Shopify adds suite of AI enhancements

Shopify has unveiled a series of enhancements — more than 100 of them — as part of its Summer 2023 Edition, the twice-annual showcase of its latest products and innovations. And AI is a big part of the upgrade.

Coming soon from the company that powers many webstores is Sidekick, a “first-of-its-kind AI-enabled commerce assistant” for business owners on Shopify. The aim is to allow its merchants “to be more productive, creative, and powerful than ever before — ushering in a new era of commerce full of brand new possibilities”.

Sidekick is “purpose-built to be able to answer all of [business owner’s] questions as they start and scale their business”.

The company said it can help when tasked with requests like“Set up a discount for my holiday sale”; “Help redesign my store to feel more like summer”; “What are my best-selling products?”; and “Walk me through a tutorial on preparing an email campaign.”

Sidekick will be available in early access soon as the centrepiece of Shopify Magic, a suite of AI-enabled features integrated across the platform, specifically designed for commerce and that combines the latest AI technology with the platform’s data.

Overall, this release schedule is all about how AI can be used to make running a business easier for its owners and how it can engage with a business's customers.

Other new Shopify Magic features include FAQ and response recommendations personalised for a merchant’s store. It drafts custom replies for a business’s most common customer questions, and a merchant can review, edit, and publish those answers via Shopify Inbox.

Then there are instantly-generated blog posts for any holiday, business milestone, or campaign idea, with the ability to customise tone of voice and quickly translate content into different languages.

Another new feature is Marketplace Connect, a single app for merchants to sell on all the biggest marketplaces — like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart — while connecting, managing, and fulfilling every order directly from within Shopify.

The company said that its Summer Editions 2023 “marks an inflection point for Shopify as it puts the power of AI into the hands of millions of entrepreneurs. Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence are accelerating innovation and unlocking infinitely new possibilities at an unprecedented pace. Now, more than ever, staying on the cutting edge of new technology is critical, and Shopify is unlocking those possibilities for entrepreneurs.”

Shopify adds suite of AI enhancements

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