Shopify Sidekick is an AI-enabled commerce assistant built into the Shopify platform. It combines Shopify’s commerce knowledge with advanced AI (powered by Shopify Magic) to help you start, run, and grow your online store.
Sidekick works through a chat interface in your Shopify admin, available 24/7 as a virtual Shopify expert at your side. It can generate content, answer questions about your store, create reports, suggest marketing campaigns, and more. As a native part of Shopify, Sidekick integrates seamlessly with your store’s data and admin – it understands your products, orders, and settings, and can even take action (with your approval) to simplify operations.
In short, Sidekick acts like a knowledgeable business partner that’s always ready to help with just a simple prompt or question.
Topics:
Key features of Shopify Sidekick
Shopify is actively expanding Sidekick’s capabilities and highlights these features as key in its own marketing. For a full list of everything Sidekick can do—from meta field management to mobile app support—see the Shopify Sidekick help documentation.
Interactive Store Management and Guidance
Step-by-step task assistance: Sidekick provides clear, step-by-step instructions for tasks in Shopify. Just ask how to do something (e.g., setting up shipping rates), and it will guide you through the process or even navigate you to the right page in your admin. If Sidekick can’t perform an action directly, it offers an instruction card or link so you can complete it easily yourself.
Automated admin actions: For many requests, Sidekick can execute tasks or populate fields for you. For example, you can say “Create a 10% off discount for first-time customers,” and it will generate a discount setup for you to review and save. It can create collections, products, or customer segments on command, saving you from manual data entry.
Voice and real-time help: Shopify has introduced a voice and screen-sharing feature for Sidekick (early access) that lets you talk to Sidekick and even show your screen. This makes the help experience more interactive, like having a live support agent walk you through a solution in real time. It’s especially useful for complex or confusing setups, as Sidekick can respond to your voice and visual context immediately.
Broad range of support: From basic store setup tasks (connecting a domain, updating settings) to advanced configurations (editing store policies, adding products with variants), Sidekick can assist with a huge array of operations. It essentially serves as your on-demand Shopify guide, speeding up workflows by eliminating the need to search through docs or menus for what you need.
Data Insights and Proactive Recommendations
Analytics and reporting: Sidekick can analyze your store’s performance data and answer questions in plain language. Ask something like “Why are my snowboard sales down this month?” and Sidekick will dig into your data for answers – it might identify trends (e.g., low seasonal demand) and even show a graph to support its explanation. It leverages Shopify’s analytics (ShopifyQL) to generate custom reports or charts on the fly.
Customer segmentation: Using natural language, Sidekick helps you create custom customer segments for marketing. For instance, you can say “Segment customers in Canada who spent over $150 and haven’t bought in 90 days,” and Sidekick will instantly build that segment filter for you. This makes targeted marketing easier by taking the heavy lifting out of constructing complex queries.
Proactive business recommendations: Sidekick isn’t just reactive – it also offers suggestions to improve your store. It acts like a data-savvy consultant, pointing out opportunities and next steps. For example, if sales of a product are dipping, Sidekick might suggest running a 10% off promotion on that item and can even help you set it up. These AI-driven recommendations help merchants boost sales and optimize operations by leveraging insights that might not be obvious.
Real-time answers to business questions: Need to know which products are most often bought together, or which marketing channel drove the most sales in the last 60 days? Simply ask Sidekick. Because it’s plugged into your store’s live data, it can quickly summarize and provide insights on sales patterns, customer behavior, inventory levels, and more. This on-demand analysis allows for data-driven decision making without waiting for monthly reports.
AI-Driven Content and Image Generation
Content creation for your store: One of Sidekick’s standout capabilities is generating text content. It can write product descriptions, landing page copy, marketing emails, blog post drafts, and even SEO-friendly text, all tailored to your brand’s tone and your specific prompts. For example, you can ask, “Write a friendly product description for a vitamin C serum targeting young women,” and Sidekick will produce a description right in the product field, using your store’s context to keep it relevant. This AI copywriter functionality saves you time and helps ensure your content is engaging and professional.
Image generation built-in: Beyond text, Sidekick can also generate images on demand. Need a banner image for a summer sale or a quick product photo backdrop? Provide a prompt (e.g. “A vibrant beach scene with sunglasses for a summer sale banner”) and Sidekick will create up to 5 AI-generated images for you. You can refine the results with follow-up instructions and save the ones you like to your Shopify files or media library. This feature lets store owners craft visual content (like hero banners, social media graphics, or product shots with new backgrounds) without hiring a photographer or designer – what used to take days can now take minutes.
Consistent branding with AI assistance: Because Sidekick is aware of your store context, the content it generates tends to align with your brand voice and products. It can explain its choices or give multiple options if you need different angles. For instance, Sidekick can suggest several taglines or email subject lines so you can choose the one that best fits your style. This helps ensure that AI outputs are not one-size-fits-all, but rather personalized to your business, which can lead to more effective marketing content.
Seamless Store Customization and Design Assistance
Theme editing with AI: Customizing your storefront theme is faster with Sidekick’s help. If you’re in the Shopify Theme Editor, you can ask Sidekick to make design tweaks or style suggestions. For example, “Make my store look more retro” will prompt Sidekick to adjust colors, typography, spacing, and other theme settings to achieve that aesthetic. It can work on unpublished theme drafts too, so you can preview changes safely. All changes are presented for you to review and manually save, ensuring you stay in control.
Design recommendations: Sidekick doesn’t just blindly change settings; it also explains its design choices. If it updates your color scheme or font, it will tell you why those changes match the vibe you requested (e.g., how they make the site feel more youthful or elegant). This educational aspect means you’re not only getting a quick design fix, but also learning design principles for your brand.
Quick fixes and setup: Store owners often struggle with things like connecting a domain or updating DNS records. Sidekick simplifies these technical tasks, too. You can say, “Help me connect my custom domain,” and Sidekick will guide you through it step by step, or troubleshoot why a domain isn’t pointing correctly. By turning complicated setup steps into a conversation, Sidekick reduces friction in getting your store up and running and looking polished.
Benefits of using Shopify Sidekick for your ecommerce business
Boosted efficiency and productivity
Shopify Sidekick helps you get more done in less time. By automating repetitive tasks and instantly handling things that used to require digging through menus or manuals, it simplifies your Shopify workflows. Store owners can spend less time on setup or data crunching and more time on strategy. This increased efficiency can indirectly boost sales—for example, quicker implementation of marketing campaigns or site optimizations means you can capitalize on opportunities faster.
Data-driven decision making
With Sidekick delivering analytics and insights on demand, you can make informed business decisions without hiring an analyst. You’ll know what products are performing well, where your traffic is coming from, and what customers are doing, all through simple questions and answers. These data-driven recommendations (like identifying a slow-moving product and suggesting a discount) can increase revenue by targeting areas of improvement that you might otherwise miss.
Improved store content and customer experience
Sidekick’s AI-generated content can enhance your store’s customer experience. High-quality product descriptions and timely, personalized marketing emails can lead to more engaged shoppers and higher conversion rates. Also, by quickly adjusting your site’s design or fixing issues (with Sidekick’s guidance), you ensure customers always see a polished, up-to-date storefront. All of this contributes to greater customer satisfaction and trust in your brand.
24/7 assistance and reduced workload
Sidekick is like having an on-call assistant that never sleeps. It can answer questions or perform tasks anytime, which is especially useful for entrepreneurs who might be working outside of normal hours. Routine tasks – whether it’s drafting a blog post or pulling sales numbers – can be offloaded to Sidekick, freeing up your time and your team’s resources. Over time, this can reduce the need for additional staff or outside services for tasks that Sidekick can handle, directly saving costs.
Minimized errors and guidance for best practices
Because Sidekick knows Shopify’s best practices and documentation, it helps prevent mistakes. For example, if you’re unsure how to configure something, asking Sidekick will likely get you the correct method (or it will do it for you correctly). This guidance means you’re less likely to set up something incorrectly (like a discount that applies wrong, or a misconfigured shipping rate). The result is smoother operations and less firefighting down the road.
Real-world applications and success stories
Launching sales and campaigns in minutes
Merchants have used Shopify Sidekick to quickly execute time-sensitive promotions. In one demonstration, Shopify’s CEO asked Sidekick why a store’s snowboard sales were down, and the AI identified a drop in snow precipitation as a factor. He then instructed Sidekick to put all snowboards on sale and update the store’s theme for a summer surfing campaign – Sidekick handled the price changes, homepage updates, and theme styling within seconds. This example shows how a process that might take hours (data analysis, discount setup, theme customization) can be done almost instantly with Sidekick.
Store owners are saving time on daily tasks
Early users report significant time savings and smoother workflows thanks to Sidekick. For instance, the team at FoxEcom tested Sidekick and noted that tasks like setting up discounts or editing notification emails felt “almost effortless” with Sidekick guiding the process. They gave Sidekick a “10 out of 10” rating for how much easier those routine setups became. When mundane configuration steps are handled by Sidekick, merchants can focus more on creative and strategic work, knowing that the “busy work” is under control.
Content creation and design without experts
Small business owners who don’t have in-house designers or copywriters have found Sidekick to be a game-changer. One user shared that Sidekick’s image generation outputs were so good that what once required hiring a photographer or graphic designer “can now be done in minutes, just by asking Sidekick”. Similarly, store owners have been impressed by the quality of AI-written text content, often using it as-is or with minimal tweaks. This not only saves money on outsourcing but also allows for greater agility – you can launch a new product or marketing campaign with professional-looking visuals and copy on the same day, which can translate to higher sales and engagement.
Comparing Shopify Sidekick to other AI ecommerce tools
Unlike generic AI chatbots (such as ChatGPT) that are not integrated with your systems, Shopify Sidekick has direct access to your store’s data and admin. This means Sidekick can answer store-specific questions and perform actual store actions, which a standalone AI like ChatGPT cannot do out of the box. For example, ChatGPT might help you brainstorm product names or write ad copy, but it won’t know your inventory levels or be able to create a discount in your Shopify admin. Sidekick’s context-awareness and ability to “just know” your store are major differentiators.
Sidekick’s biggest advantage is being built into Shopify itself. You don’t need to install a separate app or export your data – it’s readily available in your admin and uses your existing store information securely. Competing AI tools might require you to connect APIs or periodically upload data, and they might not be able to execute changes directly in your store. Sidekick, on the other hand, can execute or guide real changes in real time (with your confirmation), making it feel like a true assistant embedded in your workflow. This tight integration can result in a smoother experience and faster results compared to using multiple disparate AI tools for different tasks.
That said, Sidekick is focused on the Shopify ecosystem and primarily helps with backend store management. If you need AI beyond Shopify’s core functionality — like a chatbot for shoppers on your storefront or advanced design tools — you might still rely on other solutions alongside Sidekick.
This is where tools like MESA come in. MESA is Shopify’s leading AI automation platform, and it includes its own built-in AI assistant, Yedric.
Yedric helps merchants create and automate workflows across Shopify and third-party apps — perfect for scenarios that go beyond what Sidekick handles. Whether you’re syncing data between platforms, generating custom content, or triggering actions based on store events, MESA and Yedric can help bridge the gap.
In many cases, merchants may find that Sidekick covers 80% of their store management needs, and MESA, powered by Yedric, can help take care of the rest.
Getting started is easy – if you have a Shopify store, Sidekick is built right in (for stores where it’s rolled out). Simply log in to your Shopify admin (web or mobile) and look for the Sidekick icon (a small face with a mask) in the top navigation bar. Click the icon, and a chat window will appear.
From there, you can start interacting with Sidekick as you would in a chat – it’s ready to answer questions or take commands. No complex installation or setup is required beyond having the feature enabled on your store.
Starting a conversation
Once the Sidekick chat panel is open, you can begin by typing a question or choosing from example prompts provided. For best results, ask clear questions or give specific instructions (e.g., “Generate a monthly sales report” or “Help me add a new product with these details…”).
Sidekick will respond almost instantly.
If the response includes an action (like navigating to a page or applying a change), you may see a button to confirm that action (for example, an **“Apply” button to insert generated content or a link to a settings page). Simply click those to proceed.
Tips for optimal results
To make the most of Sidekick, be specific with your requests.
If you want precise information, mention product names or dates (e.g., “show last week’s sales for product X”).
When generating content, describe the tone or audience for better-tailored output (e.g., “Write a playful Instagram caption for…”). Remember that you can always refine Sidekick’s output by saying something like “Make it shorter” or “Use a more formal tone,” and it will adjust the content.
Additionally, keep in mind Sidekick’s current limitations—for instance, it won’t execute changes without your approval and doesn’t engage with customers on your behalf. Use it as a super-smart assistant, but always review important changes before applying them.
Integrating Sidekick with your workflow
Sidekick works best when you incorporate it into your daily routine.
For example, start your day by asking Sidekick for a summary of yesterday’s sales or any low-stock alerts. If you’re preparing a marketing campaign, have Sidekick draft the email or product descriptions. You can even use it on the go via the Shopify mobile app to get quick answers about your store’s performance.
Over time, you’ll learn which types of prompts yield the best responses.
Don’t forget to give feedback using the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icons on Sidekick’s answers – this helps Shopify improve Sidekick’s accuracy.
Extending capabilities with automation platforms:
While Sidekick helps merchants manage their Shopify store more efficiently, it’s not designed to handle cross-app workflows or deeper customer engagement strategies. That’s where automation platforms like MESA — with its built-in AI assistant Yedric — come in.
MESA lets you build powerful automations that connect Shopify with your broader tech stack, from email marketing platforms to CRMs and fulfillment tools. Yedric enhances this by helping you generate workflows using natural language prompts, making it easy to automate repetitive tasks without writing code.
Related:
How to Automate Your Shopify Store For Long-term Reliability
For example, while Sidekick can help you understand which products are underperforming, MESA can automatically take action, like triggering a discount workflow, updating inventory across platforms, or alerting your marketing team in Slack. Think of Sidekick as your strategic advisor, and MESA as the engine that puts strategy into motion across your entire ecommerce stack.
Together, they form a complete AI-powered operation: Sidekick helps you work smarter in Shopify, while MESA and Yedric extend that intelligence everywhere else.
Shopify Sidekick is an AI-powered assistant built directly into Shopify. It works through a chat interface in your Shopify admin, where you can ask questions or give commands in plain language. Behind the scenes, Sidekick uses advanced machine learning (Shopify’s Magic AI technology) to understand your store’s data and Shopify’s systems. When you prompt Sidekick, it can pull in information from your products, orders, and analytics, then either provide an answer (like a quick statistic or explanation) or perform an action (like creating a discount or drafting an email).
Essentially, Sidekick “knows” your store and the Shopify platform, allowing it to execute tasks or provide guidance just like a human assistant would, but much faster. You simply chat with it as you would with a colleague – for example, “How were sales this week?” or “Help me design a banner for Mother’s Day” – and it will leverage AI to deliver results within seconds.
What features does Shopify Sidekick offer?
Shopify Sidekick offers a wide range of features that cover most aspects of running an online store.
Its capabilities include: content generation (writing product descriptions, email campaigns, blog posts, etc.), image generation (creating custom images or graphics from text prompts), store management assistance (helping set up discounts, add products, configure settings, connect domains, and more), analytics and reporting (answering questions about sales, creating reports, and visualizing data), customer segmentation (building targeted customer groups using natural language criteria), and theme design help (adjusting theme settings and style suggestions). It also provides navigation within Shopify – for instance, it can take you to the exact page in the admin you need to be on, or fetch relevant help center docs if you’re stuck.
In short, Sidekick is a multi-talented assistant: it can write, analyze, instruct, and execute across your Shopify store’s operations.
How can Shopify Sidekick help improve my e-commerce business?
Shopify Sidekick can improve your business in several ways.
First, it can boost your sales and marketing efforts by giving you data-driven insights and helping you act on them quickly – for example, identifying a drop in sales and immediately assisting in launching a promo to counter it.
Second, it saves you time by automating tedious tasks (like writing content or generating reports) so you and your team can focus on bigger-picture strategies and creative work. This increased efficiency often translates to cost savings, as you may not need to hire extra hands for tasks Sidekick can handle.
Third, Sidekick can enhance your customer experience indirectly: by helping you keep your store well-stocked, well-designed, and filled with up-to-date content and offers, customers will have a smoother shopping experience.
Lastly, Sidekick serves as a 24/7 advisor and problem-solver – especially useful for small business owners – meaning you have support whenever you need to make decisions or troubleshoot an issue.
Over time, using Sidekick can lead to a more agile business that responds to trends quickly and serves customers better, giving you an edge over competitors who might still be doing everything manually.
What are the differences between Shopify Sidekick and other AI tools?
The key difference is that Shopify Sidekick is purpose-built for the Shopify platform and lives directly within your store’s admin. It has contextual awareness of your products, orders, and settings, so it can take direct action inside your store, like setting up discounts or summarizing sales performance. Most general AI tools, like ChatGPT or external ecommerce apps, can’t do this without manual setup or integration.
That said, Sidekick focuses primarily on backend store management and guidance within Shopify. If you’re looking to extend AI into other parts of your business — like automating cross-app workflows, syncing data between platforms, or building marketing campaigns — you’ll likely need to pair Sidekick with other tools.
This is where platforms like MESA, and its built-in AI assistant Yedric, come into play. Yedric helps merchants build and automate complex workflows using natural language — enabling use cases that go beyond Sidekick’s scope. For example, while Sidekick might help you identify a high-performing product, MESA and Yedric can automatically trigger a targeted email campaign, sync product data to a marketplace, or update internal teams in real time.
So while Sidekick is powerful for in-store decision-making and task execution, tools like Yedric extend your automation capabilities across your entire ecommerce stack. Many merchants find using both creates a more complete, AI-powered workflow — one that combines strategic insight with end-to-end action.
What you should do now
Whenever you’re ready…here are 4 ways MESA can help you get more done:
Sign up for MESA. The best way to get started is sign up for MESA today. Every plan includes the first 7-days free so you can be assured your workflow is running properly.
Browse pre-made templates. Our customizable workflow templates are a great way to get started more quickly.
Talk to our automation experts. If you need help personalizing any workflow template, guidance how to make any automation or, simply want us to make your workflow, we can help.
If you know another merchant who’d enjoy reading this page, share it with them via LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook.
Wish your AI sidekick could do more?
MESA handles the tedious stuff so you don’t have to.
