Getting Started with plantwise

Install the App

Find plantwise in the Shopify App Store and click "Add app." Authorize the requested permissions -- plantwise needs access to your products (to read titles and write metafields) and your online store (to display the widget).

Once installed, you'll land on the setup wizard automatically.

Choose Your Store Mode

Select the mode that matches your inventory:

• Indoor -- for houseplant and tropical stores. Visitors are asked about their light conditions, pets, and space.
• Outdoor -- for nurseries and garden centers. Visitors enter their ZIP code for hardiness zone detection, plus sun requirements.
• Both -- for stores with mixed inventory. Visitors pick their focus, then answer the relevant questions.

Select Assessment Criteria

Choose which factors plantwise should evaluate for your visitors:

• Light compatibility -- compares the visitor's light level to each plant's requirements
• Pet safety -- checks toxicity for cats, dogs, and horses
• Hardiness zone -- verifies the plant can survive in the visitor's climate (outdoor mode)

You can enable or disable any criterion. Most stores keep all relevant criteria active.

Sync Products and Review Matches

Click "Sync Products" to pull your catalog into plantwise. The app compares every product title against our database of 4,255 plants and 11,400+ name variations to find the best match.

After syncing, you'll see three tabs on the Products page:

• Matched -- products successfully identified. Each shows a confidence score.
• Unmatched -- products that couldn't be auto-matched. Search the database and assign them manually.
• Ignored -- non-plant products (pots, soil, tools) that you've excluded from the assistant.

Enable the Widget

The plantwise widget is delivered as a Shopify app embed. To activate it:

• Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize in your Shopify admin
• Open the App embeds section (in the left sidebar under "Theme settings")
• Toggle plantwise Shopping Assistant to on
• Click Save

The widget will appear on every page of your storefront. Visitors see an owl icon in the corner -- clicking it opens the assistant.

Customize Widget Settings

Back in plantwise, open the Settings page to tailor the widget to your store's design:

• Position -- place the widget in any corner of the screen
• Size -- choose small, medium, large, or extra-large (auto-scales on mobile)
• Layer -- control whether the widget sits behind your navigation, above content, or always on top
• Visitor controls -- decide whether shoppers can hide the widget, and if that preference persists

A live preview shows the minimized widget in your chosen position as you adjust settings.

Publish Smart Collections

plantwise auto-creates smart collections based on your matched plant data. Head to the Collections page to see what's available -- for example:

• Pet Safe Plants -- all plants non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses
• Low Light Plants -- plants that thrive in low-light conditions
• Zone-specific collections -- like "Zone 7a Compatible" for outdoor stores

Each collection uses Shopify's automated rules tied to your product metafields, so membership updates automatically as you match new products. Choose which collections to publish to your online store.