No Coding, No Problem — Shopify Lets Anyone Build a Store

Shopify had rolled out major improvements to its AI -powered commerce assistant in its Winter ’26 edition, branded RenAIssance.

The technological improvements include Agentic Storefronts, and key updates across point of sale and developer tools.

It says its Shopify Agentic Storefronts allows the likes of ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot to host conversations about merchant products, without complex integrations or separate apps for each platform.

Shopify Agentic Storefronts

“Customers can buy without leaving their conversations, and merchants can decide where and how their brand shows up,” Shopify says in a statement.

Sidekick, which is used in site development, can build admin apps from a prompt, customise themes with natural language, generate Flow automations, edit product photos and save reusable “skills” for repeat tasks.

Marketing aid SimGym can test ideas and eliminate guesswork. Shopify says the new app is being released as a research preview using AI shopper agents to model how different customers might experience a storefront.

“SimGym models different shopper behaviour, comparing themes, surfacing issues, and recommending changes before launch,” it says.

All of this becomes available as Shopify rolls out its Winter ‘26 Edition called RenAIssance, comprising more than 150 products. It’s Shopify’s eighth showcase of its latest products and innovations.

“Australian retailers are operating in one of the most competitive and dynamic markets in the world,” says Shaun Broughton, Managing Director, APAC & Japan, Shopify.

“Consumer expectations are rising quickly, and merchants need tools that help them act on signals in real time while removing as much operational friction as possible.

Shopify SymGym marketing tool

“This Edition, we’re giving Australian businesses AI capabilities that streamline the work behind the scenes – refining storefronts, simplifying merchandising and making day-to-day operations more efficient. This allows retailers to focus on creativity, innovation and serving customers, whether they’re just starting out or scaling across markets.”

Vanessa Lee, VP, Leading Product, says Shopify chose the Renaissance theme because it symbolises progress, momentum, courage, new beginnings, and redefining what’s possible.

“It’s a compilation of 150 plus product updates across our platform that help merchants and developers make the most of the latest technologies and advancements in AI and beyond. Many of these features weren’t possible a year ago and they redefine how we achieve our mission of making commerce better for everyone.”

Dan Small, Chief Customer Officer at Boody says his business is using Sidekick to quickly uncover actionable insights about shopper behaviour.

“With a number of proven hero products that are day-in and day-out best sellers, sometimes we can overlook small changes in consumer behaviour. Sidekick helps us identify these subtle shifts by showing how different customer segments engage with bundles and promotions in real time.

“This enables us to optimise offers and marketing strategies responsively, sharpening human decision-making and allowing us to spend less time analysing data and more time acting on what truly matters to our customers — which is what modern retail is really about.”