Industry
Astrove for retail stores & chains.
Opening hours 24/7. Stock per location. Click-and-collect. We connect to your POS.
Customers ask about opening hours, stock and click-and-collect — around the clock, from their phones, often before leaving home. Astrove’s AI chatbot handles these questions with real-time POS integration and stock checks per location. For multi-location chains, the bot can find the nearest store with the item in stock, reserve it for click-and-collect, and answer local questions. Staff are freed up for customers in the store.
The difference. 01
Traditional store contact vs. Astrove for retail
Traditional store contact
- Customers call around to find stock
- Repetitive opening-hours questions per store
- Click-and-collect via a separate email flow
- Staff on the phone while customers wait
- No overview of what customers are asking
- Multi-location details scattered across pages
Astrove for retail
- Real-time stock checks per location
- Opening hours answered with the right store’s details
- Click-and-collect completed inside the conversation
- Staff focus on customers in the store
- Full insight into common customer questions
- Centralised or per-store configuration
Features. 02
Everything you need . in one place.
POS integration
We connect to your POS or inventory system for real-time stock.
Stock per location
The customer gets the right store with the item in stock.
Click-and-collect
The whole flow in the conversation: reservation + pickup code.
Live opening hours
The bot knows closures and public holidays.
Multi-location
Centralised or per-store configuration.
Returns handling
Policies, process, pointing to the right store.
€0/month
Free to run — you pay per conversation that happens.
Live in 1–2 weeks
Live in about two weeks, fully trained on your content.
In depth. 03
How Astrove fits retail stores & chains.
Physical stores and chains have an omnichannel need that is rarely well solved. Customers check on their phones before leaving home — are the opening hours right, does the store have what I’m looking for in stock, do other locations have it, can I reserve it for click-and-collect. If the answer requires a phone call or checking several websites, many potential customers are lost, or show up and leave empty-handed.
Astrove’s AI chatbot connects directly to your POS system for real-time stock checks per location. We integrate with your POS or inventory system, whatever you run. The customer asks “do you have blue Adidas in size 42 at the downtown store?”, the bot pulls the stock and answers precisely. For chains with several locations, the customer can also get the nearest store with the item in stock, based on postcode or GPS.
For click-and-collect, the bot handles the whole flow in the conversation. The customer picks a product, a store and a pickup time; the bot reserves the item in the POS, sends a pickup code by email and SMS, and can take payment by card, wallet or invoice. That reduces the no-pickup rate (items reserved but never collected) compared with a plain order-online-sort-it-out-in-store flow.
For multi-location chains we support two configurations. Centralised: one bot for the whole chain, which picks the right store from the customer’s context (postcode, desired item, GPS). Per-store: each location gets its own bot instance with location-specific details (parking, staff, opening hours, campaigns). Both approaches have their strengths — we recommend one based on the chain’s size and how much local autonomy each store has. Implementation takes 1–2 weeks for a standard setup, longer for complex multi-location configurations.
FAQ. 04
What problem does this solve for physical stores?+
Customers ask about opening hours, whether a product is in stock (at a specific location), whether you have a certain size or colour, whether you offer click-and-collect, and where the nearest store is. A chatbot can handle much of this 24/7 and free staff up for customers in the store. For chains with several locations it is even more valuable — the customer finds the right store without calling around.
Can the bot check stock at a specific store?+
Yes. We set up integration with the POS or inventory system you use. The customer asks “do you have blue Adidas in size 42 at the downtown store?”, the bot pulls real-time stock and answers precisely. For multi-location chains, the customer can also get the nearest store with the item in stock.
Does it work for click-and-collect?+
Yes. The bot handles the whole flow: the customer picks a product and a store, the bot reserves the item, and the customer receives a pickup code by email/SMS. Payment can be integrated by card, wallet or invoice at pickup. It reduces the no-pickup rate compared with a plain order-online-sort-it-out-in-store flow.
What about returns and exchanges?+
The bot can answer questions on return policies (deadline, conditions, which store), start the return process for customers who ordered online, and point them to the right store for a physical return. Complex cases (damaged goods, complaints) are escalated to customer service.
What about chain-specific needs (multi-location)?+
We support a centralised chatbot for the whole chain or a per-store instance. Centralised: the customer picks — or is automatically suggested — the right store based on their postcode. Per-store: each location gets its own bot with location-specific details (parking, staff, opening hours).
What does it cost for a mid-sized retail chain?+
The chatbot module is €0/month — you pay only for the AI usage that actually happens, typically a few cents per customer conversation, on prepaid credit. You get a free welcome credit — enough for around 100 conversations. Standard setup via Google Tag Manager is free. If you need special integrations (POS integration and multi-location complexity), we quote a fixed price up front — a firm number, not a “starting from” number.
Related industries. 05
Astrove in other industries.
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