Shopify hiring guide
Shopify Virtual Assistant: What They Do, Cost, and How to Set One Up
A Shopify virtual assistant is a remote worker who runs day-to-day tasks inside your Shopify admin: customer support, orders, product listings, collections, discounts and apps. Most cost $5–15 an hour offshore or $25 an hour and up in the US. This guide covers what to delegate, which staff permissions to give, and which Shopify tasks AI now does better.
By Sibi Narendran, Founder, Dooza · Updated
The short answer
- Common Shopify VA tasks: customer emails and Shopify Inbox chats, order edits and returns, product uploads, collections, discount codes, app admin.
- Cost: about $5–15/hour for Philippines or India VAs and $25–75/hour for US-based VAs in 2026 (sources below).
- Set up safely: add them as a Shopify staff account with only the permissions their tasks need.
- Shopify's own AI: Shopify Inbox is free and includes AI-suggested replies, but you or your VA still read and send each one.
- For the support inbox specifically, an AI-plus-human service replies day and night without a hire.
What does a Shopify virtual assistant do?
- Customer support: answer emails and Shopify Inbox chats, check order status and tracking, handle returns and exchanges, reply to reviews.
- Order management: edit orders, update addresses before fulfilment, tag and route orders, chase stuck shipments.
- Product management: upload products and variants, write descriptions, add alt text, organise collections, bulk-edit prices with CSVs.
- Store upkeep: update banners and pages, set up discount codes, test checkout, keep apps configured.
- Marketing help: Shopify Email or Klaviyo campaigns, social posts, gathering UGC and reviews.
- Reporting: weekly sales, returns and support summaries from Shopify analytics.
How much does a Shopify virtual assistant cost?
| Type | Typical rate (2026) | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines or India VA, freelance | $5–15 per hour | Listings, orders, support during their shift |
| Filipino VA, full-time salary | About $880–1,267 per month | A dedicated daily operator |
| US-based VA | $25–75 per hour | US-hours support, higher-touch work |
| Shopify expert (theme or app work) | Higher, per project | Code and theme changes, not daily ops |
| VA agency | Freelance rate + 20–40% | Vetting and replacements |
Sources: Stealth Agents VA cost research (May 2026); HireTalent.ph salary guide.
A Shopify VA is not a Shopify developer. For theme code, custom apps or checkout changes, hire a Shopify Partner or expert for the project.
Which Shopify permissions to give a virtual assistant
Add your VA as a staff member in Shopify admin (Settings → Users) rather than sharing your login, and turn on only what their tasks need. A sensible starting point:
| VA role | Give | Hold back |
|---|---|---|
| Customer support VA | Orders (view, edit), customers, Inbox, returns app | Payments settings, payouts, store settings, staff management |
| Product / listings VA | Products, collections, files, online store pages | Orders refunds, payments, finances |
| Marketing VA | Marketing, discounts, Shopify Email | Payments, refunds, apps with billing access |
Also: require two-factor authentication, use a password manager for any other tools, and review staff access when someone leaves. Shopify's permission names change over time, so check the current list in your admin.
Dooza AI customer support
AI answers first, a Dooza specialist checks it, and you approve before anything sends.
- AI drafts every reply from your policies, products and past answers
- A Dooza specialist checks anything the AI is unsure about
- Refunds, complaints and anything sensitive come to you
- Works inside Gmail, Shopify Inbox or Gorgias, live in 48 hours
Send us 20 real customer messages. We answer them in your voice before you decide anything.
Shopify support: VA, Shopify Inbox AI, or AI plus human?
| Shopify VA | Shopify Inbox AI suggestions | AI + human service (e.g. Dooza) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Hourly or monthly salary | Free app | Flat monthly plan |
| Who sends the reply | The VA | You or your VA, one at a time | Routine replies send; sensitive ones wait for your tap |
| Hours | Their shift | Whenever someone is online | Day and night |
| Order lookups | Manual in admin | Shows customer and order context | Automatic before drafting |
| Email support | Yes | Inbox is chat-focused | Yes: Gmail, Shopify Inbox or Gorgias |
Shopify Inbox is free and offers AI-suggested replies and instant answers (Shopify App Store), which is a good start for chat. It still needs a person to read and send, and it doesn't cover your email inbox. For more on Shopify AI tools, see the best AI chatbots for Shopify and AI for Shopify stores.
How to hire a Shopify virtual assistant
- Choose the role: support, listings or marketing. One primary role works better than "everything".
- Record your SOPs: screen recordings of you editing an order, uploading a product, answering a return.
- Post the job on OnlineJobs.ph, Upwork or through an agency, naming Shopify and your apps.
- Paid test: five real customer messages and one product upload in a development store or draft product.
- Create a staff account with the permissions above and two-factor authentication.
- Review weekly for two months: reply quality, listing accuracy, response times.
Dooza: Shopify customer support, handled
Dooza is an AI-native company that builds AI products and services for small businesses. Dooza AI customer support takes the Shopify support inbox off your plate:
- Looks up the order and carrier scan in Shopify, then drafts the reply from your policies and past answers.
- A Dooza specialist checks anything the AI is unsure about.
- Refunds, complaints and anything sensitive come to you for one-tap approval.
- Works inside Gmail, Shopify Inbox or Gorgias, live in 48 hours, day and night.
Send 20 real customer messages and Dooza answers them in your voice before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
A Shopify virtual assistant is a remote worker who handles daily store tasks inside Shopify admin, such as customer support, order edits, returns, product uploads, collections and discount codes.
In 2026, Philippines and India VAs typically charge about $5 to $15 per hour and full-time Filipino VAs earn roughly $880 to $1,267 per month. US-based VAs charge about $25 to $75 per hour.
Add them as a staff member in Shopify admin under Settings and Users, grant only the permissions their tasks need, and require two-factor authentication. Never share the owner login.
No. A VA runs daily operations such as orders, listings and support. A Shopify expert or Partner does technical work such as theme code, custom apps and integrations, usually per project.
Shopify Inbox is a free app with AI-suggested replies and instant answers for chat. Someone still needs to review and send replies, and it does not cover your email inbox.
If most messages are order status, shipping and returns, AI with human review usually covers them faster and around the clock. Hire a VA for listings, suppliers and work that needs hands-on judgment.
Related guides
Dooza AI customer support
AI answers first, a Dooza specialist checks it, and you approve before anything sends.
- AI drafts every reply from your policies, products and past answers
- A Dooza specialist checks anything the AI is unsure about
- Refunds, complaints and anything sensitive come to you
- Works inside Gmail, Shopify Inbox or Gorgias, live in 48 hours
Send us 20 real customer messages. We answer them in your voice before you decide anything.