8. Calendar sync and Sidekick
On this page: You subscribe to confirmed bookings in Google Calendar or another calendar app. It also covers asking Sidekick, the AI assistant in Shopify admin, about your bookings.
How to automate messages and tagging with Shopify Flow is covered in 9. Automate with Shopify Flow.
Plans
| Feature | Free | Basic | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calendar subscriptions (per bookable resource and per location) | No | No | Yes |
| Adding a single booking to Google Calendar, downloading ICS | No | No | Yes |
| Looking up bookings with Sidekick | Yes | Yes | Yes |
On Free and Basic, the calendar sync options show a note about Pro instead.
Subscribe in a calendar app
Add the subscription URL to your calendar app and confirmed bookings are pulled into the calendar. Use the "subscribe from URL" feature in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Bookings included | Confirmed bookings from 7 days ago to 90 days ahead, up to 500 |
| Refresh interval | The feed asks calendar apps to refresh every 30 minutes. The calendar app decides when it actually refreshes, so updates may take longer to appear |
| Direction | One way, from the app to the calendar. Moving an event in your calendar app doesn't change the booking |
You can issue subscription URLs per bookable resource and per location.
| Subscribe to | Where to find "Subscribe in calendar" |
|---|---|
| A bookable resource | The resource's detail page ("Settings" → "Bookable resources & menus" → "Set Schedule") |
| A location | The "Calendar" view of "Bookings". The button appears once you choose a location |
How to subscribe
- Click "Subscribe in calendar". "Subscribe to bookings for (name)" opens
- Add it in one of these ways
- Click "Copy URL" and paste the subscription URL into your calendar app's subscribe-from-URL feature
- Click "Subscribe in Google Calendar"
- Click "Subscribe in Apple Calendar (webcal)"
Anyone who knows the subscription URL can see the bookings
Don't share it outside your business. If it leaks, click "Reissue URL". Reissuing stops every subscription URL issued for this store from working, including those for other bookable resources and locations. Enter the new URL in the calendars that subscribe to it.
The subscription URL for an archived bookable resource stops returning bookings.
Add bookings to a calendar one at a time
| Who | Where | Action |
|---|---|---|
| You | The "…" menu of a confirmed booking on "Bookings" → "Calendar" | "Add to Google Calendar", "Download ICS" |
| Customers | A confirmed booking on My Page | "Add to Google Calendar", "Download ICS" |
ICS files can be imported into Apple Calendar, Outlook and other calendar apps.
Shopify Flow integration
Setting up Shopify Flow integration (Pro), its triggers and how to build workflows have moved to 9. Automate with Shopify Flow.
Ask Sidekick about bookings
Sidekick is the AI assistant built into Shopify admin. In stores with Marutto Booking installed, Sidekick can answer questions using Marutto Booking's booking data. It's available on all plans.
| What you can ask | Example question |
|---|---|
| Find bookings by period, status, location, staff, menu or customer name | "What bookings do I have tomorrow?" |
| Recent cancellations | "Which bookings were cancelled this week?" |
| Open slots on a date | "What slots are open on Saturday?" |
| A customer's visit history and next booking | "What's Jane Smith's visit history?" |
| A monthly summary (bookings, cancellations, no-shows, busiest weekdays and hours) | "Summarize this month's bookings" |
Answers include links that open "Bookings" or the customer's record in Marutto Booking.
- Sidekick only reads bookings. It doesn't add, change or cancel them. Do that in the app as before (5. Manage bookings)
- Shopify decides whether Sidekick is available in each store
- If Sidekick answers without using Marutto Booking's data, open Marutto Booking once and ask again, or mention Marutto Booking in your question