AI Policy Pages for Shopify: Draft Templates + Compliance Checklist
Template prompts for returns, shipping, privacy, and terms—with review steps to avoid mistakes.
How do I avoid AI “hallucinating” legal terms?
Never ask for “legal language”. Ask for “customer-friendly draft” and force the model to use only your Inputs. Anything unknown becomes TODO for review.
Should policy pages be long or short?
Start with a 5–7 bullet summary, then details. Most shoppers only need eligibility, timelines, fees, and what to do next.
Can I reuse the same policy for every country?
Use a global baseline plus localized addenda (duties/taxes, statutory rights, return address). Don’t pretend one policy fits all jurisdictions.
What should I update first if disputes rise?
Clarify delivery expectations (processing vs transit), lost-package handling, and return eligibility. Then align support macros to match.
How often should I review policies?
Quarterly by default, and immediately after carrier changes, warehouse changes, or returns workflow changes.
Do policy pages help SEO?
They’re not primary SEO drivers, but they reduce friction and improve trust. Keep them clear and findable from checkout and footer.
How do I know this workflow is ready to publish?
After drafts are removed, inputs are real, and you’ve validated the page doesn’t state incorrect promises. Then update robots to index,follow.
FAQ
- Ops match: timeframes match Shopify shipping settings and your carrier SLAs.
- Return truthfulness: return window, exclusions, fees, and refund timing match your return workflow.
- No invented claims: no “guaranteed delivery”, no “instant refunds”, no “legal compliance” declarations.
- Clarity: summary bullets exist; customers can answer “Can I return this?” in 10 seconds.
- Support alignment: macros and helpdesk tags mirror the policy wording (no contradictions).
- Internal links: include links to Getting Started and relevant playbooks (returns, support macros, FAQ).
- Change control: store inputs + final text + update date in one place (avoid drift).
Use this as a publish gate. If any “No” appears, do not ship the policy page until fixed.
Execution layer: policy publishing controls
Policy pages should never be treated as one-off AI copy. Build a source sheet with return window, shipping regions, carrier rules, processing time, exceptions, warranty terms, privacy practices, and required legal review notes.
- AI may simplify wording, but it must not create new promises, guarantees, or legal positions.
- Review policy pages after operational changes: new carrier, new country, new subscription offer, or changed return window.
- Link policy answers from FAQ, PDP, cart, and support macros so customer expectations stay consistent.
Checklist
Add these sections:
- Ordering + payment
- Promotions and pricing errors (reserve the right to correct)
- Intellectual property
- Limitation of liability (avoid absolute language; use TODO if legal review required)
- Governing law / disputes (TODO: jurisdiction)
- Acceptable use (no abuse, fraud)Terms of service
Add these sections:
- Data categories (identity, payment, device, behavioral, support)
- Purposes (fulfillment, support, fraud prevention, marketing with consent)
- Sharing (payment processors, shipping carriers, analytics, email/SMS providers)
- Retention (state principle + TODO for exact periods)
- Customer choices (unsubscribe, access/delete requests if applicable)
- Security statement (high-level; no absolute claims)Privacy page
Add these sections:
- Processing time vs transit time (separate them clearly)
- Tracking availability + when tracking emails are sent
- Address changes / order edits (time limits)
- Lost packages / carrier investigations (what you do + what customer does)
- Duties/taxes for international orders (who pays; if unknown, use TODO)
- Peak season note (optional) without making new promisesShipping page
Add these sections:
- Eligibility (new/unused, tags, original packaging)
- Return steps (portal → label → drop-off)
- Fees (restocking, return shipping) and when they apply
- Refund timeline (inspection → refund issued)
- Exchanges (if offered) + limitations
- Final sale / non-returnable items
- Chargeback prevention language (encourage support contact first)Returns & refunds page
Role: You are a policy page drafting assistant for a Shopify store. You do NOT provide legal advice.
Goal: Draft a clear, customer-friendly policy page using only the Inputs below.
Inputs (source of truth):
- Brand name:
- Countries served + shipping zones:
- Processing time:
- Carriers + delivery time ranges by zone:
- Returns window (days):
- Return eligibility + exclusions (final sale, hygiene items, custom orders, etc.):
- Return method (portal / email) + return address rules:
- Refund timing + method:
- Exchanges policy:
- Damaged/incorrect items procedure:
- Warranty policy (if any):
- Privacy data collected + purposes + retention + sharing (apps / processors):
- Support contact + hours:
Constraints:
- Factual only; do not invent guarantees, timeframes, addresses, or legal claims.
- If an input is missing, write "TODO:" and list the missing field.
- Use plain English; short sections; bullet summaries first.
Output format:
1) 5–7 bullet "Summary"
2) Sections with H2/H3 headings
3) A short FAQ (5 questions) tailored to this policyBelow are bounded prompt templates you can reuse. Treat the Inputs section as mandatory: if you can’t provide an input, the model must output a TODO instead of guessing.
Templates / prompts
Guardrails that prevent expensive mistakes
- No promises you can’t operationalize: delivery guarantees, “same-day shipping”, “instant refunds”, “lifetime warranty”.
- One canonical source: policy pages must match your Shopify shipping settings, return portal rules, and customer support macros.
- Localization discipline: if you sell cross-border, keep a base policy and add localized addenda (duties/taxes, returns address, statutory rights).
- Collect store inputs (source of truth). Shipping zones, carriers, processing time, cut-off times, warehouse locations, return window, restocking fees, exclusions (final sale), warranty rules, and contact channels.
- Set constraints (hard rules). “No invented guarantees”, “no legal advice”, “only use the provided inputs”, and “flag unknowns as TODOs”.
- Generate page drafts. Create separate drafts for: Returns/Refunds, Shipping, Privacy, Terms of Service. Keep each page scannable (summary first, then details).
- Human review (HITL) gate. Review for factual accuracy (ops), customer clarity (support), and compliance alignment (privacy/terms). Track changes in a diff.
- Publish with versioning. Add “Last updated” date, keep a changelog internally, and store the approved inputs/prompt alongside the final text.
- Monitor + iterate. Review ticket tags + dispute reasons monthly. Update only the section that needs change—avoid rewriting everything (drift control).
Use AI for drafting, not for final authority. The workflow below keeps outputs bounded to your real operations and reduces “policy drift” over time.
Framework / workflow
KPIs to track (monthly): dispute rate, refund rate, WISMO ticket share, return-to-refund cycle time, and the % of support tickets tagged “policy clarification”.
- Disputes / chargebacks: unclear timelines and return conditions increase “item not received” and “not as described” disputes.
- Support load: vague policies drive repetitive tickets (WISMO, returns status, address changes).
- Conversion impact: overly strict or confusing policies reduce checkout confidence.
Policy pages are the “contract surface” of your store: returns, shipping, privacy, and terms define what you promise, what you don’t, and how disputes are resolved. AI can draft these pages fast—but it can also invent guarantees, conflict with your actual ops (carriers, lead times, warehouses), or create compliance risk if it misstates data handling.
Why this matters
Start Shopify first, then add AI workflows where they’re measurable and safe.