Customer Story keeps a live picture of your customers by syncing data from Shopify. This guide explains what syncing means, what happens when you hit a plan limit, and what to expect when you upgrade or downgrade.
What "syncing" means
Syncing is how Customer Story brings your Shopify customers and orders into the app so stages, the dashboard, and timelines stay accurate.
There are two phases:
- Initial import: When you first install (or after an upgrade that unlocks more customers), we import your existing customer and order history. You'll see a progress message like "Importing your data…" until it's done.
- Ongoing updates: After that, new customers and new orders flow in automatically as they happen in Shopify. You don't need to re-import every day for normal store activity.
Your Shopify store is never changed by syncing. Customer Story reads customer and order data; it doesn't rewrite tags or edit customers in Shopify Admin.
Plans and customer limits
| Plan | Customer limit |
|---|---|
| Starter | Up to 1,000 customers |
| Growth | Up to 10,000 customers |
| Scale | Unlimited customers |
Limits apply during the 30-day free trial and on a paid subscription. Usage is shown on the Billing page.
Plans also unlock features (for example, Manual segmentation on Growth and Scale). Changing plans can change both your customer capacity and which settings you can edit.
First install
- Choose a plan (every plan includes a 30-day free trial).
- Customer Story starts importing your customers and orders.
- When the import finishes, the dashboard and customer list are ready.
- From then on, new activity in Shopify updates Customer Story in the background.
Larger stores take longer on the first import. You can keep browsing Shopify while it runs.
What happens when you hit your customer limit
- New customers stop being added until you upgrade.
- Customers already synced stay available: stages, timelines, and history remain.
- We never delete your data because you hit a limit.
- You'll see a banner in the app asking you to upgrade.
Existing synced customers can still get order updates. The limit mainly blocks adding customers beyond your plan.
Upgrading your plan
You can upgrade anytime from Billing. Changes take effect immediately, and Shopify prorates the charge.
- Your new plan and customer limit apply right away.
- Customer Story automatically starts a fresh import so it can bring in customers that were previously skipped.
- You'll see "Importing your data…" progress while that runs.
- When it finishes, your dashboard reflects the larger (or full) customer set.
| From → To | What you get |
|---|---|
| Starter → Growth | Limit rises from 1,000 → 10,000; Manual segmentation unlocks (when eligible) |
| Growth → Scale | Unlimited customers; Manual segmentation stays available |
| Starter → Scale | Unlimited customers + Manual segmentation (when eligible) |
Downgrading your plan
- Your existing synced customers stay in Customer Story. We do not wipe your history to match the lower limit.
- New customers beyond the new limit won't sync until you upgrade again.
- Feature access follows the new plan. Manual segmentation is Growth/Scale only. On Starter you'll use Auto segmentation.
| From → To | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Scale → Growth | Limit becomes 10,000. Extra customers already synced remain. Manual stays available. |
| Growth → Starter | Limit becomes 1,000. Existing data remains. Manual is no longer available (Auto only). |
| Scale → Starter | Keep existing data; Starter limit and Starter features apply going forward. |
Cancelling a trial or subscription
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Cancel during trial | You keep access until the trial end date. |
| Cancel a paid plan | You keep access until the end of the current billing period. |
| After access ends | You'll need an active plan to keep using the app and syncing new activity. |
Customer Story does not delete your historical data just because you cancel or hit a limit.
How your data stays up to date day to day
| Shopify activity | In Customer Story |
|---|---|
| New customer created (and you're under your limit) | Customer appears and gets a stage |
| New order placed | Order history and stage update for that customer |
| Order updated / refunded | Spend, order counts, and stages can update |
| Time passing with no order | Stages can move (for example Active → At risk → Churned) |
Quick FAQ
Do I need to sync manually?
Usually no. First install and upgrades that raise your limit start an import for you.
Will upgrading delete or reset my dashboard?
No. An upgrade adds capacity and re-imports more customers.
Will downgrading delete customers?
No. Existing synced customers remain.
Does syncing change anything in Shopify Admin?
No. Syncing is read-only.
How is billing handled when I change plans?
Through Shopify. Upgrades and downgrades are prorated on your Shopify invoice.
One-sentence summary
Customer Story imports your history once, stays current automatically, re-imports when you upgrade so more customers can come in, and keeps your existing data when you downgrade or hit a limit. only new customers pause until you have room on your plan again.