Using Shopify Sidekick with Rivyo: Ask Questions About Your Reviews and Loyalty Data

You open your Shopify admin to check one thing: did last week's review request emails actually go out? Ten minutes later you're three tabs deep, comparing order numbers against a review dashboard, and you've forgotten what you came for.

That's the small, annoying cost of running reviews and loyalty from a separate app. Shopify Sidekick takes a bite out of it. Sidekick is the AI assistant built into the Shopify admin, and when an app connects to it, you can ask a plain-English question and get an answer from that app's data. No tab switching, no hunting through filters.

This guide covers how Sidekick works with Rivyo, what you can ask it, a few real-world prompt examples, and where its limits are.

What is Shopify Sidekick?

Shopify Sidekick is Shopify's own AI assistant. It lives inside your admin, it's free to use on supported Shopify plans, and it answers questions about your store using live store data.

Out of the box, Sidekick knows about your products, orders, and customers. Since Shopify opened Sidekick app extensions to developers, installed apps can also share their own data and actions with it. So instead of Sidekick saying "I can't see that app," it can search the app and answer from what it finds.

One thing worth knowing up front: an app showing up in the Shopify App Store doesn't mean it talks to Sidekick. Each app must build its own extension, and each one decides what Sidekick can see or do. That scoped setup is a good thing, because you stay in control of what the assistant can touch.

How Sidekick works with Rivyo

There's nothing to build and nothing to switch on in a separate dashboard. Rivyo is already used directly in the Shopify admin, so once you install the app, you open Sidekick and ask your question.

The first time you ask something that needs Rivyo data, Sidekick asks for your consent to access it. Say yes, and it pulls the answer from your store as it stands right now, not from a stale report. If you're comfortable with it, you can pick the option that skips the prompt on future requests.

For questions, Sidekick replies with the data. For actions, it opens Rivyo in a pop-up so you can look over the details and confirm or cancel before anything changes. You're never handing over the keys.

What you can ask Sidekick about Rivyo

Here's how most merchants will end up using it.

Review numbers: Total reviews, average rating, how many came in this month, how your star breakdown looks. This is the "how are we doing?" question you'd normally answer by opening a dashboard.

Review search: Find reviews by keyword, rating, or whether they include a photo. Looking for every review that mentions shipping delays or sizing? Ask once instead of scrolling.

Review request status: Check whether a customer got their review request email, or why an order hasn't triggered one. You can ask by customer name or order number without digging up an ID first.

Settings overview: Ask what's turned on, when your review request emails go out, and which integrations are connected, such as Klaviyo or your subscription app.

Widget status: Check which Rivyo widgets are live on your store, like the star rating on product pages or the review carousel on your homepage.

Loyalty and referral data: Because Rivyo combines reviews with loyalty and referral marketing, you can ask about points, rewards, and referral activity in the same place you ask about reviews.

Actions: Publish or hide a review, reply to a customer, send or skip a review request, and switch features on or off. Each one goes through a confirmation step first.

Example prompts and what to expect

The replies below are illustrative. Your numbers will be your own, and the exact wording Sidekick uses will vary.

Example prompt	Example Sidekick reply
"How many total reviews do we have, and what is our average rating?"
"Show me all unapproved or pending reviews."
"Show me reviews that include customer photos or videos."
"Which products currently have pending reviews awaiting moderation?"
"How many total loyalty members do we have?"
"How many loyalty points have been issued and redeemed to date?"
"Is our referral program active?"
"What reward does the referrer get, and what discount does the friend receive?"
"How many total referrals have been completed?"
"Tell me everything about customer [customer email / name / ID]."
"What is [customer name]'s review history, loyalty balance, and tier status?"

A quick real-world scenario

Say you run a small apparel store and returns are creeping up on one jacket. Instead of exporting reviews to a spreadsheet, you ask: "Find reviews for the black bomber jacket that mention size." Sidekick pulls the matching reviews. Four of the six say it runs small. You now know to update the size note on the product page and reply to those customers, all before your coffee gets cold.

Or say it's the week before a sale and you want your best photo reviews for a banner. Ask for "my 5-star reviews with photos from the last 60 days." You get a shortlist in seconds instead of a full dashboard crawl.

How to use Sidekick with Rivyo, step by step

1. Make sure Rivyo is installed on your Shopify store.
2. In your Shopify admin, click the Sidekick icon in the top bar.
3. Type a question about your reviews, loyalty program, or settings. You can also ask it to take an action.
4. When Sidekick asks for consent to access Rivyo data, click Yes. Pick "Yes, and don't ask again" if you'd rather not see the prompt every time.
5. Read the answer, or review the pop-up if you asked for an action, and confirm or cancel.

That's the whole setup.

Tips for getting better answers

Sidekick works best when you're specific. A few habits that help:

• Name the product or timeframe: "Reviews for the linen shirt in the last 30 days" beats "show me reviews."
• Ask one thing at a time: Two questions in one message can blur the answer.
• Use order numbers when checking requests: They're the fastest route to a status.
• Treat it as a starting point: For anything involving refunds, legal wording, or public replies to angry customers, read the draft yourself before you send.

Good to know before you rely on it

• It's scoped on purpose: Sidekick can only see and do what the Rivyo extension allows. It doesn't have open access to everything in the app.
• Shopify caps integrations: Sidekick currently supports integrations with up to 20 apps per user on a store, so if you run a lot of apps, prioritize the ones you'll ask about most.
• Availability depends on your Shopify plan and region: Check Shopify's own documentation for where Sidekick is available.
• Some Rivyo features sit on paid plans: If you ask Sidekick to change a setting that your plan doesn't include, it should tell you an upgrade is needed rather than quietly doing nothing.
• It doesn't replace your judgment: Sidekick is quick at finding and summarizing. Deciding what to do about a bad review or a sizing complaint is still your call.

Why this matters for a review-driven store

Reviews only help if you actually look at them. Most stores collect plenty and review them rarely, because checking means leaving what you're doing. Sidekick lowers that barrier. When asking "what are people saying about this product?" takes ten seconds, you ask more often, and you catch problems earlier.

It also fits how Rivyo is built. Reviews, photo and video reviews, Q&A, review request emails, loyalty, and referrals all sit in one app. That means one source for Sidekick to pull from, and one place to act once you've got your answer.

Conclusion

Sidekick won't run your review strategy for you, but it removes the busywork around it. Checking a number, finding a review, confirming a request went out: those become one-line questions instead of five-click detours. Start with one prompt today, something like "Show me my lowest-rated reviews this month," and reply to whatever comes up. That single habit does more for your store's trust than another dashboard visit ever will.

Frequently asked questions

Does Rivyo work with Shopify Sidekick?

Yes. With Rivyo installed, you can open Sidekick in your Shopify admin and ask about your reviews, settings, and performance. Sidekick asks for your consent to access Rivyo data the first time, then answers from your live store data.

Do I need to set anything up to use Sidekick with Rivyo?

No extra setup on the Rivyo side. Install the app, open Sidekick from the top bar of your Shopify admin, and ask your question. The only step you'll see is a one-time consent prompt.

Is Shopify Sidekick free?

Sidekick is included in the Shopify admin on supported plans at no extra charge. Check Shopify's documentation for availability by plan and region.

What can Sidekick tell me about my Rivyo reviews?

It can report review counts and average ratings, search reviews by keyword, rating, or photo, check review request status for an order or customer, list your installed widgets, and summarize your current settings.

Can Sidekick take actions in Rivyo, or does it only answer questions?

It can do both. Actions include publishing or hiding a review, replying to a customer, sending or skipping a review request, and turning features on or off. For every action, Sidekick opens a confirmation pop-up so you can approve or cancel before anything changes.

Is it safe to give Sidekick access to my review data?

Sidekick only works with the data and actions the Rivyo extension exposes, and it asks for your consent first. Actions need your confirmation. If you'd rather not grant access, you can simply decline the prompt and keep using Rivyo's dashboard as normal.

Why can't Sidekick see data from some of my other apps?

Because each app has to build its own Sidekick extension. If an app hasn't, Sidekick generally can't query it. Shopify also limits Sidekick to integrations with up to 20 apps per user on a store.

Can Sidekick write review replies for me?

It can open the reply box with a draft for you to edit. Read it and adjust the tone to match your brand before you send, especially for unhappy customers.

Will Sidekick change my settings without asking?

No. Setting changes and review actions go through a confirmation step, so you see what's about to happen first.

What should I ask Sidekick first?

Start with something low-risk and useful: "How many reviews did I get this month?" or "Show me my 1-star reviews." Once you're comfortable, try review request lookups and widget checks.

About the Author

Kush Patel

Content & Growth Marketing Specialist at Nexfal

Kush Patel is a Content Marketing Specialist at Nexfal, focused on creating clear, practical, and research-driven content for Shopify merchants and ecommerce businesses. He covers a wide range of Shopify, ecommerce, SaaS, and digital growth topics, turning complex ideas into useful insights, strategies, and actionable guides that help businesses make better decisions and grow.

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