Shopify, the global commerce platform, today officially announced its 2026 Winter 2026 regular update, the Renaissance Edition, featuring over 100 new products and features that will revolutionize the future of commerce. This edition focuses on AI-powered efficiency gains, accelerated penetration of enterprise and B2B markets, and global omnichannel integration, embodying its ambition to help merchants usher in a new era of growth.
The most notable feature of the Renaissance Edition is the expansion of the functionality of 'Shopify Magic' and its central AI assistant 'Sidekick'.
Sidekick is now more than just a chatbot; it acts as a "Chief Operating Officer (COO)" for merchants' business operations. It can now handle a wide range of tasks, including data analysis, drafting customer service responses, changing store settings, and planning complex marketing campaigns, all using natural language commands. This frees merchants from repetitive and time-consuming administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on product development and customer experience innovation.
Additionally, Shopify has significantly lowered the barrier to content creation by equipping merchants with AI-powered image creation and editing tools, allowing them to easily create and edit high-quality, unique images for their product listings without professional photography skills.
Shopify has traditionally been strong in the small business (SMB) market, but this edition further solidifies its expansion into enterprise-level sellers and the business-to-business (B2B) market.
Enhanced B2B features include custom price lists and dedicated catalog creation, meeting the complex and individualized pricing requirements of corporate clients. Additionally, we've streamlined B2B transaction processes and maximized efficiency through optimized bulk order management and rapid reordering capabilities.
Additionally, Shopify Functions and APIs for developers have become more flexible, further increasing the platform's scalability by enabling large merchants to implement complex custom discount logic or custom payment and shipping rules directly within the platform.
Overseas market entry and online/offline integration are other important pillars of Renaissance Edition.
‘Enhancements to the 'Global Commerce Hub' allow merchants to centrally manage various local currencies, tax regulations, and preferred payment methods across countries, significantly lowering the barriers to entry for borderless commerce.
In terms of the payment experience, we simplified the customer journey by introducing a "One-Page Checkout" to maximize conversion rates. Our offline store solution, "Shopify POS," also strengthened inventory and customer data integration with our online store, enabling seamless omnichannel experiences, such as in-store pickup after online purchases.
Shopify's CEO stated, "Renaissance Edition embodies our vision for how technology is reimagining commerce. Through AI-powered efficiency, B2B growth, and global integration, we're empowering merchants of all sizes with powerful tools to lead in this new era of commerce.".
You can learn more about the 100+ updates included in Shopify's Renaissance Edition on the official Shopify website.
