How to Show Prices Without VAT in AI Search and Chat

Business buyers often compare prices without VAT. If your store sells to them, Shoply can show a second, smaller price under each product price in AI Search and AI Chat, such as “excl. VAT €52,85” under €63,95. You turn it on with one entry in Advanced Settings.

What do shoppers see?

• A smaller line under the price on every product card in AI Search, with your label and the price without VAT.
• The same line in AI Chat, on the product cards the assistant recommends.
• The right price for each color or size. When a shopper clicks a color with its own price, the line changes to match that price.
• Every search design. The line appears in Classic, Gallery and Editorial.

Before you start

• A paid plan. Advanced Settings is available on paid plans.
• Prices that include VAT. On Shopify, your product prices must include tax. You can check this in your Shopify admin under Settings > Taxes and duties. On other websites, the product prices Shoply imports must include VAT. If your prices already exclude VAT, you don’t need this setting.

Step 1: Add the setting

In the Shoply admin, go to Settings and scroll to Advanced Settings. To learn how this editor works, see How to Configure Advanced Settings.

Add this setting:

{
  "price_excluding_vat": {
    "home_country_vat_percent": 21,
    "label": "excl. VAT"
  }
}

Already have Advanced Settings? Add price_excluding_vat after your other settings, inside the same braces { }, with a comma before it. Don’t create a second { } block.

If the rate is missing, typed in quotes, or not between 0 and 100, the editor shows an error and doesn’t save.

Step 2: Check your store

Changes reach your storefront within about 10 minutes. You don’t need to re-sync your catalog.

1. Search for a product on your store.
2. Check that each product card shows the line under the price, such as “excl. VAT €52,85”.
3. Open AI Chat, ask for a product recommendation, and check the product cards there too.

The line doesn’t appear?

• Check that Advanced Settings shows no JSON Error below the editor, and that you clicked Save.
• Wait about 10 minutes after saving, then reload your search page.
• Check that the price you see includes VAT. Prices without VAT get no line; see When is the line not shown?

How do I change the label or turn it off?

To change the label, edit label and save. To turn the line off, delete the whole price_excluding_vat entry and save.

How is the price without VAT calculated?

Shoply divides your store’s own price by 1 plus your VAT rate. With a 21% rate, €63,95 ÷ 1.21 = €52,85. The result is rounded to the cent and written in the same format as your price.

Do I need a different rate for each country?

No. Enter only your home country’s rate.

Some stores use Shopify’s option to show shoppers in each country their own VAT. If your store does, Shopify keeps the price without VAT the same in every country and changes only the VAT added on top. Shoply always starts from your own price, so every shopper sees the same price without VAT.

Here is one product at a Dutch store that uses this Shopify option:

Dividing the German price, €62,89, by 1.21 would give €51,98, which is wrong. If your own theme shows a price without VAT, check it the same way: it may make this mistake for shoppers outside your home country.

When is the line not shown?

• The price shown already has no VAT, for example for shoppers outside the EU when your store doesn’t collect VAT for their country. The line would repeat the price.
• The shopper sees a different currency from your store’s own currency. The price without VAT is worked out in your currency, so it wouldn’t match.
• The product shows no price, for example when your store hides prices in search.

Can I change how the line looks?

Yes. If you add your own styles to AI Search (CSS, the code that sets colors and sizes), target the line by its name, .shoply-product-price-ex-vat. To find where to add styles, see how to customize AI Search with CSS.

/* Make the price without VAT darker and slightly larger */
.shoply-product-price-ex-vat { opacity: 1; font-size: 13px; }

What are the limits?

• One VAT rate for all products. If some products use a reduced rate, such as 9% on books in the Netherlands, their line uses your home country’s rate, so it shows the wrong price.
• One label for every language. Shoppers reading your store in German still see the label you typed, such as “excl. btw”.
• Market price lists. If a Shopify market has its own price list or a percentage price adjustment, the line for that market still shows your home price without VAT. It may not match the price shown.

For other search options, see Advanced Settings for AI Search.