Why the photo prompt doesn't always appear

Last updated: April 17, 2026

The photo card only appears when it’s a genuinely good moment to ask. The chat would rather skip the prompt entirely than force an awkward request. Here’s what it checks.

All of these have to be true

Before the photo card can appear, the chat confirms:

  1. Photo prompts are turned on for your store (how to change this)
  2. The customer hasn’t already attached a photo (no point asking twice)
  3. This is the first photo prompt in this conversation — we never re-ask
  4. Sentiment isn’t negative (mixed, neutral, or positive all pass — only clearly negative conversations skip)
  5. No support issue has come up — returns, shipping problems, defects
  6. A draft review has started forming — we wait until the customer has shared enough content that a photo would naturally extend what they’ve said

If any one of these fails, the photo card doesn’t render and the conversation continues without it.

Why the “happy customer” check matters

Why it works this way: asking an unhappy customer for a photo right after they’ve described a problem is tone-deaf. It makes them feel unheard, and it kills the completion rate. The chat reads sentiment turn-by-turn — if the conversation is going well, the ask comes through. If the customer is venting or disappointed, the chat skips it entirely.

This also works in reverse: if the first few turns are positive but the customer raises a concern later, the photo card won’t circle back on a later turn. We don’t want a photo ask landing in the middle of someone describing what went wrong.

Why we never ask twice

Every merchant instinct says “if they skipped, why not ask again later?” In practice, a second ask reads as pushy and drags the review quality down. A customer who said no the first time almost always says no the second time, and the extra friction drives abandonment.

If a customer skips, it’s a signal they’d rather finish the review without a photo. We respect that and move on.

What if my customers never see the prompt?

Not every conversation will trigger a photo prompt, and that’s by design. A short conversation about a simple product might not need one. A customer who writes two words about a scented candle might not give the chat enough substance to build a photo suggestion from.

If you want to encourage more photo reviews, the best levers are:

  • Make sure photo prompts are turned on (they are by default)
  • Send review request emails to more happy customers — more conversations = more chances for the prompt to land
  • Display your photo reviews prominently — customers who see other photo reviews are more likely to share their own