Install Benson on Shopify

On Shopify, Benson is an app on the Shopify App Store. There's no code to paste: the storefront script is added by a theme app embed that you switch on in your theme editor. You don't need a separate Benson account or password.

Install from the Shopify App Store

Before you start#

• You need to be the store owner, or a staff member with permission to install apps and edit themes.
• Benson works with Online Store 2.0 and vintage themes, including the cart page and cart drawer.
• Already use Benson with the snippet or Google Tag Manager? Connect the store from your dashboard instead, so the app joins your existing site.

Install from the Shopify App Store#

1. Open Benson on the Shopify App Store and click Install. If you run more than one store, pick the store first.
2. Shopify lists the access Benson asks for. It's the minimum Benson needs: reading orders and discounts, and managing discounts for checkout rules. Benson never reads customer names, emails or addresses. Click Install.
3. Benson opens inside your Shopify admin on its Home page, with your store connected. Home walks you through the remaining steps.

Switch on the app embed#

Shopify keeps app embeds off until you switch them on.

1. On Benson's Home page, click Turn on in theme editor. Your theme editor opens with the Benson app embed already switched on.
2. Click Save. This is the step people miss: the embed isn't live for shoppers until the theme is saved. The preview inside the editor doesn't count.

To do it by hand, open Online Store → Themes → Customize, then App embeds, turn on Benson and click Save.

The embed has one setting, Mark extension shoppers on the page, off by default. Turn it on if your theme or developer wants to style or script for shoppers with a coupon extension: see Marking the page.

Check it's live#

Open your storefront in a new tab (not the theme editor preview) and browse a page or two. Benson's Home shows Verified: Benson is live within a few seconds, and the first extension sightings stream in as shoppers browse.

If nothing happens after a minute or two, see Troubleshooting.

Open the full dashboard#

Click Open Benson dashboard on Home. The full dashboard opens for the same store and signs you in, with no password: analytics, extension details, the live feed, the pop-up blocker, checkout rules and the widget editor all live there.

Choose a plan#

Open Plans in the Benson app in your Shopify admin. Pro is charged on your Shopify bill, in US dollars, and an eligible first subscription starts with a 14-day trial. One Shopify subscription covers every site in your workspace. You can change or cancel your plan from Plans at any time. Plan details are on Pricing.

Already using Benson?#

If you signed up at trybenson.com first, connect the store from your dashboard so the app joins the site you already have:

1. In Benson, open the store switcher at the top left, choose Add store and enter your store address. The setup wizard recognises Shopify and offers the Shopify app.
2. Benson reserves your store for that site for 7 days and opens Shopify's install page. Approve the app.
3. Switch on the app embed. The wizard listens for your store and shows Verified: Benson is live once a shopper's page loads.

Once the app embed is live, remove the snippet or Google Tag Manager tag so Benson loads once.

Uninstalling#

Uninstall from Settings → Apps in your Shopify admin. Benson's access ends and its storefront script stops straight away. Nothing is left in your theme, because Benson only uses the app embed. Shopify asks Benson to delete your store's data 48 hours after you uninstall, and Benson does. Reinstall before then and your data is still there.

Automate with Shopify Flow#

Benson adds a trigger to Shopify Flow called Order from an extension shopper. It runs once for each new order from a shopper Benson saw with a coupon extension active, such as PayPal Honey. Flow's own actions do the rest, so you can tag orders or alert your team without code. You need the free Shopify Flow app.

Each run gives your workflow the order and these fields:

• Extension names: the extensions Benson saw, for example PayPal Honey.
• Extension ids: the same extensions as ids, for example honey.
• Discount codes: the codes on the order, empty if none.
• Order total and Currency: in your store's currency.

The trigger relies on Benson marking the shopper's cart, which needs the app embed on and the shopper's consent, so some extension orders won't start a workflow. It runs once per order: edits and cancellations don't run it again, and orders more than a day old when Benson first sees them don't run it at all. Test orders don't run it, except on development stores.

Tag the order#

1. In Shopify admin, open Flow and click Create workflow.
2. Choose the trigger Order from an extension shopper from Benson.
3. Add the action Add order tags with the tag coupon-extension.
4. Turn the workflow on.

You can then filter your orders by that tag.

Alert your team about large extension orders#

1. Create a workflow with the same trigger.
2. Add a condition: Order total is greater than the amount you care about, for example 200.
3. Under Then, add Send internal email, or Send Slack message if you've connected Slack to Flow.
4. Write the message with the trigger's fields, for example: {{order.name}}: {{extensionNames}} on a {{orderTotal}} {{currency}} order, codes {{discountCodes}}.
5. Turn the workflow on.

Headless and Hydrogen stores#

Headless storefronts don't use theme app embeds. Add the snippet to your storefront's document head and tell Benson about the cart with Benson.setCart(). Order attribution through the Shopify app pixel isn't verified on Hydrogen yet.