
    Answer hours, location, and delivery windows from the knowledge base, and check live stock before the caller drives to the store or places an order.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Booking and personal shopping">
    Book an in-store appointment or a personal-shopping slot during the call by checking availability and confirming the time to both sides.
  </Card>

  <Card title="After-hours and overflow capture">
    When the store is closed or the team is busy, calls roll to Alex instead of voicemail. Every enquiry is resolved or captured with full context for the morning.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Example call flow

Two entry points, one agent. A call to your number and a chat from the storefront widget both land on the same Alex, which identifies the intent and resolves it or hands off cleanly.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
    W["Storefront widget (web)"] --> A["Alex answers"]
    P["Store phone number"] --> A
    A --> B{"What does the caller need?"}
    B -->|Order status| C["Look up order, read shipping status"]
    B -->|Return or exchange| D["Start return, send label by SMS or email"]
    B -->|Hours or stock| E["Answer from knowledge, check stock via HTTP tool"]
    B -->|Booking| F["Book appointment or personal-shopping slot"]
    C --> G["Confirm and close, or transfer with full order context"]
    D --> G
    E --> G
    F --> G
```

## Put a widget on the storefront

Add an inbound voice widget so shoppers can talk to Alex without leaving the page. Paste the script tag before the closing body tag on a static or hosted storefront (Shopify, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or a static export from v0 or Bolt).

<CodeGroup>
  ```html Storefront (HTML) theme={null}
  <!-- SmartAlex widget -->
  <script
    src="https://api.getsmartalex.com/storage/v1/object/public/widget-assets/smartalex-widget.js"
    data-tenant-id="YOUR_TENANT_ID"
    async>
  </script>
  ```

  ```jsx React / Next.js theme={null}
  import { useEffect } from 'react';

  export default function Layout({ children }) {
    useEffect(() => {
      const script = document.createElement('script');
      script.src =
        'https://api.getsmartalex.com/storage/v1/object/public/widget-assets/smartalex-widget.js';
      script.setAttribute('data-tenant-id', 'YOUR_TENANT_ID');
      script.async = true;
      document.body.appendChild(script);
      return () => { document.body.removeChild(script); };
    }, []);

    return <>{children}</>;
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

On a React or Next.js storefront (including output from Lovable, v0, or Bolt), inject the script from the root layout using the snippet above. Your `data-tenant-id` is shown in the widget code panel in-app, or an AI agent can fetch it with the `smartalex_get_widget_install_code` tool.

The default `pill` variant is voice-first with chat and is the safe choice for a storefront. Restyle colours, position, and greeting in Widget Studio without touching the site again. One widget is active per workspace at a time. See [widgets](/essentials/widgets) and [widget install](/essentials/widget-install) for every variant and platform guide.

## Build it with an AI agent

Connect SmartAlex to Claude Code (or any MCP client) over the hosted server. No install, no config file: Claude Code prompts you to authenticate in the browser.

```bash theme={null}
claude mcp add --transport http smartalex https://api.getsmartalex.com/functions/v1/mcp-server
```

Then ask your agent to build the retail agent from your website. The `smartalex_create_agent` tool scrapes the site, analyzes the business, writes an optimized prompt, and deploys a live agent in about 30 to 60 seconds. From there the same agent can search and buy a phone number, tag and segment contacts, read call transcripts, and move deals through the pipeline, across 28 tools spanning voice agents, contacts, campaigns, calls, deals, numbers, webhooks, and widgets.

<Note>
  The live programmatic surfaces today are the MCP server and Custom HTTP Tools. A public REST API and a TypeScript SDK are in private beta. If a shipped REST API is a hard requirement right now, factor that into your timing.
</Note>

## Connect your order and stock systems

Order lookup, shipping status, returns, and live stock checks connect to your own commerce and courier systems. Custom HTTP Tools let the agent call any endpoint you own (order API, warehouse system, courier tracking) mid-call, and Connectors cover common integrations. Custom HTTP Tools ship with the Power Tools add-on at \$29/month. Switch tools on per agent from [Agent Tools](/essentials/agent-tools).

When Alex cannot resolve a call (a genuine complaint, a fraud dispute, a complex return), it transfers to a person with the order number, caller details, and a conversation summary already attached, so nothing gets repeated.

## Outbound win-back campaigns

When a cart is abandoned or a customer has gone quiet, run an outbound win-back campaign. Upload the segment, set the script and retry logic, and Alex calls at scale, logging every result to the CRM and moving warm replies into the [deals](/essentials/deals) pipeline. An AI agent can create the campaign, add contacts in batches, and start calling through MCP. Outbound calling is the Outbound Campaigns add-on at \$49/month. See [campaigns](/essentials/campaigns) for scheduling and reporting.

## What you pay

The Professional plan is \$99/month and includes 250 minutes, one agent, and one phone number. Add Outbound Campaigns (\$49/month) for win-back calling and Power Tools (\$29/month) for Custom HTTP Tools and integrations. Both add-ons are included on Enterprise. The full breakdown, usage rates, and the free plan are on the [pricing page](/pricing) and [add-ons](/essentials/add-ons).

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Storefront widget setup" href="/essentials/widgets">
    Every widget variant, plus platform install guides for Shopify, WordPress, and React.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Run a win-back campaign" href="/essentials/campaigns">
    Upload a segment, set retry logic, and call at scale with results synced to the CRM.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build with an AI agent" href="/mcp/getting-started">
    Connect Claude Code or another MCP client and build your retail agent from your site.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Small business use case" href="/use-cases/small-business">
    The same playbook for a single-location shop or service business.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>