Shopify has officially unveiled its Winter 2026 Editions, introducing more than 150 new updates across AI, online selling, retail, logistics, checkout, analytics, B2B, shipping, finance, and developer tools. This release signals Shopify’s most ambitious shift yet: a unified commerce ecosystem where AI-driven operations, intelligent storefronts, and frictionless buyer experiences converge.

This blog explores every major update to Sidekick, Agentic Storefronts, Online store improvements, POS hardware, Marketing tools, Checkout upgrades, Operations automation, B2B advancements, Finance tools, Shipping updates, and more. If you want a clear explanation of how these innovations transform modern eCommerce, this is your guide.

The Rise of AI Commerce: Sidekick Becomes Your On-Demand Business Expert

One of the biggest highlights of Winter 2026 is Sidekick, Shopify's AI-powered commerce expert embedded directly into the admin.

Sidekick Pulse: Insights Delivered Before You Ask

Sidekick now proactively provides personalized recommendations based on store data, industry trends, and emerging buyer patterns. Instead of hunting through analytics reports, merchants receive actionable insights on what to fix, optimize, or capitalize on.

Complex Tasks, Fully Delegated

Sidekick can now generate custom apps, something previously reserved for advanced developers. Merchants can request tools like:

Inventory reorder recommendation app
Team-wide task tracker
Returns and eligibility checker
Discount event generator
Bulk CSV importer for B2B companies

This eliminates hours of development timelines and costs.

Automated Workflows Without Technical Expertise

By describing a workflow (e.g., “Tag VIP customers who spent over $500 this month”), Sidekick builds it inside Shopify Flow automatically.

Visual Reports on Demand

Need performance dashboards or segmented analytics? Sidekick generates them through the ShopifyQL editor in seconds.

Enhanced Design Control

Sidekick now supports:

Instant theme edits
Studio-quality image manipulation
Background removal
Mobile image editing
Email template editing

The AI designer now complements the AI developer and AI analyst, unifying shop operations with minimal effort.

Smarter Daily Productivity

New features streamline tedious tasks:

Multi-step task planning
Voice-powered mobile chat
Wide-mode workspace
App discovery support
Targeted answers via contextual selection
Better memory for user preferences
B2B company creation
Balance checks and transfers
Block generation for all themes

Sidekick is no longer an assistant; it’s the backbone of Shopify’s AI commerce revolution.

Agentic: Shopify’s Entry Into AI Commerce Everywhere

AI chats are quickly becoming a dominant shopping channel. Shopify responds with Agentic Storefronts, a system allowing your product catalog to be syndicated into AI platforms like:

ChatGPT
Microsoft Copilot
Perplexity

Soon, more platforms will follow.

Universal AI Shopping Presence

Once your data is synced, AI platforms can automatically surface your products to millions of high-intent buyers. You manage preferences centrally in Shopify and optimize how your brand appears in conversational commerce.

This is the future of product discovery shopping via direct conversation.

Online Store: Smarter Testing, Faster Launches, and Better Storefront Tools

Shopify has dramatically upgraded how merchants design, test, and deploy themes.

A/B Testing With Rollouts

Rollouts brings built-in A/B testing and scheduled theme publishing, helping merchants validate which design or UX change converts best before committing.

Simulated User Behavior With SimGym

Before launching site updates, merchants can simulate shopper behavior through AI agents trained on billions of purchase records. This helps predict how real buyers will react.

Unified Design Experience

Make updates to:

Products
Collections
Markets
Metafields

without leaving the theme editor, reducing workflow friction.

Theme Generation on Mobile

Merchants can now generate, preview, and publish entire themes using the Shopify mobile app. This enables store management directly from a phone. For merchants looking to enhance their store’s design and functionality, explore the Best Shopify Marketplace Themes for Your Online Business

WooCommerce Competitor Move: Sell on WordPress

With the new Shopify WordPress plugin, merchants can add:

Products
Collections
Cart
Checkout

directly to their existing WordPress sites.

Horizon Theme Overhaul

The Horizon theme now offers:

250+ improvements
New animations
Interactive elements
Better performance

Expanded Catalog Capacity

Products can now have up to 2048 variants, enabling high-volume retailers to manage large catalogs more efficiently.

Powerful Merchandising Enhancements

Updates include:

Unlisted product visibility
Collection duplication
Conditional exclusions in smart collections
Automatic customer-specific discounts
Compare-at prices inside admin
Bundle option combinations
Global unit pricing
Lovable-powered store generation
Domain discovery via AI
Improved theme discovery
AI-generated store before signup
Faster logins via Shop and iOS autofill
Social login options

Shopify continues pushing the boundaries of flexibility and speed for eCommerce brands.

Retail & POS: Hardware Designed for Enterprise Stability

Shopify’s retail updates focus on reliability and operational power.

POS Hub: The New Hardware Backbone

The POS Hub is a wired, CPU-powered system designed to eliminate connection drops or pairing issues. Key features:

Multiple USB ports
Built-in processor
Automatic firmware updates
Health monitoring
Strong security

Advanced Scanner Compatibility

Merchants can now choose from a wider range of barcode scanners, plug-and-play usability simplifies setup.

Subscriptions Directly on POS

Retailers can sell subscription products in-store via the Shopify Subscriptions app.

Real-Time Inventory Control

Quick Count allows scanning and updating inventory directly on POS, exclusive to POS Pro.

Unified POS Customization

Design customer displays, grids, receipts, and lock screens in a single interface.

Additional Enhancements

Same-day delivery through Uber Direct
Markets for Retail
Expanded in-person payment coverage across Europe
QR code payments
Tap to Pay expansion
Customizable return receipts
Better return tracking
Smarter refund management

Shopify is clearly targeting enterprise retail capabilities with scalable, stable systems.

Marketing Upgrades: Smarter Targeting, Better Discovery, and AI Support

The Winter 2026 update introduces a major shift in how merchants acquire customers.

Shopify Product Network

Stores can now instantly display other brands’ products to fill catalog gaps and earn commission on each sale.

Shop Campaigns Expansion

Promo placements now appear:

On product pages
In collection pages
In post-purchase flows

SMS Marketing Built Directly Into Shopify

Merchants can now manage SMS marketing with scheduling, segmentation, and analytics.

Auto-Translation for Forms

Forms can be translated into 19+ languages instantly boosting global conversions.

Advanced Segmentation Tools

Merchants can segment based on:

Product categories viewed
Purchase history
Customer behavior patterns

Enhanced Email Tools

Email campaigns support dynamic product sections and improved planning with a calendar interface.

More Marketing Consent Controls

Shopify Forms now lets merchants choose how marketing consent is captured per form.

First-Party Analytics on Customer Accounts

Web pixels now run on customer account pages, enabling post-purchase behavior tracking.

This release gives brands more reach, more automation, and deeper personalization.

Checkout: Faster, Smarter, More Localized

Shopify’s checkout remains the world’s highest converting and now it’s even stronger.

Personalized Shop Pay

Customers now see their saved card's last digits directly on the payment button, increasing trust and conversion.

Custom Checkout Per Market

Merchants can localize checkout and customer account experiences by country or buyer type.

Global Payment Improvements

Major updates include:

Shop Pay Installments in the UK
Integration with Global-e for cross-border payments
Apple Pay inside Shop Pay
Streamlined Shopify Payments onboarding
More local payment methods across Europe
Klarna expansion

Subscription Protection

Shop Pay automatically alerts subscribers before stored payment methods expire.

Zero-Downtime Migration

Switching to Shopify Payments no longer interrupts checkout.

This suite of upgrades pushes Shopify further ahead in checkout optimization.

Operations: Automation, Analytics, Inventory, and Productivity at Scale

Winter 2026 features massive updates for operational teams.

Flexible Inventory Transfers

Merchants can now modify:

Locations
Shipments
In-transit adjustments

These mimic real-world logistics workflows more closely.

Quick Sale via Mobile

Instant in-person selling is now possible using Tap to Pay or payment links.

Apple Watch Metrics

Real-time business metrics are now accessible from Apple Watch widgets.

AI-Enhanced Chargebacks

Shopify auto-generates dispute summaries with relevant policy and tracking evidence.

Password-Free Login via Passkeys

Improves security and reduces admin friction.

Analytics Improvements

New tools include:

Heatmaps
Custom item limits
Bot traffic filtering
Full inventory adjustment history
Minute-level date filters
Multi-location flash sale protection
Organization-wide analytics (Plus only)

Fulfillment Workflow Enhancements

Bin locations in Order Printer
More advanced order filtering
Auto-recalculated duties and taxes
Safeguards for bulk edits
Discounts on fulfilled items
Workflow testing in Flow
Cancel workflow runs

Improved Managed Markets

Merchants enjoy faster payouts, compliance checks, and improved HS code control.

Operations become more flexible, more transparent, and far more automated.

B2B Commerce: Advanced Global Wholesale Capabilities

Shopify is expanding B2B aggressively.

Global Shopify Collective Access

Retailers in 35+ new countries can source products directly from Shopify brands.

ACH Payments for B2B

ACH bank payments are now accepted for wholesale orders.

Better Supplier-Retailer Matching

Suppliers can discover new buyers through a built-in directory.

Shipment-Specific Payment Requests

Merchants can bill separately for each shipment in multi-fulfillment orders.

Expanded B2B Tools

Pickup in store
Store credit issuance
Dynamic payment terms via Shopify Functions
Review rules for high-risk orders
New B2B-compatible apps
Instant product imports
ERP integrations
Horizon theme compatibility for B2B

Shopify has turned B2B commerce into a flexible, global, enterprise-grade experience.

Finance Tools: Better Capital, Money Management, and Payment Flexibility

Shopify is evolving from a commerce platform to a full financial ecosystem.

Continuous Funding With Shopify Capital

Merchants access flexible, replenishing capital accounts with ongoing approval cycles.

Automatic Balance Transfers

Set rules to instantly allocate revenue into:

Inventory
Expenses
Marketing
Savings

Staff Cards With Spend Controls

Assign Shopify Balance cards to employees and define spending limits.

Capital Expansion in Europe

Shopify Capital now supports merchants in:

Netherlands
Ireland
Spain

Enhanced Global Profit Tracking

Compare margins across countries using actual and estimated fees.

USDC Credits

Earn credits on USDC payments (US, Mexico, Hong Kong).

Faster Money Movement

Same-day ACH transfers and improved card dispute management.

Dynamic Credit Limits

Shopify Credit now adjusts limits based on performance.

Real-Time Fraud Alerts

Protect accounts with SMS notifications.

Shipping: Faster, Smarter, and More Global

Shopify added a number of shipping enhancements.

FedEx Return Labels

Merchants can now create and send return labels directly from Shopify.

Package-Level Shipping Accuracy

Assign default packaging per variant for better rate accuracy.

Custom Sender Names

Enhances privacy and compliance for label printing.

Expanded Logistics Integrations

Merchants gain access to more fulfillment partners, including:

Amazon
DHL
GoBolt
Bigblue
Mayple

Global Carrier Coverage

Buy labels directly in Shopify for:

Royal Mail (UK)
Australia Post
DHL Express (Canada)

Redesigned Fulfillment Card

Track in-progress orders and manage statuses more clearly.

Developer Ecosystem: A New Era of Agentic Commerce

Developers now have access to tools that connect storefronts directly with AI agents.

Agentic Commerce APIs

Developers can build shopping experiences inside AI platforms, using:

Catalog API
Checkout MCP

Global Product Search

Over one billion products are now searchable through MCP.

Checkout Kit for Web

Render Shopify checkout in any browser application or AI agent workflow.

Sidekick Extensibility

Developers can create Sidekick extensions so merchants can interact with app data directly through Sidekick prompts.

Apps & Themes Improvements

Better app discovery
Clearer requirements
Built for Shopify grace periods
Improved theme search
Regional Web Vitals insight

Shopify is building the foundation for AI-native commerce experiences.

Final Thoughts

Shopify Winter ’26 Editions delivers powerful upgrades that help merchants work smarter and grow faster. To make the most of these new features, partnering with an expert team is essential. The Fold Tech, a Shopify development and marketing company, specializes in custom builds, design, migration, SEO, and conversion-focused strategies that drive real results. If you are ready to optimize or scale your Shopify store, The Fold Tech can help you turn these innovations into measurable growth.

Shopify Winter 2026 Editions: Breakdown of New Commerce Innovations