Shopify to Add AI-Powered Media Editor and Commerce Assistant

Shopify plans to expand its range of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools for sellers to include a media editor and a commerce assistant.

These are among more than 100 updates the company will add to its eCommerce platform, Shopify said in a Wednesday (Jan. 31) product news release.

The company’s Media Editor will enable sellers to use generative AI to create original images and edit existing ones to use on their online store, according to the release. The tool will perform these tasks with only a few clicks or keywords. It will be available early this year.

“Building an online store requires tons of high-quality media assets, which can cost hundreds of dollars per image and weeks to produce,” the release said. “Our new Media Editor lets you use generative AI to DIY your product images instantly and for free, directly within your Shopify Admin.”

The other soon-to-be-released tool is an AI-enabled assistant for commerce called Sidekick, per the release. This has been rolled out to a few merchants in early access and will soon be generally available.

“It allows you to use AI to increase productivity, improve workflows, make smarter decisions and spend less time on operational tasks,” the release said.

Other platforms have been rolling out AI-powered tools as well in recent months. For example, eBay previewed an image-based listing tool for its sellers in October; Amazon Ads beta launched an image generation tool for advertisers in October; and Meta began rolling out generative AI-powered features as part of its Ad Manager for ad creatives in October.

Other updates announced by Shopify on Wednesday include a new checkout experience that has been streamlined from three pages to one; 14 new application programming interfaces (APIs) and more than 90 new apps that allow sellers to customize their checkout; and a new Subscription app that lets sellers set up and manage their subscriptions.

Shopify has also added two new products to its suite of lending solutions: Shopify Line of Credit, which enables sellers to access only the funding they need, and Shopify Term Loans, which let sellers tailor their loan amounts, rates and repayments.