Hosted chat domain

A hosted AI shopping chat domain is a dedicated subdomain like chat.yourbrand.com where your AgenticCart AI sales agent lives as a full-page conversational storefront. Shoppers type what they want, the agent recommends products from your catalog, and every interaction happens on your own branded URL with managed SSL.

What a hosted AI shopping chat domain gives you

Hosted chat is the only way AgenticCart ships an AI sales agent to real shoppers. The hosted page is a branded AI shopping experience: a real URL you can link from email, SMS, QR codes, paid ads, and your storefront header. The agent is the page, not an afterthought. Every conversation runs on a verified domain you own, so customers trust the URL and search engines see you, not a third party, hosting the experience.

Hosted chat is ideal for campaign pages, concierge-style shopping, gift finders, and any scenario where the AI sales agent should be the whole experience. Merchants link to the hosted chat from their storefront navigation, emails, ads, SMS, QR codes, and campaign landing pages — AgenticCart does not offer an embedded widget, script snippet, or floating chat bubble.

How the hosted chat domain works (step by step)

1. 1

   Choose a subdomain

   Most merchants pick something shopper-friendly like chat.yourbrand.com, shop.yourbrand.com, or ask.yourbrand.com. Use a subdomain of a domain you already own.
2. 2

   Add it in AgenticCart

   In the dashboard, create the hosted chat domain and assign the AI sales agent that should answer there. Each domain maps to one agent at a time.
3. 3

   Create the DNS record

   Add the CNAME record shown in the dashboard at your DNS provider. A typical record looks like chat.yourbrand.com CNAME cname.agenticcart.ai. Copy the target value exactly from the dashboard — do not type it from memory.
4. 4

   Wait for DNS and managed SSL

   Once the DNS record resolves publicly, AgenticCart provisions an SSL certificate for the hostname. Propagation can take minutes or hours depending on your DNS provider and TTL settings.
5. 5

   Test the chat page

   Open the custom-domain URL in a fresh browser, run real shopper questions, and confirm the agent recommends the right products and speaks in the brand voice you set.

Where to link your hosted chat

• Your storefront header, footer, or hero as "Shop with AI" or "Ask our shopping assistant".
• Campaign landing pages and seasonal promotions.
• Email and SMS campaigns with a clear call to action.
• Paid search and social ads pointing at a curated AI sales agent instead of a category page.
• QR codes on packaging, print, events, or physical retail.
• Support pages where shoppers ask product-fit questions.

Each placement can send shoppers to a different agent or collection, which is powerful for campaigns — launch a gift advisor at gifts.yourbrand.com and a sizing advisor at fit.yourbrand.com on the same account.

DNS and SSL expectations

The split of responsibility is clean: you control DNS, AgenticCart provisions and renews SSL. You add the CNAME (or A record, if your dashboard shows one) at your DNS provider, and AgenticCart waits for the record to be visible before issuing a Let's Encrypt certificate for the hostname. Certificate renewal is automatic for as long as the DNS record stays in place.

Propagation time depends on your DNS provider and the TTL on the existing record. Most providers publish within minutes; a few legacy providers can take hours. Until SSL is active, do not send live shopper traffic to the domain — browsers will block the page. The dashboard shows the current DNS and SSL status so you always know where you are in the process.

Pre-launch checklist

• The domain resolves to AgenticCart from a public DNS lookup.
• SSL is active and the page loads over HTTPS without warnings.
• The correct AI sales agent is assigned to the hosted chat domain.
• The assigned collection contains the right products and is up to date.
• The greeting, persona, and store knowledge are set in agent customization.
• Desktop and mobile both render cleanly and respond fast.
• Links pointing at the hosted chat domain are ready in your storefront, email, and ads.

Troubleshooting hosted chat

• Domain not ready — confirm the DNS record matches the dashboard exactly and wait for propagation. Use a public DNS checker to see what the world resolves.
• SSL not active yet — SSL only issues after DNS resolves. Give it time, then re-check the dashboard status.
• Wrong agent answers — open the hosted chat settings and confirm the right AI sales agent is assigned.
• Answers feel off — review the assigned collection and the agent's persona or store knowledge.
• Root domain not working — most DNS providers require a CNAME flattening or ALIAS record for apex domains. A subdomain like chat.yourbrand.com is simpler.

See the broader troubleshooting guide for sync, billing, and agent-quality issues.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps