---
title: Simulations
description: Configure a shopper-behavior run or page-stimulus audit against an eligible published store.
---

Simulation lets you send generated shopper personas through a live store journey or ask them to evaluate one public page.

## Entry path

Open a store project → **More** → **Simulation**.

## Before you start

- Publish the store and confirm its public pages load.
- Review the current plan or usage notice before launching paid work.
- Choose a real storefront question and one target page.
- Treat generated shoppers as directional testing, not real customer demand.

## Modes

| Mode | When to use it | What Runner does after launch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Shopper behavior** | You want to observe navigation, decisions, and journey friction. | Starts multiple shopper journeys on the selected live page and prepares funnel, journey, outcome, and recommendation views. |
| **Page stimulus audit** | You want focused reactions to one page. | Collects generated shopper evaluations for purchase intent, segments, and friction on that page. |

## Controls and click results

| Control | What happens after you select it |
| --- | --- |
| Mode selector | Switches between shopper behavior and page stimulus audit. |
| Persona guidance | Adds optional audience direction, such as price sensitivity or shipping concerns. |
| **Target page** | Opens discovered public storefront pages such as Home, Collection, Product, Cart, Checkout, or a custom page. |
| Device viewport | Chooses mobile only, desktop only, or a weighted mix for shopper behavior. |
| Panel size | Changes how many generated shopper journeys the run requests within the allowed range. |
| **Launch simulation** | Starts the configured run and opens its run page. It is disabled until a target page is selected. |
| Recent simulation card | Opens an earlier run and its current status or results. |
| **View all** | Expands the recent-run list when more runs exist. |
| **Retry** | Reloads target pages or runs after a visible failure. |

## Launch a focused simulation

1. Open **Simulation**.
2. Select **Shopper behavior** or **Page stimulus audit**.
3. Add concise persona guidance only when a specific audience matters.
4. Select **Target page** and choose a discovered live page.
5. For shopper behavior, choose the device mix and panel size.
6. Review the current usage notice.
7. Select **Launch simulation** once.
8. Follow the run page until it completes or fails.

## Troubleshooting

| State | Meaning and next step |
| --- | --- |
| Publish wall | No successful live deployment is available. Publish and verify the store first. |
| No target pages | Runner could not discover public pages. Open the live store and retry page loading. |
| No simulations yet | Configure the panel and target to create the first run. |
| Queued or pending | The run was accepted but has not started all work. Wait rather than launching a duplicate. |
| Running | Shopper work is still in progress; results can remain incomplete. |
| Failed | Open the error shown on the run and start a new run only after correcting the target or temporary failure. |

## Related guides

- [Simulation runs and results](./simulation-runs-and-results)
- [Experiments](./experiments)
- [Analytics overview](../analytics-and-seo/analytics-overview)