Shopify’s New Theme Collection: Building Stores with a Touch of AI Magic
This summer, Shopify released 10 new themes as part of its modular Theme Blocks collection.
Instead of a fixed layout, every page element: product page, banner, reviews, and video - is built from flexible blocks you can easily arrange and edit directly in the editor. The real innovation lies behind the scenes: AI integrated into the editor. Got an idea? Just type a prompt, and the block is built right in front of you.
And it’s not just about convenience. The direction is clear: Shopify is making store editing more intuitive, dynamic, and aligned with the pace of today’s brands - those that want to move fast, refresh, update, and adapt the store on the fly. In the first test, we asked the AI to create a banner for a seasonal promotion with a creative twist (a unicorn running across a snowy background). The banner was ready in minutes. Would we publish it as-is for a brand store? Probably not. But as an experiment, it is imposing and especially valuable for creative teams looking to work more independently.
The New Sidekick: Not Just an Assistant, Almost a Team Member
The new version of Sidekick significantly expands its capabilities. Beyond answering questions, it can now analyze store data and suggest and do actions for improvement, almost like having a Shopify expert by your side. You can also communicate with it, generate visuals directly from the Admin with a few keywords, and use it on mobile, including voice chat (currently rolling out).
Additionally, you can already perform specific actions via Sidekick, such as creating discount codes, setting up new categories (Collections), and configuring promotions. For example, we asked Sidekick for SEO improvement suggestions for one of our client stores, and within minutes, we received a detailed analysis and an actionable list of recommendations. It’s not a complete replacement for in-depth work but a tool that allows lean teams to make fast, data-driven decisions and execute key actions more easily.
Shopify POS - Getting Smarter Too
The new version of Shopify POS takes the system a few steps forward, from a simple payment tool to a platform that enables a seamless shopping experience across physical stores and online. The design has been updated, navigation is more intuitive, and device performance (including mobile) is smoother, all to help staff deliver a consistent customer experience that extends the online brand to the store.
One particularly impactful feature is that it’s now possible to offer Store Credit - customer credit that can be used both online and in physical stores, regardless of where the purchase was made.
It may seem like a small change on paper, but it has a significant impact on customer service and a consistent brand experience.
A Faster, Smarter Checkout for Complex Logistics
Several new Checkout improvements in this release aim to enhance the payment experience and reduce abandonment.
Checkout now loads almost 2 seconds faster, a change that improves flow and shortens the path from adding products to completing the purchase.
It’s also now possible to apply Flat Rates for Split Shipping, so customers aren’t surprised by separate and confusing shipping fees when items ship from multiple warehouses or stores.
Brands running complex logistics models (multi-warehouse, blending online and offline) can gain direct value from these updates, both in terms of customer experience and conversion rates.
Global Selling - Smoother Cross-Border Operations
Shopify is also adding tools to reduce friction and improve the experience for international customers.
It’s now possible to collect Duties and Taxes directly at Checkout and choose whether to embed them in product prices, so customers see a clear, total cost with no surprises. There’s also now support for Cookie Banners within Checkout itself, alongside an Audit Log to track customer consent, helping brands comply with regulations like GDPR.
Not every brand we work with utilizes Shopify Markets. Still, for those selling to markets like Europe and the U.S., these tools can definitely help manage a compliant and transparent purchasing experience.
Marketing - New Tools for AI-Driven, Smarter Campaigns
Among this summer’s standout updates is Knowledge Base - a new tool that lets you edit the information Shopify shares with AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and others. Why does this matter? Because more and more customers are getting answers about your store not from browsing your site or Google but from conversations with AI. To ensure your brand is represented accurately, it’s crucial to keep this information updated, precise, and aligned with your brand’s voice.
In other words, it’s a new layer of SEO - not just how your site ranks, but how AI understands it.
This service is available through a free Shopify app you can download here.
Additionally, new Segmentation Templates enable faster creation of targeted customer segments, and the new Campaigns tool allows brands to manage and track multi-channel campaigns, including those running outside of Shopify.
Shopify Collabs is also expanding. It’s a platform for partnering with content creators, helping brands recruit and manage influencers, track performance, and handle payouts—all from within Shopify.
Shipping - More Control and Efficiency from the Admin
In the Shipping area, Shopify continues to add tools to simplify logistics, especially for brands managing multiple warehouses or locations.
A key addition: you can now print Pick Lists directly from the Admin, including product images and data, which reduces errors and streamlines fulfillment.
You can also print up to 250 shipping labels at once, and there’s been a significant upgrade to multi-location inventory management with barcode scanning.
The system now makes it easier to split items across locations and track transfers and inventory in a more intuitive way.
Brands running more complex logistics will find these updates help simplify daily operations and reduce the minor errors that tend to accumulate in fulfillment.
Operations - Less Reliance on External Tools, More Built-In Capabilities
One of the clear trends in this summer’s releases is the integration of more management and analytics capabilities into the Admin, allowing teams to make informed business decisions and shape processes without relying on external tools. At the core of this is ShopifyQL, a simple query language that lets you build and save custom reports directly within Shopify. In many cases, this eliminates the need for external business intelligence (BI) tools for day-to-day analysis.
There are also new Web Performance Reports, offering insights into site performance (Core Web Vitals) at both page and page type levels, which are essential for brands looking to improve UX and conversions.
Shopify Flow also received a significant update. The automation editor is now more intuitive, with Sample Data built into the editor and the ability to test what’s happening. This makes it much easier to build, test, and refine automations, even without writing code.
Finally, Shopify now offers a more streamlined way to import data from other platforms (Square, WooCommerce, Etsy, Amazon, and more), simplifying migrations and multi-channel operations.
Conclusion
Shopify continues to move forward, with every release introducing tools that enable brands to work smarter, faster, and more precisely with their customers.
As always, not every new feature is right for every store; however, brands that know how to choose and implement the right ones can gain a genuine competitive edge.
If you’d like to understand which of these updates are best suited for your business and how to implement them effectively, we at BOA Ideas are here to help!