# Quickstart

## What you'll set up

* **Services** - Shopify products representing bookable services
* **Resources** - Team members, rooms, equipment, or other assets needed to deliver services
* **Availability** - Working hours and scheduling rules for resources
* **Storefront integration** - Booking buttons and calendar on your online store

{% hint style="info" %}
**Time estimate**: 15-30 minutes for a basic setup with one service and one team member.
{% endhint %}

## Before you start

Make sure you have:

* **Admin access** in your Shopify store
* **A list of services** you want to offer with:
  * Service name (e.g., "60-Minute Massage", "Dog Grooming")
  * Duration (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours)
  * Price
  * Capacity (number of simultaneous bookings, if applicable)
* **Resource information**:
  * Team member names and their working hours
  * Room or equipment requirements (if applicable)

***

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Create service products in Shopify**

Create a Shopify product for each bookable service:

1. In Shopify Admin, go to **Products > Add product**
2. Enter a clear **product title** without duration (e.g., "Haircut", "Massage", "Consultation")
   * Keep the title simple - this appears in booking confirmations and calendars
3. Add **variants for different durations**:
   * Click **Add variant**
   * Create variants like "30 Minutes", "1 Hour", "90 Minutes"
   * Set the price for each duration variant
4. Add a description, images, and other product details as needed
5. **Save** the product

Repeat for each service type you want to offer.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Best practice**: Use variants for different durations of the same service. For example, one product "Massage" with variants "30 Minutes", "1 Hour", and "90 Minutes" instead of three separate products.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Create resources and set availability**

Resources are what your service needs to happen - team members, rooms, equipment, etc. You'll create them and set their availability.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note**: In the current Shopify Admin interface, resources are labeled as "Team Members". This will be updated to "Resources" in an upcoming release.
{% endhint %}

1. Open **Sesami** in your Shopify Admin
2. Navigate to **Team Members** (Resources)
3. Click **Add Team Member** and create your resources:
   * For staff: Add each team member by name (e.g., "Sarah", "Alex", "Jamie")
   * For rooms/equipment: Add them as team members for now (e.g., "Room 1", "Camera Kit A")
4. For each resource, set their **availability**:
   * Click on the resource name
   * Go to the **Availability** tab
   * Add availability rules (e.g., Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
   * **Save** the schedule

**Example setup:**

* Team member "Sarah" → Available Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM
* Room "Treatment Room 1" → Available Monday-Saturday, 8 AM - 8 PM

See: [Resources Guide](/admin/resources.md) | [Availability Setup](/booking/availability/resource-availability.md)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Link services to resources**

Tell Sesami which resources are needed for each service:

1. Open **Sesami** in your Shopify Admin
2. Navigate to **Services**
3. Select a service product
4. Go to the **Resources** section
5. Choose which resource types are required:
   * Select **Team member** if the service requires a staff member
   * Select **Room** if the service requires a physical space
   * Select **Equipment** if specific tools are needed
6. Optionally, assign specific resources:
   * Check **Specific resources only** to limit the service to certain team members or rooms
   * Leave unchecked to allow any available resource of that type
7. **Save**

**Example configurations:**

* **Haircut**: Requires "Stylist" (any stylist can do it)
* **Facial Treatment**: Requires "Esthetician" + "Treatment Room" (both needed)
* **Private Training**: Requires specific resource "Personal Trainer - Sarah" only

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Common mistake**: If you don't link any resources, no availability slots will appear! Every service must have at least one resource type assigned.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Add booking to your storefront**

Make the booking calendar accessible to customers on your online store:

**Option 1: Theme App Embed (Recommended - Modern Themes)**

Most Shopify 2.0 themes support app embeds:

1. In Shopify Admin, go to **Online Store > Themes**
2. Click **Customize** on your active theme
3. Click on **App embeds** (usually in the left sidebar or theme settings)
4. Enable the **Sesami** app embed
5. **Save**

The booking calendar will now automatically appear on your service product pages.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Important Note:** The Buy Button cannot be hidden or removed from the product template. \
The Buy Button is required to display booking availability on the calendar. \
If you prefer not to display the Buy Button to customers, you can enable the “Auto-add to cart / Skip cart” option. This removes the button from the booking flow.
{% endhint %}

**Option 2: Manual Integration (Older Themes)**

For older themes without app embed support:

1. In your theme editor, add a button or link to product pages
2. Link to the product page with the Sesami calendar active
3. Or contact support for theme-specific integration help

See: [Shopify Online Store Setup](/apps-integrations/shopify/online-store.md)

{% hint style="success" %}
**Pro tip**: Add a "Book Now" navigation link in your main menu pointing to a collection of all bookable services.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Test end-to-end**

Before going live, test a complete booking flow:

1. **Open your store** in an incognito/private browser window (to see the customer view)
2. **Navigate to a service product page**
3. **Check that the booking calendar appears** with available time slots
4. **Select a date and time**
5. **Add to cart** and proceed through checkout
6. **Complete the purchase** (use Shopify's test mode or make a real booking)
7. **Verify the booking appears** in Sesami Admin under Bookings
8. **Check on mobile** - Test the same flow on a mobile device

**What to verify:**

* Available time slots match your resource availability
* Correct timezone is displayed
* Booking appears assigned to the correct resource
* Times don't overlap if you book multiple appointments

{% hint style="warning" %}
**If no time slots appear**, see the troubleshooting section below.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

***

## Troubleshooting

<details>

<summary>Calendar doesn't appear on the product page</summary>

Check:

1. **Sesami app embed is enabled** in Theme Settings (Step 5)
2. **Product has sesami-service tag** in Shopify
3. **Sesami is enabled** in Sesami Settings
4. You're viewing the **published theme** (not a draft/unpublished version)
5. **Service is configured** in Sesami with the product linked

</details>

<details>

<summary>Service is not working or shows errors</summary>

Check:

1. **Product is added as a service** in Sesami
2. **Resources are assigned** to the service (Step 3)
3. **Required resources are enabled** (not disabled)
4. **Duration variant format** is correct (e.g., "30 Minutes", "1 Hour" - no extra spaces, in English)

</details>

<details>

<summary>No available time slots showing</summary>

The most common issue! Check:

1. **Resources are assigned** to the service (Step 3)
2. **Availability is set** for assigned resources (Step 2)
3. **Timezone is correct** in Sesami Settings
4. **Booking window** allows future bookings (check advanced settings)
5. **No block-offs** are covering all available dates

See: [No Availability](/get-started/onboarding/troubleshooting/no-availability.md)

</details>

<details>

<summary>Timezone looks wrong</summary>

1. Go to **Sesami > Settings > Timezone**
2. Verify your store's timezone matches your physical location
3. Check resource availability is set in the correct timezone
4. Clear browser cache and test in incognito mode

See: [Timezone Mismatch](/get-started/onboarding/troubleshooting/timezone-mismatch.md)

</details>

<details>

<summary>Checkout behavior is unexpected</summary>

If checkout is skipped when you expected it (or vice versa):

1. Check if **Instant Booking** is enabled (skips checkout)
2. Verify **deposit settings** (may change checkout flow)
3. Review product **pricing** (free products may skip checkout)

See: [Instant Booking](/booking/booking-features/instant-booking.md) | [Deposits](/payments/deposits.md)

</details>

<details>

<summary>Booking shows "Assigned to: No one"</summary>

This happens when time slots become unavailable during checkout:

1. Enable **Reservation Period** in Sesami Settings
2. Enable **Cart Validation** to check availability before checkout

See: [Troubleshooting Assigned to No One](/get-started/onboarding/troubleshooting/troubleshooting-assigned-to-no-one-caused-by-invalid-order.md)

</details>

<details>

<summary>Customers see "Session expired" or "Invalid link" errors</summary>

Common causes:

1. **Links expired** - Customer tried to reschedule/cancel after the deadline
2. **Browser cookies blocked** - Check browser settings, especially Safari
3. **Cache issues** - Clear browser cache and try again

See: [Session Expired](/get-started/onboarding/troubleshooting/session-expired.md) | [Safari Cookies](/get-started/onboarding/troubleshooting/safari-cookies.md) | [Invalid Link Error](/get-started/onboarding/troubleshooting/as-a-customer-why-am-i-seeing-an-invalid-link-error-page.md)

</details>

***

## Next Steps

Once you have basic bookings working, consider:

* [**Email notifications**](/notifications/notification-emails.md) - Set up confirmation and reminder emails
* [**Google Calendar sync**](/apps-integrations/google-calendar.md) - Two-way sync with team member calendars
* [**Customer rescheduling**](/booking/booking-features/cancellations-rescheduling.md) - Allow customers to reschedule or cancel
* [**Group appointments**](/booking/booking-features/group-appointments.md) - Enable multiple bookings per time slot
* [**Deposits**](/payments/deposits.md) - Collect partial payment at booking time
* [**Point of Sale**](/apps-integrations/shopify/pos.md) - Take bookings in-person

***

## Need Help?

* [**Free Onboarding Call**](/get-started/onboarding/onboarding-call.md) - Book a session with our Customer Success team
* [**White-Glove Setup Service**](/get-started/onboarding/white-glove-setup.md) - Get professional help with theme integration and setup
* [**Professional Services**](/get-started/onboarding/professional-services.md) - Custom development for unique requirements
* [**Support**](mailto:help@sesami.co) - Email <help@sesami.co> for assistance

## Related

* [Resources Guide](/admin/resources.md) - Detailed resource configuration
* [Availability Setup](/booking/availability/resource-availability.md) - Advanced availability options
* [Sesami Admin Portal](/admin/sesami-admin-portal.md) - Overview of admin interface
* [Services Configuration](/admin/services.md) - Advanced service settings


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