Support & Help Center
Learn how to get the most out of SpectoAI — generate, edit, and apply AI-powered alt text for your BigCommerce product images.
What is SpectoAI?
SpectoAI generates alt text (alternative text descriptions) for your product images using AI. Alt text is essential for two reasons:
- Accessibility — Screen readers read alt text aloud, allowing visually impaired customers to understand your product images.
- SEO — Google uses alt text to index images. Descriptive alt text improves your visibility in Google Image search results and drives organic traffic.
SpectoAI analyzes each image alongside your product data — name, brand, and category — to produce accurate, context-aware descriptions. You always review and approve everything before it goes live on your store.
Installation Instructions
Installing SpectoAI takes just a few minutes. Follow these steps to get started:
Install the App
Click "Install" on the SpectoAI listing page in the BigCommerce App Marketplace. You'll be redirected to authorize the app with your BigCommerce store through a secure OAuth flow.
Grant Permissions
SpectoAI requires the following permissions to function. Here's exactly why we need each one:
Why we need this:
- To read your product names, brands, categories, and custom fields
- To understand the full context of each product for accurate alt text generation
- To display your product catalog in the SpectoAI dashboard
- To access product images that need alt text descriptions
Without product context, the AI would only "see" images without knowing what they actually represent in your catalog.
Why we need this:
- To apply generated alt text to your product images in BigCommerce
- To update image descriptions when you click "Apply to Store"
- To save approved alt text directly to your product catalog
Important: SpectoAI never modifies your products automatically. All changes happen only when you explicitly click "Apply to Store" after reviewing the generated alt text.
Why we need this:
- To identify your store and maintain your authenticated session
- To ensure data security and proper access control
- To link generated alt text to the correct BigCommerce store
This is standard for all BigCommerce apps and ensures your data stays secure.
🔒 Your data is secure:
- • Product images are processed by AI and immediately deleted
- • We only store the alt text you approve — no images, no personal data
- • All communication is encrypted (SSL/TLS)
- • Data is deleted within 30 days after you uninstall the app
Open the Dashboard
After installation, click "SpectoAI" in your BigCommerce Apps menu. You'll see your product catalog with alt text status for each image (Missing, Generated, Applied, or User Added).
Generate Your First Alt Text
Start with a small batch to see the quality:
- Select a few product images using the checkboxes
- Click "Generate Alt Text"
- Wait 1–2 seconds per image while the AI analyzes them (you'll see a progress bar)
- Review the generated descriptions and edit if needed
- Click "Apply to Store" to push changes to your BigCommerce catalog
💡 Tips for Best Results:
- • Ensure your products have brand, category, and custom fields filled in — SpectoAI uses this data for context
- • Start with 5–10 images to verify the quality before processing your entire catalog
- • Edit generated text if you want to add specific marketing details or adjust tone
How to Generate Alt Text
Select images
In the SpectoAI dashboard, expand any product to see its images. Use the checkboxes to select individual images, or click "Select All" to select all images on the current page (up to 50 at a time).
Generate
Click the "Generate Alt Text" button. The AI will analyze each selected image and create a description based on the visual content and your product information. A progress bar shows the current status.
Review and edit
After generation, the alt text appears next to each image. Click on any description to edit it — your changes are saved automatically. Take a moment to check that the descriptions accurately reflect your products.
Apply to your store
When you're happy with the descriptions, select the images again and click "Apply to Store". This updates the alt text directly in your BigCommerce product catalog. Nothing changes in your store until you click this button.
Editing Descriptions
You have full control over every description. After the AI generates alt text for an image, you can:
- Click on any description in the dashboard to edit it inline — just type your changes and they will be saved automatically.
- Regenerate a description if the result is not satisfactory — simply select the image and click "Generate Alt Text" again.
- Write your own description from scratch — the text field accepts any custom text you enter.
Edited descriptions are marked as "User Added" in the dashboard so you can easily distinguish them from AI-generated ones.
Bulk Processing
If you have a large product catalog, you do not need to process images one by one:
- Use "Select All" to select all images on the current page (up to 50 images at a time).
- Click "Generate Alt Text" to process all selected images in one batch.
- After reviewing, use "Apply to Store" to push all approved descriptions to BigCommerce at once.
- Use the filter bar to show only images with a specific status (e.g. "Missing") and work through your catalog page by page.
Image Statuses
Each image in the dashboard has a status that tells you where it is in the process:
The image has no alt text yet — neither in your store nor generated by SpectoAI.
AI has created a description, but it has not been applied to your store yet. You can review, edit, or apply it.
The alt text has been applied and is live on your BigCommerce product pages.
You manually wrote or edited this description. It can be applied to your store just like AI-generated text.
Use the filter bar at the top of the dashboard to show only images with a specific status — for example, filter by "Missing" to quickly find images that still need alt text.
Credits & Plans
Each image you process uses 1 credit. Your remaining credits are shown in the dashboard header.
Subscription credits reset monthly. Credit Packs are also available as one-time purchases that never expire. Editing a description does not use any credits — only the initial generation counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to generate alt text?
A single image takes about 1–2 seconds. When processing in bulk, 100 images typically take around 2–3 minutes.
Will SpectoAI overwrite my existing alt text?
No. SpectoAI never changes anything in your store automatically. Generated descriptions are saved as drafts — you decide what to apply. If an image already has alt text, it will not be touched unless you explicitly regenerate and apply a new one.
Can I edit the generated descriptions?
Yes. Every generated alt text can be freely edited before applying. Simply click on the description text next to any image in the dashboard to modify it. Your changes are saved instantly.
How do credits work?
1 credit = 1 image processed. Your Free Trial includes 100 credits (no credit card required). Subscription credits reset monthly on your billing date. You can also purchase Credit Packs, which are one-time purchases that never expire.
Does it work with product variant images?
Yes. SpectoAI processes all images associated with a product, including variant images. Each image uses 1 credit regardless of whether it is a main product image or a variant image.
What languages are supported?
Currently, SpectoAI generates alt text in English. Multi-language support is on our roadmap.
Is my product data secure?
Yes. Your product images are sent to the AI model for analysis and deleted immediately after processing — we never store them. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest.
How do I cancel or change my plan?
You can cancel your subscription at any time by uninstalling the app from BigCommerce, or by contacting our support team. Your data is deleted within 30 days after uninstallation.
Contact Support
Can't find what you're looking for? Send us a message and we'll respond within 24 hours.
You can also email us directly at contact@getrobo.com