The app must read your catalog before search and recommendations can work. This page explains what syncs, how long it takes, and how to check the status.
What syncs
Data | What the app reads | How it stays current |
|---|---|---|
Products and variants | Titles, descriptions, images, prices, and stock. | Shopify notifies the app when a product changes. |
Collections | Collection names and which products belong to each. | Synced with the catalog. |
Orders | Order history inside your chosen window. | New orders arrive as they happen. A background check every 6 hours catches orders that webhooks missed. |
How long the first sync takes
You start the first sync in Step 1 of the setup guide. Small catalogs finish in about one minute. Larger catalogs take a few minutes. A later full re-sync takes 5 to 15 minutes for most stores. The sync runs in the background — you can close the page.
The order history window
The app syncs the orders created inside a window that you choose. Order history teaches the "bought together" models and captures seasonal patterns. The presets are 90 days, 180 days, 365 days, and 730 days. The default is 365 days.
- Open the PersonalizerAI dashboard.
- Go to Settings → Data sync.
- Under Historical order sync, select a Backfill window.
- Click Save window.
- Click Resync orders.
- Click Resync orders again in the confirmation dialog.
Choose how far back the app syncs your order history.
What "queued" products mean
Each plan has a product limit. If your catalog is larger than the limit, the extra products get the status "queued". Queued products are not in the search index and do not appear in recommendations. The rest of your catalog works as normal.
When products are queued, Settings → Data sync in the PersonalizerAI dashboard shows a card named Products over your plan limit. The card lists the queued products. You have two options:
- Click Upgrade in Shopify to move to a plan with a higher limit. See Choose a plan.
- Reduce your catalog below the limit. The queued products then sync on their own.
Products over the plan limit wait in a queue until you upgrade or reduce the catalog.
Check the sync status
Two places show the sync status:
- Home screen — the health line near the bottom of the page. Click Details. The System health card has a Catalog sync row. Green means the sync is recent. See Launch checklist & app health.
- PersonalizerAI dashboard → Settings → Data sync — the Data sync status table shows the record count, the last sync time, and a status dot. The Recent webhook activity table below shows the updates that arrive from Shopify.
The Data sync status table in the PersonalizerAI dashboard.
Force a full sync
If your storefront shows old product data, you can sync the full catalog again. The operation is additive — existing data stays in place, and current recommendations continue to serve.
- Open the PersonalizerAI dashboard.
- Go to Settings → Data sync.
- Under Force full sync, click Force full sync.
- Click Start full sync in the confirmation dialog.
Related pages
- Data sync settings — all sync settings, including metafields.
- Choose a plan — the product limit per plan.
- Launch checklist & app health — the health indicators explained.
- Troubleshooting — what to check when search shows old products.
- Emails & notifications — the email that arrives when the first sync finishes.