Shopify unveils AI shopping tools in Fall '26 update

Shopify has unveiled its Fall '26 Edition, Exponential, adding new tools for AI shopping, merchant operations, payments and software development.

The update is Shopify's tenth product showcase and centres on what it calls agentic commerce, in which AI agents help shoppers buy products and help merchants manage stores. It also includes changes to Shop, Shopify Payments, point-of-sale software and developer tooling.

One of the main additions is Shopify Connectors for AI agents, which lets merchants connect Shopify with AI agents they already use to manage products, inventory, orders and performance from a chat interface.

The connectors now work with nine agents: ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Duet, Copilot, Gemini, Grok, Grok Bot, Muse and Perplexity. Sidekick, Shopify's own AI assistant, can now run calculations, write code, search the internet and remember information provided by merchants, while still requiring approval for changes.

Shopping by AI

For consumers, Shopify introduced shop.md, which turns AI agents into shopping assistants. Users can direct agents such as ChatGPT and Claude to search for products, receive recommendations, check out with Shop Pay and track orders.

Shopify says the tool draws on a catalogue of more than a billion products and can use shopper preferences, sizes and order history from Shop to find products from Shopify merchants and complete purchases through Shop Pay.

Developers can now build on Shop MCP at shop.dev without needing a key to get started. The service uses the same product catalogue and checkout system behind ChatGPT, Copilot, Muse and Instinct.

Another addition, WebMCP, is being rolled out across every Liquid and Hydrogen storefront and checkout. It exposes structured data so browser-based agents can search products, update carts and complete checkout once the buyer approves the purchase.

Rather than requiring agents to interpret screenshots or simulate clicks, the system provides structured product and checkout information. Shopify says this should make AI-driven shopping on its storefronts more reliable.

Payments changes

Shopify has also expanded its payments offering. Shopify Protect, a set of fraud and dispute tools in the admin panel, now includes a rule builder that lets merchants write and test their own fraud rules.

Signals from millions of businesses feed into Shopify's fraud defences, and Shopify Payments stops more than 12,000 high-risk payments every minute for merchants using the service. The company also added new local payment methods to Shopify Payments, including MB WAY, Satispay, Scalapay and PayNow.

Those payment methods no longer require a third-party plug-in, and local payment options will also appear in Shop Pay and the Shop app. Satispay, Scalapay and GrabPay will also work in person on Shopify POS.

More payout currencies are being made available through Shopify Payments in Australia, France, Singapore and Hong Kong. Australian merchants can also now offer Shop Pay Instalments, allowing customers to pay over time without leaving Shop Pay checkout.

Shop and stores

Shop, Shopify's shopping product, is also being extended to the web through Shop.com. The site will include shoppable posts, editorial collections and personalised sections, while also allowing order tracking in a web browser.

Inside the Shop app, Shopify is introducing a universal checkout for carts containing products from multiple merchants. This allows buyers to purchase from several sellers in one session while preserving merchant-specific checkout extensions and validations.

Carts will also now sync both ways between Shop and merchants' online stores, allowing shoppers to return to an online store and continue where they left off.

For physical retail, Shopify says its POS system can identify more in-store customers through its network of shoppers who have previously checked out with Shopify Payments. When shoppers opt to share details for a digital receipt, that information can be saved to a profile linked to the purchase.

Known in-store customers have more than 60% higher lifetime value than unknown customers, according to Shopify. A new recent carts feature also lets store staff begin a cart on one device and complete it on another.

Developer tools

Among the developer-focused additions is a new Shopify app security check command in Shopify AI Toolkit and Shopify CLI. The tool helps developers identify common security vulnerabilities in apps by reviewing code, extension-point configuration and dependencies on a local machine.

Each finding includes the affected file and line, a severity rating, an explanation and a code example for a fix. The tool is intended to work alongside existing security reviews and software tools.

James Johnson, Head of Enterprise ANZ at Shopify, said: "Australian retailers are operating in an increasingly complex environment. Customer expectations are rising, AI is changing how people discover and buy products, and businesses are under constant pressure to manage costs while finding new ways to grow."

"The challenge isn't just keeping up with these changes, but being able to adapt quickly and take advantage of new opportunities. That's where having everything connected makes a real difference. With our latest innovations, we're showcasing the benefits of Shopify's network effect, bringing more of Shopify's capabilities together to help local businesses simplify their operations, reach customers wherever they shop, and grow with greater confidence," Johnson said.