Alia runs on your Shopify store through an app embed in your theme. This guide walks you through installing Alia, embedding it, and checking that it's working, so you're ready to build your first popup.
Before you start
You need a Shopify store and permission to install apps in your Shopify admin.
Your free trial starts when you install Alia, not when you pick a plan.
If an agency or affiliate referred you, have their referral link or code ready. Installing from their link, or entering their code on the welcome screens, connects them to your store and can unlock discounted pricing.
If your store is on Magento, see Connecting your Magento store to Alia instead.
Install Alia from the Shopify App Store
Go to Alia: Email & SMS Popups on the Shopify App Store.
Select Install.
Review the permissions Alia needs, then select Install.
Alia opens inside your Shopify admin.
Answer the welcome questions
Before you see your dashboard, Alia asks a few questions.
On Welcome to Alia, enter your store name and the email where Alia should send billing updates and other important notices.
Choose roughly how many unique visitors your store gets each month. This sets the starting point for the plan picker.
Agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, then continue.
On How did you find Alia?, choose Agency, Affiliate, or Neither.
If an agency or affiliate referred you, enter their referral code and select Apply. If you don't have a code, choose I don't have a referral code and enter their name.
You may also see Embed Alia in your theme. You can embed Alia there by following the steps in Embed Alia in your theme, or choose Skip for now and do it later from the setup guide.
Choose a plan
Next, Alia shows Choose a plan. Every plan starts with a free trial.
Move the visitor slider to match your store's traffic, or use the estimate Alia shows.
Select the button to start your free trial, such as Start 14-day free trial.
Approve the plan in Shopify. Shopify handles your billing, and you aren't charged during the trial.
The rest of Alia stays locked until you choose a plan. For trial lengths and what each plan includes, see Alia Free Trial: What to Expect and How Alia pricing and billing work.
Embed Alia in your theme
Embedding turns on the Alia app embed in your Shopify theme, which is how Alia loads on your store. You can do this before you build anything, because Alia won't show on your store until you publish a campaign.
In the setup guide, select Embed Alia in your site.
Select Shopify theme, then select Continue.
Select Take me to theme settings. Your Shopify theme editor opens in a new tab with the Alia app embed turned on.
In the theme editor, select Save.
Close the theme editor tab and return to Alia.
đĄ Note: The app embed only applies to the theme you saved it on. Whenever you publish a new theme, embed Alia again.
Confirm Alia is working
After you save, Alia checks your theme for the app embed. Alia is installed and working when:
The Embed Alia window shows "Detected the app extension in your theme. You're all set!"
The setup guide marks Embed Alia in your site as done.
The top bar in Alia no longer shows Not embedded.
No popup appears on your store yet, and that's expected. Alia only shows a popup once you publish a campaign.
Next steps
Build your first popup in the Default campaign that every new store starts with.
To build it yourself, see Creating Your First Popup.
To have Lia build it for you from a short description, see How to build a popup with Lia.
đĄ Tip: Connect your email or SMS tool, such as Klaviyo, before you go live. Contacts you collect on day one then reach your welcome flow.
FAQ
Do I need to edit my theme's code?
No. The app embed turns Alia on without any code. You only need code if a page builder or theme app stops the embed from working. See My popup isn't showing on my store.
Alia keeps saying it's looking for the app extension. What should I check?
Alia can't find the embed until you save in the theme editor. Select Take me to theme settings again, select Save in the theme editor, then return to Alia. If you have more than one theme, make sure you saved the one that's published.
Will installing Alia change how my store looks?
No. Nothing shows on your store until you publish a campaign.
I see "Some permissions are missing." What do I do?
Alia needs a Shopify permission it doesn't have yet, so some features may not work. Select the button on the banner to grant it.
I uninstalled and reinstalled Alia. Do I get a new free trial?
No. Your campaigns and settings come back when you reinstall, and your trial is still counted from when you first installed. If you reinstall more than 30 days after uninstalling, your stats and signups won't come back.
I'm moving to a new Shopify store. Do I need to install Alia again?
Yes. See How to move Alia to a new Shopify store.
My store isn't on Shopify. Can I still use Alia?
Yes. Magento stores connect with the Alia module. See Connecting your Magento store to Alia. Other stores can sign up in the Alia app and embed Alia with a snippet. Start a chat with us for help getting set up.
Still have questions?
Start a chat from inside the Alia app, or use the chat in our Help Center.