# Shopify Sidekick [Shopify Sidekick](https://www.shopify.com/magic) is Shopify's built-in AI assistant that helps merchants manage their stores through natural language commands. Launched in January 2025, it handles tasks like content generation, data analysis, and store management without leaving your Shopify admin. Sidekick works through a chat interface in your Shopify admin, available 24/7 as a virtual Shopify expert at your side. It can generate content, answer questions about your store, create reports, suggest marketing campaigns, and more. As a native part of Shopify, Sidekick integrates seamlessly with your store’s data and admin – it understands your products, orders, and settings, and can even take action (with your approval) to simplify operations. In short, Sidekick acts like a knowledgeable business partner that’s always ready to help with just a simple prompt or question. With Shopify's Winter '26 "[RenAIssance Edition](https://www.shopify.com/editions/winter2026#sidekick)" release, Sidekick has evolved from a reactive assistant into a proactive AI coworker. The platform introduced over 150 updates focused on making AI practical for everyday merchant tasks, with Sidekick positioned as the centerpiece of this transformation. ## What's new in Shopify Sidekick (December 2025) Shopify's Winter '26 Edition transformed Sidekick from a helpful assistant into what they're calling an "AI coworker." Here's what changed: **Sidekick Pulse** now works proactively in the background, analyzing your store data and surfacing personalized recommendations before you even ask. It identifies growth opportunities based on your specific business patterns and market trends, then helps you execute on those insights. **Workflow automation** got a major upgrade. You can now describe complex automations in plain language—like "When inventory drops below 10 units, send a Slack alert and tag the product"—and Sidekick builds the entire Shopify Flow workflow for you. No more manual trigger-condition-action setup. **Multi-step tasks** mean Sidekick can now plan and execute complex projects that previously required multiple prompts. Ask it to prepare for a flash sale, and it'll create a to-do list, handle the discount codes, update your theme, and set up notification emails. **Custom app generation** is perhaps the biggest addition. Sidekick can now build custom Shopify apps tailored to your specific needs using natural language. Need a bulk order processing tool or a custom B2B importer? Just describe what you need. New capabilities include: - Full-screen mode for complex tasks - Voice chat on the Shopify mobile app - App recommendations with "Built for Shopify" badges - Contextual help when you click specific admin areas - Chat memory that remembers your preferences - Shopify Balance integration (check balance, approve transfers) - Theme customization with AI-generated sections For developers: Sidekick now supports app extensions, meaning third-party apps can expose their data and actions through Sidekick's interface. ## Shopify Sidekick pricing **Sidekick is completely free.** It's included with every Shopify plan at no additional cost—from Basic to Shopify Plus. There's no separate pricing tier, no per-query limits, and no premium features locked behind paywalls. If you have a Shopify store, you have full access to Sidekick, including all the advanced features introduced in the Winter '26 Edition like custom app generation, workflow automation, and Sidekick Pulse. Sidekick is powered by Shopify Magic, which is also free across all Shopify plans. This includes the image editing tools, content generation features, and analytics capabilities that work alongside Sidekick. **Important note:** While Sidekick itself is free, any third-party apps it recommends or integrates with may have their own pricing. Additionally, as Shopify continues developing Sidekick, some advanced enterprise features may eventually have specific plan requirements—but as of January 2026, everything is included at no extra charge. ## Shopify Sidekick availability Sidekick is now available to all Shopify merchants worldwide, including development stores. Sidekick is currently optimized for English but can adapt to your store's language settings. It can help you in multiple languages—just ask questions in the language you're most comfortable with. Access requirements: - Active Shopify store (any plan level) - Desktop or mobile access to Shopify admin - No special approval or waitlist needed Look for the purple glasses icon in your Shopify admin. If you see it, you're good to go. If you don't see it yet, check your admin language settings (Sidekick works best with English selected) or contact Shopify support. Every staff member on your account can use Sidekick based on their admin permissions—it respects access controls automatically. ## Shopify Sidekick AI features _Shopify is actively expanding Sidekick’s capabilities and highlights these features as key in its own marketing. For a full list of everything Sidekick can do—from meta field management to mobile app support—see the_ [_Shopify Sidekick help documentation_](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-admin/productivity-tools/sidekick) _._ ### Interactive store management and guidance **Step-by-step task assistance:** Sidekick provides clear, step-by-step instructions for tasks in Shopify. Just ask how to do something (e.g., setting up shipping rates), and it will guide you through the process or even navigate you to the right page in your admin. If Sidekick can’t perform an action directly, it offers an instruction card or link so you can complete it easily yourself. **Automated admin actions:** For many requests, Sidekick can execute tasks or populate fields for you. For example, you can say “Create a 10% off discount for first-time customers,” and it will generate a discount setup for you to review and save. It can create collections, products, or customer segments on command, saving you from manual data entry. **Voice and real-time help:** Shopify has introduced a voice and screen-sharing feature for Sidekick (early access) that lets you talk to Sidekick and even show your screen. This makes the help experience more interactive, like having a live support agent walk you through a solution in real time. It’s especially useful for complex or confusing setups, as Sidekick can respond to your voice and visual context immediately. **Broad range of support:** From basic store setup tasks (connecting a domain, updating settings) to advanced configurations (editing store policies, adding products with variants), Sidekick can assist with a huge array of operations. It essentially serves as your on-demand Shopify guide, speeding up workflows by eliminating the need to search through docs or menus for what you need. ### Data insights and proactive recommendations **Sidekick Pulse: Your proactive business advisor**: Sidekick no longer waits for you to ask questions—it actively monitors your store and surfaces opportunities. Sidekick Pulse analyzes your store data alongside market trends to deliver personalized, high-impact recommendations you can act on immediately. Think of it as having a business consultant who's constantly researching your performance and suggesting the next best move, whether that's running a timely promotion, optimizing underperforming products, or capitalizing on emerging trends. This proactive approach helps merchants stay ahead rather than simply reacting to what's already happened. **Analytics and reporting:** Sidekick can analyze your store’s performance data and answer questions in plain language. Ask something like “Why are my snowboard sales down this month?” and Sidekick will dig into your data for answers – it might identify trends (e.g., low seasonal demand) and even show a graph to support its explanation. It leverages Shopify’s analytics (ShopifyQL) to generate custom reports or charts on the fly. **Custom analytics without learning SQL:** Sidekick can now generate custom analytics reports and visualizations through the ShopifyQL editor. Need performance dashboards or segmented analytics? Just ask in plain English, and Sidekick creates them in seconds. This eliminates the need to learn query syntax or rely on default dashboards—you can answer specific business questions with tailored reports that match your exact needs. **Customer segmentation:** Using natural language, Sidekick helps you create custom customer segments for marketing. For instance, you can say “Segment customers in Canada who spent over $150 and haven’t bought in 90 days,” and Sidekick will instantly build that segment filter for you. This makes targeted marketing easier by taking the heavy lifting out of constructing complex queries. **Proactive business recommendations:** Sidekick isn’t just reactive – it also offers suggestions to improve your store. It acts like a data-savvy consultant, pointing out opportunities and next steps. For example, if sales of a product are dipping, Sidekick might suggest running a 10% off promotion on that item and can even help you set it up. These AI-driven recommendations help merchants boost sales and optimize operations by leveraging insights that might not be obvious. **Real-time answers to business questions:** Need to know which products are most often bought together, or which marketing channel drove the most sales in the last 60 days? Simply ask Sidekick. Because it’s plugged into your store’s live data, it can quickly summarize and provide insights on sales patterns, customer behavior, inventory levels, and more. This on-demand analysis allows for data-driven decision making without waiting for monthly reports. ### AI-driven content and image generation **Content creation for your store:** One of Sidekick’s standout capabilities is generating text content. It can write product descriptions, landing page copy, marketing emails, blog post drafts, and even SEO-friendly text, all tailored to your brand’s tone and your specific prompts. For example, you can ask, “Write a friendly product description for a vitamin C serum targeting young women,” and Sidekick will produce a description right in the product field, using your store’s context to keep it relevant. This AI copywriter functionality saves you time and helps ensure your content is engaging and professional. **Image generation built-in:** Beyond text, Sidekick can also generate images on demand. Need a banner image for a summer sale or a quick product photo backdrop? Provide a prompt (e.g. “A vibrant beach scene with sunglasses for a summer sale banner”) and Sidekick will create up to 5 AI-generated images for you. You can refine the results with follow-up instructions and save the ones you like to your Shopify files or media library. This feature lets store owners craft visual content (like hero banners, social media graphics, or product shots with new backgrounds) without hiring a photographer or designer – what used to take days can now take minutes. **Consistent branding with AI assistance:** Because Sidekick is aware of your store context, the content it generates tends to align with your brand voice and products. It can explain its choices or give multiple options if you need different angles. For instance, Sidekick can suggest several taglines or email subject lines so you can choose the one that best fits your style. This helps ensure that AI outputs are not one-size-fits-all, but rather personalized to your business, which can lead to more effective marketing content. ### Seamless store customization and design assistance **Theme editing with natural language:** The Winter '26 update transformed theme customization. You can now click on any element in your theme editor—buttons, headers, sections, images—and tell Sidekick exactly what you want changed in plain English: "Make this button rounded", "Change the text to navy blue", "Add 20 pixels of padding here". Sidekick understands your intent and modifies the appropriate theme settings instantly, whether it's global styles or settings on individual blocks. You can even ask it to "make my store look more retro," and it will adjust colors, typography, and spacing to match that aesthetic. _Important note:_ Changes happen immediately in your theme code, so it's recommended to work on a theme copy first rather than your live theme. **Design recommendations:** Sidekick doesn’t just blindly change settings; it also explains its design choices. If it updates your color scheme or font, it will tell you why those changes match the vibe you requested (e.g., how they make the site feel more youthful or elegant). This educational aspect means you’re not only getting a quick design fix, but also learning design principles for your brand. **Quick fixes and setup:** Store owners often struggle with things like connecting a domain or updating DNS records. Sidekick simplifies these technical tasks, too. You can say, “Help me connect my custom domain,” and Sidekick will guide you through it step by step, or troubleshoot why a domain isn’t pointing correctly. By turning complicated setup steps into a conversation, Sidekick reduces friction in getting your store up and running and looking polished. ### Build custom apps through conversation One of Winter '26's most powerful additions is Sidekick's ability to create custom apps tailored to your business needs—no coding required. Simply describe what you need, and Sidekick builds it for you within the Shopify admin. Examples of apps merchants are creating: - "Create a task tracker for my whole team" - "Build an app that checks returns and cancellation eligibility for orders" - "Create an app that recommends which products I need to reorder" - "Build a bulk B2B company importer that uploads companies from a CSV file" - "Create an event prep app that generates discounted checkout links for selected products" These custom apps solve specific internal workflow challenges without the time and expense of hiring developers for every small tool your team needs. ### Sidekick skills: Save and share your best prompts Repetitive tasks just got easier. Sidekick Skills lets you save your most-used prompts as reusable shortcuts, creating a library of commands you and your team can access instantly. Instead of retyping "show me bestsellers from last month" every time, save it as a skill and trigger it with a click. Even better, you can share skills across your team or with the merchant community. Shopify provides pre-built skills you can add to your repository, like analyzing customer segments who haven't purchased recently or reviewing monthly bestsellers. This collaborative approach means you can benefit from proven prompts others have refined, dramatically reducing the learning curve. ### Workflow automation made simple Sidekick now integrates with [Shopify Flow](/content/blog/shopify-flow-guide/index.html) to create automated workflows using natural language. Instead of learning Flow's visual builder or logic syntax, simply describe what you want: "Help me automatically tag customers if they place an order over $200" Sidekick builds and visualizes the entire flow for you, including all triggers, conditions, and actions. This makes workflow automation accessible to merchants without technical backgrounds, letting you automate repetitive tasks like tagging, notifications, and inventory management through simple conversation. ### Additional Winter '26 enhancements - **Full-screen mode:** Tackle complex tasks with more workspace - **App recommendations:** Sidekick can help you find, compare, and install apps, highlighting "Built for Shopify" badges - **Contextual answers:** Click on specific admin areas to get targeted guidance - **Chat memory:** Sidekick remembers your previous conversations and unique preferences - **B2B company creation:** Simplified B2B company setup - **Shopify Balance integration:** Check your balance and make transfers (with approval) - **Voice chat on mobile:** Talk to Sidekick hands-free via the Shopify mobile app ## Benefits of using Shopify Sidekick for your ecommerce business **Boosted efficiency and productivity** Shopify Sidekick helps you get more done in less time. By automating repetitive tasks and instantly handling things that used to require digging through menus or manuals, it simplifies your Shopify workflows. Store owners can spend less time on setup or data crunching and more time on strategy. This increased efficiency can indirectly boost sales—for example, quicker implementation of marketing campaigns or site optimizations means you can capitalize on opportunities faster. **Data-driven decision making** With Sidekick delivering analytics and insights on demand, you can make informed business decisions without hiring an analyst. You’ll know what products are performing well, where your traffic is coming from, and what customers are doing, all through simple questions and answers. These data-driven recommendations (like identifying a slow-moving product and suggesting a discount) can increase revenue by targeting areas of improvement that you might otherwise miss. **Improved store content and customer experience** Sidekick’s AI-generated content can enhance your store’s customer experience. High-quality product descriptions and timely, personalized marketing emails can lead to more engaged shoppers and higher conversion rates. Also, by quickly adjusting your site’s design or fixing issues (with Sidekick’s guidance), you ensure customers always see a polished, up-to-date storefront. All of this contributes to greater customer satisfaction and trust in your brand. **24/7 assistance and reduced workload** Sidekick is like having an on-call assistant that never sleeps. It can answer questions or perform tasks **anytime**, which is especially useful for entrepreneurs who might be working outside of normal hours. Routine tasks – whether it’s drafting a blog post or pulling sales numbers – can be offloaded to Sidekick, freeing up your time and your team’s resources. Over time, this can reduce the need for additional staff or outside services for tasks that Sidekick can handle, directly saving costs. **Minimized errors and guidance for best practices** Because Sidekick knows Shopify’s best practices and documentation, it helps prevent mistakes. For example, if you’re unsure how to configure something, asking Sidekick will likely get you the correct method (or it will do it for you correctly). This guidance means you’re less likely to set up something incorrectly (like a discount that applies wrong, or a misconfigured shipping rate). The result is smoother operations and less firefighting down the road. ## Real-world applications and success stories **Launching sales and campaigns in minutes** Merchants have used Shopify Sidekick to quickly execute time-sensitive promotions. In one demonstration, Shopify’s CEO asked Sidekick why a store’s snowboard sales were down, and the AI identified a drop in snow precipitation as a factor. He then instructed Sidekick to put all snowboards on sale and update the store’s theme for a summer surfing campaign – Sidekick handled the price changes, homepage updates, and theme styling within seconds. This example shows how a process that might take hours (data analysis, discount setup, theme customization) can be done almost instantly with Sidekick. **Store owners are saving time on daily tasks** Early users report significant time savings and smoother workflows thanks to Sidekick. For instance, the team at FoxEcom tested Sidekick and noted that tasks like setting up discounts or editing notification emails felt “almost effortless” with Sidekick guiding the process. They gave Sidekick a “10 out of 10” rating for how much easier those routine setups became. When mundane configuration steps are handled by Sidekick, merchants can focus more on creative and strategic work, knowing that the “busy work” is under control. **Content creation and design without experts** Small business owners who don’t have in-house designers or copywriters have found Sidekick to be a game-changer. One user shared that Sidekick’s image generation outputs were so good that what once required hiring a photographer or graphic designer “can now be done in minutes, just by asking Sidekick”. Similarly, store owners have been impressed by the quality of AI-written text content, often using it as-is or with minimal tweaks. This not only saves money on outsourcing but also allows for greater agility – you can launch a new product or marketing campaign with professional-looking visuals and copy on the same day, which can translate to higher sales and engagement. **Custom tools without developers** Merchants are using Sidekick's app builder to create internal tools that would have previously required hiring developers. One retailer built a returns eligibility checker in minutes, while another created a bulk company importer for their B2B operation. These custom apps solve specific workflow challenges unique to each business, with Sidekick Skills allowing teams to share and reuse the most effective prompts. ## Comparing Shopify Sidekick to other AI ecommerce tools Unlike generic AI chatbots (such as [ChatGPT](/content/apps/chatgpt/integrate/index.html)) that are not integrated with your systems, Shopify Sidekick has direct access to your store’s data and admin. This means Sidekick can answer store-specific questions and perform actual store actions, which a standalone AI like ChatGPT cannot do out of the box. For example, ChatGPT might help you brainstorm product names or write ad copy, but it won’t know your inventory levels or be able to create a discount in your Shopify admin. Sidekick’s context-awareness and ability to “just know” your store are major differentiators. Sidekick’s biggest advantage is being built into Shopify itself. You don’t need to install a separate app or export your data – it’s readily available in your admin and uses your existing store information securely. Competing AI tools might require you to connect APIs or periodically upload data, and they might not be able to execute changes directly in your store. Sidekick, on the other hand, can execute or guide real changes in real time (with your confirmation), making it feel like a true assistant embedded in your workflow. This tight integration can result in a smoother experience and faster results compared to using multiple disparate AI tools for different tasks. That said, Sidekick is focused on the Shopify ecosystem and primarily helps with backend store management. If you need AI beyond Shopify’s core functionality — like a chatbot for shoppers on your storefront or advanced design tools — you might still rely on other solutions alongside Sidekick. This is where tools like [MESA](/content/blog/shopify-sidekick/index.html) come in. MESA is Shopify’s leading AI automation platform, and it includes its own built-in AI assistant. MESA's AI helps merchants create and automate workflows across Shopify and third-party apps — perfect for scenarios that go beyond what Sidekick handles. Whether you’re syncing data between platforms, generating custom content, or triggering actions based on store events, MESA and its AI can help bridge the gap. In many cases, merchants may find that Sidekick covers 80% of their store management needs, and MESA, powered by its built-in AI, can help take care of the rest. **Shopify Sidekick vs. ChatGPT vs. MESA AI: Quick Comparison** | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Feature** | **Shopify Sidekick** | **ChatGPT** | **MESA AI** | | Access to Shopify store data | ✅ Built-in | ❌ No access | ✅ Full access | | Execute store actions | ✅ Direct | ❌ Manual | ✅ Automated | | Cross-app workflows | ❌ Shopify only | ❌ No integration | ✅ 100+ apps | | Content generation | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | | Image generation | ✅ Yes | ✅ Via DALL-E | ❌ Not primary focus | | Analytics & reporting | ✅ Store-specific | ❌ Generic | ✅ Advanced | | Proactive recommendations | ✅ Sidekick Pulse | ❌ No | ✅ Context-aware | | Custom app builder | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No | | Workflow automation | ✅ Via Flow | ❌ No | ✅ Advanced | | Saved prompts/skills | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | | Cost | Included in Shopify | Separate subscription | MESA subscription | | Best for | Daily store management | General tasks | Complex automation | ## Getting started with Shopify Sidekick **Enabling and accessing Sidekick** Getting started is easy – if you have a Shopify store, Sidekick is built right in (for stores where it’s rolled out). Simply log in to your Shopify admin (web or mobile) and look for the Sidekick icon (a small face with a mask) in the top navigation bar. Click the icon, and a chat window will appear. From there, you can start interacting with Sidekick as you would in a chat – it’s ready to answer questions or take commands. No complex installation or setup is required beyond having the feature enabled on your store. **Starting a conversation** Once the Sidekick chat panel is open, you can begin by typing a question or choosing from example prompts provided. For best results, ask clear questions or give specific instructions (e.g., “Generate a monthly sales report” or “Help me add a new product with these details…”). Sidekick will respond almost instantly. If the response includes an action (like navigating to a page or applying a change), you may see a button to confirm that action (for example, an **“Apply” button to insert generated content or a link to a settings page). Simply click those to proceed. **Tips for optimal results** To make the most of Sidekick, be specific with your requests. If you want precise information, mention product names or dates (e.g., “show last week’s sales for product X”). When generating content, describe the tone or audience for better-tailored output (e.g., “Write a playful Instagram caption for…”). Remember that you can always refine Sidekick’s output by saying something like “Make it shorter” or “Use a more formal tone,” and it will adjust the content. Additionally, keep in mind Sidekick’s current limitations—for instance, it won’t execute changes without your approval and doesn’t engage with customers on your behalf. Use it as a super-smart assistant, but always review important changes before applying them.