How our demos are made
Before we write to an online store, or when a store asks for one, we make a short video that shows what our AI shopping assistant could look like on that store. This page explains how we make these videos, and what we do not do.
What the video is
- It is a concept mockup, made by Fortalan without the store's involvement. The store is not affiliated with Fortalan and has not endorsed the demo.
- We open the store's public pages in our own browser and place our assistant on top of them. The assistant exists only in that browser window. Nothing is installed on, sent to or changed on the store's website, and we use no access to its systems.
- The shopper in the video is us, following a short script. No real customer appears.
- The assistant's answers are generated by an AI model from a sample of the store's public product data. The model receives only that product data, the address and title of the page on screen, and our scripted questions.
What we use
- Public pages only. We use only pages that any visitor can open without logging in. We never log in, add anything to a basket, submit a form or start a checkout.
- robots.txt first. Before collecting anything, our tool reads the store's robots.txt and follows it, and the recording visits only pages that robots.txt allows. We do not make a demo when a site forbids automated access, reserves text and data mining rights (in a machine-readable way, such as robots.txt, page metadata or a reservation file, or in its website terms), or shows a bot check. We never try to get around such measures.
- Gently. To collect the product sample, we fetch one page at a time, at no more than two requests per second (slower if the site asks for it), with a user agent that names Fortalan. We keep a copy of each page so that it is fetched only once. The recording itself is a short automated browser visit to a few pages.
- A small sample. We take product names, prices, availability, categories, image links and short descriptions for a small part of the catalogue (at most 150 products): only what the demo needs.
- Products, not people. We extract product information only, never names, email addresses or other details about shoppers or staff. The page copies our tool keeps contain whatever the store shows publicly, which can include names next to reviews; we do not extract or use those details, and we delete the copies with the sample. In the video, we avoid pages with customer reviews that show names or photos, staff photos, live chat and account areas, and we leave any such details out.
Who sees it
- The video goes to the store only, through a private, unlisted link made for that store. The link expires 60 days after we send it; our email gives the exact date.
- We never publish a demo or use it in a portfolio, case study or advertisement without the store's written permission.
- The store's logo and content appear only as part of its own pages in the recording, shown as they are, and they belong to their owners. The store's name also appears on our opening and closing cards, only to say whom the demo was made for.
Deleting a demo
We delete the video in all its versions, its still images, the product sample and the page copies within 90 days of sending, or earlier. If we make a demo and do not send it, we delete it within 90 days of making it.
To have them deleted now, reply "delete" to our email or write to hello@fortalan.com. We delete them and confirm by email.
If you do not want to hear from us
Reply "no thanks" to our email (any other words that say so work too) or write to hello@fortalan.com. We will not contact you again and will not make another demo of your store. We keep only a short entry (your address or domain, company name, the date and how you told us) so that we can respect your choice.
Questions
Write to hello@fortalan.com. Fortalan is a brand of the sole proprietorship (obrt) named in the legal line at the foot of this page and on our legal notice, in Zagreb, Croatia.