Allow Shopify Inbox Widget to Open on Click

[justbuno]

Hi Shopify Team and Fellow Merchants,

I’d like to request a feature enhancement for Shopify Inbox that allows the chat widget to remain hidden by default and only open when a customer clicks a designated button or link (e.g., "Chat Live" on the website). This would provide a cleaner user experience and help merchants manage more filtered and intentional chat requests.

Use Case: Currently, the Shopify Inbox widget automatically appears on the storefront, which can:

• Distract customers with unnecessary pop-ups.
• Lead to unfiltered or less intentional chat requests.

For example, I’d like to:

• Hide the chat widget by default.
• Add a "Chat Live" button or link on my website that, when clicked, opens the Shopify Inbox chat widget.
• Allow customers to close the chat widget after use.

This functionality is similar to how Live Chat tools work, where the widget only appears when triggered by customer interaction.

Proposed Solution:

1. Add an option in Shopify Inbox settings to hide the widget by default.
2. Provide a script or code snippet that merchants can embed in a button or link to open the chat widget on click.
3. Include the ability for customers to close the widget after use.

Business Impact: This feature would:

• Improve the customer experience by reducing unnecessary pop-ups.
• Allow merchants to create a more intentional and streamlined chat experience.
• Help merchants manage more filtered and relevant chat requests, saving time and resources.

Why This Matters: Many merchants prefer a cleaner storefront design without intrusive widgets. By allowing the Shopify Inbox widget to open on click, merchants can provide a more professional and user-friendly experience while still offering live chat support.

If anyone else has faced similar challenges or would benefit from this feature, please share your thoughts or upvote this request!

Thank you for considering this enhancement!