AI Provider Guide

Time to complete: 5-8 minutes to choose your AI provider For: Store owners setting up AI Product Tools

AI Product Tools works with three leading AI providers: OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google Gemini, and OpenRouter. Each offers different strengths—choose based on what matters most for your business.

Quick Start: Choose Your Provider

Step 1: Understand Your Options

Three AI providers available:

Step 2: What Matters Most to Your Business?

Choose based on your primary goal:

Priority: Content Quality

• Recommendation: OpenAI (GPT-4o or o1)
• Why: Best creative writing, engaging descriptions, strong brand voice
• Best for: Premium brands, fashion, luxury products, creative content
• Cost: Moderate (pennies per product)

Priority: Speed & Efficiency

• Recommendation: Google Gemini (Gemini 2.5 Flash)
• Why: Fast processing, good quality, efficient workflow
• Best for: Standard stores needing quick generation
• Cost: Free tier covers most small stores

Priority: Cost (Free or Minimal)

• Recommendation: OpenRouter or Gemini free tier
• Why: Zero-cost options with acceptable quality
• Best for: Large catalogs (500+ products), tight budgets
• Cost: Free

Priority: Balanced Approach

• Recommendation: Gemini 2.5 Flash or OpenAI GPT-4o
• Why: Great quality at reasonable cost with good speed
• Best for: Most e-commerce businesses
• Cost: Low to moderate

Step 3: Set Up Your Chosen Provider

Get your API key:

1. OpenAI: Visit platform.openai.com

   • Create account → API Keys → Create new key
   • Copy key (starts with sk-proj- or sk-)
   • Add payment method for billing

2. Google Gemini: Visit aistudio.google.com

   • Sign in → Get API Key button
   • Copy key (starts with AIza)
   • Free tier: 50 generations/day

3. OpenRouter: Visit openrouter.ai

   • Sign up (free, no credit card)
   • Keys → Generate Key
   • Copy key (starts with sk-or-v1-)
   • Free models work immediately

Configure in plugin:

1. Navigate to AI Product Tools → Settings → API Settings
2. Select your provider from dropdown
3. Paste API key
4. Click Validate API Key (should show green checkmark)
5. Choose a default model from dropdown
6. Click Save Settings

Step 4: Test with One Product

1. Go to Products → All Products
2. Edit any product
3. Find AI Product Tools metabox in sidebar
4. Click Generate Description
5. Review quality:
   • Is it accurate?
   • Does it match your brand voice?
   • Is it engaging to read?
   • Right length?
6. If not satisfied: Try a different provider/model and compare

Provider Comparison

Which Provider Should You Choose?

Quick comparison table:

Content Quality Comparison

What each provider does best:

OpenAI:

• ✅ Most creative and engaging content
• ✅ Best for storytelling and brand voice
• ✅ Excellent for fashion, gifts, lifestyle products
• ✅ Maintains consistent tone across catalog
• ⚠️ Moderate cost (but still very affordable)

Google Gemini:

• ✅ Fast and efficient generation
• ✅ Great for technical product descriptions
• ✅ Good quality at lower cost
• ✅ Free tier covers many small stores
• ⚠️ Slightly less creative than OpenAI

OpenRouter:

• ✅ Many completely FREE models
• ✅ Variety of specialized options
• ✅ Zero cost for experimentation
• ✅ Good for high-volume generation
• ⚠️ Quality varies by model selected

Common Business Scenarios

Scenario 1: Small Fashion Store (100 products)

Goal: Creative, engaging descriptions that match brand voice

Recommendation:

• Provider: OpenAI (GPT-4o)
• Why: Best creative quality for fashion content
• Strategy: Use for all products (affordable at this scale)
• Cost: ~$1-3/month
• Result: Premium-quality descriptions that stand out

Scenario 2: Medium Electronics Store (500 products)

Goal: Accurate technical specs with good readability

Recommendation:

• Provider: Gemini (2.5 Flash)
• Why: Great for technical content, fast processing
• Strategy: Use free tier initially, upgrade if needed
• Cost: $0-5/month (mostly free tier)
• Result: Clear, accurate technical descriptions

Scenario 3: Large Multi-Category Store (2000+ products)

Goal: Cost-effective content generation at scale

Recommendation:

• Provider: OpenRouter free models + Gemini
• Why: Zero cost for bulk, use Gemini for premium items
• Strategy: 80% OpenRouter free, 20% Gemini for hero products
• Cost: $0-10/month
• Result: Entire catalog covered affordably

Switching Providers

You can change providers anytime:

1. Your existing content stays unchanged
2. New generations use the new provider
3. No data migration needed
4. Test multiple providers side-by-side

Common strategies:

Strategy 1: Start Free, Upgrade Later

• Begin with Gemini free tier or OpenRouter free
• Test quality with 20-50 products
• Upgrade to OpenAI if quality needs improvement
• Only pay when it makes sense

Strategy 2: Mix Providers

• Use OpenAI for premium/hero products (10% of catalog)
• Use Gemini or OpenRouter free for standard products (90%)
• Best quality where it matters, low cost overall

Strategy 3: Provider per Category

• Fashion products: OpenAI (creative writing)
• Electronics: Gemini (technical accuracy)
• Basic items: OpenRouter free (cost efficiency)
• Optimize for each product type

Troubleshooting

Issue: Not sure which provider to choose

Symptoms:

• Overwhelmed by options
• Don't know which is "best"
• Worried about making wrong choice
• Want to try multiple before deciding

Solution:

1. Start with the FREE option:
   • Choose: Gemini free tier or OpenRouter free models
   • Test with small batches before full catalog
   • Multiple providers can be configured simultaneously
   • Most stores find Gemini or OpenAI sufficient

Recommended testing sequence:

1. Day 1: Set up Gemini free, generate 20 products
2. Day 2: Review quality, note any issues
3. Day 3: If needed, test OpenAI with same 20 products
4. Day 4: Compare results, choose provider
5. Day 5: Generate full catalog with chosen provider

Issue: Generated content doesn't match expectations

Symptoms:

• Descriptions too generic
• Doesn't sound like your brand
• Missing important details
• Wrong tone or style

Solution:

1. Try a different provider first:

   • If using OpenRouter free: Try Gemini or OpenAI
   • If using Gemini: Try OpenAI for comparison
   • If using OpenAI: Check prompt customization (next step)
   • Higher-tier providers generally = better quality

2. Customize your prompts:

   • Go to Settings → API Settings
   • Update system prompt with specific instructions:

   Write product descriptions for [your brand name].
   
   Brand voice: [professional/casual/luxury/friendly]
   Target audience: [who your customers are]
   Always include: [materials/dimensions/key benefits]
   Writing style: [specific style preferences]
   Length: [preferred character count]

   • Save and test with 5 products
   • Refine until quality improves

3. Improve product data quality:

   • Ensure products have complete titles
   • Fill in all product attributes (size, color, material)
   • Add existing short descriptions with key features
   • Better input data = better AI output
   • See Best Practices

4. Use mixed approach:

   • Premium/hero products: OpenAI (best quality)
   • Standard products: Gemini (good quality)
   • Basic products: OpenRouter free (acceptable quality)
   • Quality where it matters, cost-effective overall

Related: Settings Guide, Best Practices

Issue: AI costs higher than expected

Symptoms:

• Monthly bills exceeding budget
• Costs adding up quickly
• Running out of free tier too fast
• Unclear how to reduce costs

Solution:

1. Switch to lower-cost provider:

   • Current: OpenAI → Try Gemini (50-70% cost reduction)
   • Current: Gemini paid → Use free tier or OpenRouter free
   • Current: Mix → Use more free-tier generations

2. Use provider free tiers strategically:

   • Gemini free: 50 generations/day = 1,500/month
     • Covers most small/medium stores
     • Upgrade only when consistently hitting limit
   • OpenRouter free: Unlimited with free models
     • Use for bulk operations
     • Reserve paid providers for premium content

3. Implement tiered quality strategy:

   Hero products (10% of catalog):
   → Use OpenAI or Gemini paid for best quality
   
   Standard products (60%):
   → Use Gemini free tier
   
   Basic products (30%):
   → Use OpenRouter free models
   
   Cost reduction: 70-90% vs. all-premium approach

4. Optimize generation settings:

   • Use Standard Bulk Generator (free, unlimited)
   • Reserve Advanced Bulk Generator (uses credits) for complex needs
   • Generate once, use forever (no recurring AI costs for existing content)
   • Only regenerate when products change

Cost comparison example:

Before optimization:
- 500 products/month
- OpenAI for everything
- Cost: ~$10/month

After optimization:
- 50 hero products: OpenAI = $1
- 300 standard: Gemini free = $0
- 150 basic: OpenRouter free = $0
- Cost: ~$1/month

Savings: $9/month (90% reduction)

Related: Pricing Plans, Best Practices

What You've Learned

Congratulations! You now know how to:

• ✅ Choose the right AI provider for your business needs
• ✅ Understand the strengths of OpenAI, Gemini, and OpenRouter
• ✅ Set up API keys and configure your provider
• ✅ Test content quality before generating at scale
• ✅ Optimize costs with mixed provider strategies
• ✅ Troubleshoot quality and cost issues

Next Steps

Immediate Actions:

• Customize prompts - Fine-tune output for your brand
• Generate your first batch - Test with 20-50 products
• Review best practices - Optimization tips

Advanced Features:

• Use custom variables - Dynamic product-specific content
• Set up automation - Scheduled generation
• Monitor quality - Track results over time

Related Topics

• API Provider Setup - Detailed key configuration
• Settings Configuration - Complete settings guide
• Variables & Custom Fields - Advanced content control
• Best Practices - Quality & cost optimization