A step-by-step guide: a free module for OpenCart 3, 4 and ocStore — the catalog syncs straight from the store, no feed and no theme edits, with AI search and a chat assistant on the storefront.
OpenCart is one of the most popular free e-commerce engines: self-hosted, open source, with a huge ecosystem. Now you can connect Looma to it with an official module: AI-powered catalog search and a smart chat assistant take products straight from your store — no feed, no theme edits, no developer required.
This guide walks the whole path: from installing the module to live widgets on your storefront. Actual time — about 10 minutes.
The module exposes a secure read-only endpoint in your store that Looma reads the catalog through. In practice this means:
Names and descriptions in your store's languages, regular and sale prices, main and additional photos — the whole catalog imports page by page, no file exports.
"In stock", "out of stock" and "pre-order" statuses come from the store. Customers never see a product in search that is already gone, and a pre-order never pretends to be available.
The store's category tree imports together with links — search can send a customer straight to the right section of the catalog.
Information pages — Delivery, Payment, Returns — go into the assistant's knowledge base. The chat answers questions about your terms in your own words, not invented ones.
The module adds the Looma tag to your storefront by itself — no theme edits, and nothing breaks after a template update. Already added the snippet manually? Auto-insert turns off with one switch.
The connection key is stored in the store as a SHA-256 hash, HTTPS only, and the endpoint serves the catalog only: orders and customer data are never exposed. The module doesn't patch the store core.
There are two packages — pick the one for your platform version:
OpenCart 4.0.x — looma.ocmod.zip
OpenCart 3.0.x and ocStore — looma-oc3.ocmod.zip
The module is also available in the official OpenCart marketplace.
Important: do not rename the OpenCart 4 archive — the file name defines the extension folder inside the store. A renamed archive will install but won't work.
Pick the downloaded module archive — the installer unpacks it by itself.
Find Looma in the module list and click "+". On OpenCart 4 this step is mandatory: until the module is activated, its address for Looma simply doesn't exist. On 3.x and ocStore the "+" enables widget auto-insert on the storefront.
Click "Edit" next to the module — the Looma connection screen opens.
Click "Edit" next to the module. Two main fields on the screen:
"Address for Looma" — a ready-made address of your store for the connection. Don't build it by hand: the route differs between platform versions, so the module shows the correct one itself.
"Connection key" — paste the key generated in your Looma dashboard (24 characters minimum). The store keeps it only as a hash: it can't be read back from the database or seen in the page source.
The same screen has the switches: what to share with Looma (products, categories, information pages) and whether to auto-insert the widget. "Last request from Looma" shows the time of the last successful call — a one-glance check that the connection is alive.
Running ocStore? The module is fully localized in Ukrainian:
In Looma open Integrations → OpenCart, pick your site and click "Configure":
1. Paste the address from the module screen.
2. Paste the same connection key.
3. Save and click "Test connection".
The status switches to "Connected", and Looma immediately pulls the store's categories and information pages — no waiting for the nightly update.
In the site settings, under Products, choose the "Shop integration" source type — and run the import. From then on the catalog refreshes automatically once a day, and the "Refresh data" button starts an import any moment — say, after a big restock.
After the import Looma processes new products once for smart search — from that point search understands typos, synonyms, transliteration and descriptions, not just exact name matches.
The integration page lists all information pages of the store. Mark the ones the assistant should learn from — "Shipping & payment", "Returns", "Warranty" — and they land in the knowledge base. Now, asked "what's your return policy?", the chat answers with your store's actual terms.
In the Team section add operators: the "Invite member" button sends an email invitation, a colleague follows the link — and is already answering customers. Operators work in a full-featured workspace: all conversations in one window, a customer card, quick replies and AI suggestions. We covered it in detail in the guide "Online chat for an online store".
Both tools work on the storefront. Instant search opens on a click in the store's usual search box: live results with photos, prices, discounts and stock status — from the first characters typed. And the smart assistant answers questions about products, shipping and payment, helps pick from the catalog and hands over to a live operator when needed.
No. The module adds the widget to the storefront by itself — that is its main convenience. Manual snippet placement remains an option for stores that already did it: just turn auto-insert off with the switch.
No. Installation is the standard OpenCart extension installer; connecting is copying an address and pasting a key. No theme files are touched.
OpenCart 3.0.x, OpenCart 4.0.x and ocStore 3.0.3.7 — compatibility verified live on each. You need PHP 7.4+ and HTTPS on the store.
The module is free and open source (GPL-3.0). Looma is a subscription service: you need an account on a plan with API access.
The catalog only: products, categories and information pages. Orders and customer data are never exposed by the endpoint — they can't be fetched even with a valid key.
Automatically once a day, plus a manual refresh button in the dashboard for urgent changes.
Yes. The "Disabled" switch in the module kills everything at once: the endpoint, the storefront widget and the stored key. In Looma the integration disconnects with a button on the connection page.
Registration is free, connecting takes about 10 minutes. Your catalog is already fit for smart search.
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