Shopify AI (Shopify Magic + Sidekick): features, where to find them, and how to use them

Quick answers

• What is Shopify AI? Shopify’s built-in AI is primarily delivered through Shopify Magic (AI features across the platform) and Sidekick (an AI commerce assistant in the admin).
• Is it free? Many Shopify Magic features are included for stores on paid plans. Some capabilities depend on the product you’re using (for example Shopify Email sending, theme editing, or plan features).
• What’s the fastest win? Product content: descriptions, SEO titles/meta, and FAQs—because it’s easy to review and improves conversion quickly.
• What’s the biggest risk? Publishing AI text that invents specs, claims, shipping times, guarantees, or policies. Use “human-in-the-loop” review for anything customer-facing.

Shopify AI feature map

Shopify’s AI isn’t one button—it’s a set of capabilities that show up in different places across the admin. Use this map to understand what you can do inside Shopify before adding third‑party AI apps.

Where to find Shopify AI in the admin

Shopify AI features are contextual: they appear when you’re editing content or working in specific tools. Use this checklist to locate them quickly.

1) Shopify Magic (built-in AI features)

1. Products: open a product → scroll to the description → look for “generate” / “write with AI” type actions.
2. Online Store pages: edit pages/blog posts → use AI to draft/rewire sections (then review).
3. Marketing emails: Marketing → Shopify Email → draft an email → use AI for subject lines and body suggestions.
4. Editing text everywhere: whenever you see a rich text field, check for AI help: rewrite, shorten, expand, tone.

2) Sidekick (AI assistant)

Sidekick lives inside the admin and is designed to help merchants complete tasks and understand performance. Treat it as an “ops co‑pilot”: ask for explanations, next steps, and drafts—then verify changes.

• Ask: “Why did conversion drop last week?” → then request a checklist of likely causes and what to inspect.
• Ask: “Summarize my best‑selling products and what they have in common.”
• Ask: “Draft a product-page improvement plan for [product name] based on my store data.”

3 high-ROI workflows (copy/paste ready)

Workflow A: Product page velocity (safe & measurable)

1. Start with clean inputs: title, specs, materials, dimensions, warranty, shipping/returns policy.
2. Generate a first draft description with Shopify Magic.
3. Run a QA pass: remove invented claims, verify sizing/specs, align with policies.
4. Add a short FAQ block to reduce support tickets.
5. Measure: conversion rate, add‑to‑cart rate, returns, support tickets.

Workflow B: Email flow drafts (welcome + abandoned cart)

1. Use Shopify Email AI suggestions to draft subject lines + body copy.
2. Enforce guardrails: no false urgency, no discount claims you can’t honor, no invented shipping promises.
3. Measure: open rate, click rate, revenue per recipient, unsubscribe rate.

Workflow C: Sidekick weekly review (30 minutes)

1. Ask Sidekick to summarize week-over-week performance changes (traffic, conversion, AOV).
2. Ask for 3 hypotheses and 3 tests (ranked by effort/impact).
3. Execute 1 test per week; document results.

Prompt pack (use inside Shopify or with your editor)

These prompts are designed to reduce hallucinations by forcing the model to stick to your inputs.

Role: You are an ecommerce copy editor.
Task: Write a product description for Shopify.
Inputs (use only these facts):
- Product title:
- Key specs (materials, dimensions, compatibility):
- What’s included:
- Care / instructions:
- Shipping + returns policy summary:
Constraints:
- Do NOT invent claims, guarantees, or certifications.
- If a detail is missing, write “(confirm)” instead of guessing.
Output format:
1) 1-sentence benefit-led opener
2) 5 bullets (features → benefit)
3) Short “Who it’s for”
4) 4 FAQs (shipping/returns, sizing, materials, care)

Write an abandoned cart email for Shopify Email.
Brand voice: (paste examples)
Offer: (if any; otherwise say “no discount”)
Constraints:
- No false urgency.
- No shipping time promises unless provided.
- Keep under 120 words.
Output:
- 6 subject line options
- Email body (plain text)
- One CTA button label

Limitations and guardrails

Shopify AI vs third-party AI apps

A simple rule: use Shopify Magic + Sidekick for work that relies on Shopify context (products, orders, storefront setup), and add third‑party AI tools when you need integrations Shopify doesn’t cover (helpdesk, ad platforms, advanced experimentation).

• Use Shopify AI for: product content, email drafting, admin insights, store setup.
• Use apps for: helpdesk automation (Zendesk/Gorgias), cross‑channel ad generation, deep personalization engines.

Next steps

1. Start Shopify (trial) and locate Shopify Magic features in Products + Shopify Email.
2. Ship one workflow end-to-end (product pages) with a strict QA checklist.
3. Then expand: emails → support macros → analytics cadence.

Continue here: Getting Started, AI Tools for Shopify, Blog.