1. What inspired the addition of multi-step reasoning, and how does it differ from the assistant’s earlier capabilities?
Our merchants often deal with challenges that aren’t solved by looking at a single data point. A dip in sales, for example, can stem from inventory bottlenecks, an underserved segment, and shifting demand signals, all at once. We introduced multi-step reasoning to address this. Beyond answering questions like “what were sales like yesterday?”, now Sidekick can deliver complex analysis and actionable insights in a single interaction, unpacking the “why” and “what next” in one flow, and drafting fixes merchants can accept or refine.
This upgrade moves us closer to our vision of declarative commerce, where merchants simply express what they want to achieve, and our systems recommend the best path forward, fundamentally changing how businesses operate. Multi-step reasoning makes Sidekick more than a support tool. It becomes a strategic partner that helps save time and reduce guesswork, so businesses can focus on innovation and strategic growth rather than time-consuming tasks.
2. How does Sidekick’s self-improving response model work in real-world interactions? What’s the learning loop like?
Sidekick gets better every time our merchants chat with it. Using contextual cues from each interaction, the AI-powered commerce assistant fine-tunes its responses in real time, spotting when something doesn’t land quite right and adjusting accordingly. The more it’s used, the sharper and more relevant its responses become.
This isn’t the kind of learning that needs retraining or extra setup. Sidekick picks up on what matters: how questions are phrased, the follow-ups users request and the suggestions that are accepted. That feedback loop helps reduce friction and makes future conversations faster and more useful.
And while the AI is doing the heavy lifting, our merchants are always in charge. Every suggestion is surfaced for them to review before anything’s put into action.
3. How is multi-source analysis enhancing the precision of decision-making compared to traditional analytics dashboards?
Traditional dashboards require merchants to manually connect the dots between different data points. With Sidekick’s new multi-source analysis capabilities, all relevant data, from sales, inventory to customer profiles and marketing metrics are pulled together and analysed to diagnose the likely root cause of an issue and a recommended action. Dashboards focus on what happened; multi-source analysis clarifies why it happened and what to do next. This frees up merchants to make sharper and faster decisions without switching tools or trying to interpret fragmented data on their own.
4. Are there any plans to expand the visual generation capabilities such as branding kits, ad creatives, or product photography touch-ups?
Merchants can use Sidekick today to generate custom images from text prompts or reference photos, transform simple product shots into polished imagery, and create logos, banners, and ad creatives that match their store’s look. Sidekick also lets merchants modify images with specific instructions.
We’re always continuing to innovate and expand these capabilities, so merchants can build and update their brand visuals with less effort and more control.
5. How is Sidekick’s functionality adapted for local contexts, such as currency, region-specific practices, or legal frameworks?
Sidekick is built to support Shopify’s global community, so localisation is an essential part of how it works. It supports all 20 languages available in the Shopify admin and automatically responds in the language the merchant prefers.
Beyond language, Sidekick adapts to local norms and business practices. That includes recognising regional currencies, formatting, and even adjusting its suggestions based on market-specific behaviours. Whether our merchants are running a store in Berlin or Brisbane, Sidekick aims to provide guidance that fits where they are and the way they do business.
6. How do these tools together support in reducing time-to-market or improving operational efficiency?
Merchants move fastest when the platform handles the busywork. Instead of spending hours refining copy, sorting through data, or fielding the same customer questions, our AI tools step in to streamline the process so they can focus on value generation and growth. Sidekick identifies root causes of business challenges, provides executable multi-step solutions and generates images from a few keywords, while Shopify Magic provides professional-grade AI editing, helps generate SEO-rich content and suggests personalised responses to customer questions.
Ultimately, we’re building AI that inherently understands business, trained to know the ins and outs of commerce so it can suggest and action practical, relevant recommendations that benefit merchants in their day-to-day operations. Our approach isn’t about automation for its own sake; it’s to clear away friction so merchants’ expertise, brand and products can shine. AI has the potential to be a great equaliser, making valuable tools accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic situation or technical expertise.
- About Shaun Broughton
- About Shopify
Shaun Broughton spearheads Shopify’s growing influence in Asia-Pacific — the world’s largest ecommerce market, currently valued at nearly $4 trillion USD and continuing to expand rapidly. Leading a large, diverse team across eight countries, Shaun oversees the expansion of merchant growth and the development of technology solutions that enable global commerce both online and in-store. Under his leadership, Shopify teams across APAC are on a mission to empower local businesses with the technology tools, apps, and services they need to easily sell, scale, and tap into the continued growth of commerce.
Shopify is the leading global commerce company that provides essential internet infrastructure for commerce, offering trusted tools to start, scale, market, and run a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for speed, customisation, reliability, and security, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers online, in store, and everywhere in between. Shopify powers millions of businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as JB HiFi, July, Victoria Beckham, Heinz, Patagonia, Tupperware, Netflix, LSKD, Culture Kings, HiSmile, and many more. For more information, visit shopify.com/au
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