Shopify Spring ’26 Edition: what merchants should act on
150+ updates landed on June 17, 2026. We picked the ones that change how Shopify stores get found, sell and run day to day.
Key takeaways
- Shopify’s Spring ’26 Edition, published June 17, 2026, shipped 150+ updates built around selling everywhere buyers are, including inside AI assistants.
- Shopify Catalog and the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) make eligible products discoverable and purchasable by AI agents by default.
- Sidekick gained App Extensions, proactive recommendations (Sidekick Pulse) and availability across the Shopify app.
- New marketing tools include an AI sales associate in Inbox, wider Shop Campaigns and Campaign Autopilot in early access.
1. Your catalog is now an AI sales channel
Shopify Catalog is a structured product-data layer that AI agents can search. Eligible merchants are included by default and syndicated to ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and the Shop app. Shopify reports that AI searches powered by Shopify Catalog convert at twice the rate of searches using scraped data.
Merchants are also enabled for the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) by default, so existing checkout rules and discounts carry over when an AI agent creates a checkout.
2. Agentic Storefronts move into the admin
A new Agentic Storefronts area in the admin is the central place to manage AI channels, see their performance and find searches where your products don’t rank, with suggested fixes. Sidekick recommends changes such as richer product titles and descriptions.
3. Sidekick connects to your apps
Sidekick App Extensions connect third-party apps to Sidekick and launched with 15+ partners, including Klaviyo, Loop and Smile. Sidekick Pulse brings proactive next-best-action recommendations to a redesigned admin home, and Sidekick is available across the Shopify app by text or voice.
4. AI in marketing and support
- An AI sales associate in Shopify Inbox answers questions, suggests products and handles order inquiries, with merchant control over handoff to a human.
- Shop Campaigns now reach ChatGPT, Pinterest and the open web through Microsoft Monetize, and merchants pay only on conversion.
- Campaign Autopilot, in early access, runs AI-driven campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, Shop and email within guardrails you set.
5. Checkout, Shop and POS
- Shop Pay can now be offered by brands that are not on Shopify, and Sign in with Shop carries buyer profiles across surfaces.
- Orders with mixed fulfillment, where buyers choose shipping or pickup per item, reached general availability.
- POS v11 rebuilds the in-store checkout so the cart stays on screen, with discounts and customer lookup in a side panel.
What we would do this quarter
- Audit product data for AI discovery: clear titles, complete descriptions and filled attributes such as size, color and material.
- Review Agentic Storefronts in your admin, turn on the channels you want and work through unranked searches.
- Re-test discount, shipping and payment rules with mixed-fulfillment carts and agent-created checkouts.
- Check which of your apps offer Sidekick App Extensions, and retire tools that Sidekick now covers.
FAQ
When was Shopify’s Spring ’26 Edition released?
Shopify published the Spring ’26 Edition on June 17, 2026, with more than 150 updates.
What is Shopify Catalog?
Shopify Catalog is a structured product-data layer that AI agents can search. Eligible merchants are included by default and syndicated to AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and the Shop app.
What are Sidekick App Extensions?
Sidekick App Extensions connect third-party apps to Sidekick, Shopify’s AI assistant, so it can use their data and actions. They launched with more than 15 partners, and any developer can now build one.