Shopify has launched a major update to Sidekick, its AI-powered assistant built into the ecommerce platform.
The upgrade adds multi-step reasoning, advanced analytics, and integrated image generation to help Shopify merchants more effectively run their businesses.
Shopify designed Sidekick as a virtual commerce co-pilot. Embedded directly in the Shopify admin, it allows merchants to use natural-language such as, “Why are my sales down this week?” or, “Help me launch a product promotion.” The assistant then draws from store-specific data — such as sales trends, inventory levels, and customer behavior — to deliver actionable insights and automate complex tasks.
In North America, 117 of the Top 2000 online retailers use Shopify as their ecommerce platform. The Top 2000 is Digital Commerce 360’s database of the largest online retailers in the region by their annual ecommerce sales. In 2024, those 117 online retailers combined for more than $9.78 billion in web sales.
Shopify updates to Sidekick AI
The latest Shopify update brings enhanced reasoning capabilities, enabling Sidekick to analyze multiple data sources at once and offer strategic recommendations, not basic responses. For example, if a merchant sees a sales drop, Sidekick can investigate probable causes across marketing, inventory, and customer segments, then recommend targeted steps to fix the issue.
Shopify also added free, built-in image generation. Merchants can now create professional product and marketing visuals directly through Sidekick, eliminating the need for external design tools and speeding up creative workflows.
“These updates reflect our vision for declarative commerce — where merchants describe what they want to achieve, and Shopify handles the execution,” the company said in its announcement.
Here’s what Sidekick now does across the Shopify platform:
- Analyzes Store Data in Context. Sidekick is trained on Shopify’s entire ecosystem and the specific store’s data to give highly relevant support.
- Solves Business Problems. With multi-step reasoning, it identifies root causes and proposes full solutions for sales, inventory, and customer issues.
- Generates Content and Images. It creates product descriptions, marketing copy, and now visual content using generative AI.
- Supports Daily Operations. It helps manage inventory, streamline product organization, generate customer segments, and automate replies in Shopify Inbox.
- Learns and Adapts. Sidekick improves over time through contextual learning based on merchant interactions.
Sidekick is powered by Shopify Magic, the company’s suite of embedded AI tools, which also includes suggested replies in Shopify Inbox, an AI-based media editor, and automated product categorization.
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