Highlights:

  • Users can ask Sidekick to build a new section for their company’s online store or modify the appearance of a product listing using natural language commands.
  • Shopify claims the chatbot can automate routine store management tasks like product discounts.

Shopify Inc. unveiled Sidekick, an artificial intelligence chatbot that assists businesses in redesigning their e-commerce websites and analyzing sales data.

Several additional new features are being released at the same time. Corporate credit cards will soon be available on Shopify’s cloud platform, which enables merchants to create and host e-commerce websites. The business also adds a new AI-powered email marketing tool to the platform.

Through its Shopify Magic collection of machine learning tools, Sidekick will be made accessible. The GPT-4 model from OpenAI LP powers the feature set. Shopify Magic began earlier this year with a primary focus on simplifying the process of creating online store product listings. It will also broaden Shopify’s automation capabilities to several more areas.

The chatbot will first aid shops in speeding up website creation, claims the business. Users can ask Sidekick to build a new section for their company’s online store or modify the appearance of a product listing using natural language commands. The chatbot can also write marketing material for the new website parts it develops.

According to Shopify, Sidekick features a built-in analytics program. Users can inquire about an online store’s operations and receive responses in a natural language format. For instance, a worker can ask what prompted a dramatic increase in sales or ask for a rundown of sales from the previous week.

It also fits into a few more use cases. Shopify claims the chatbot can automate routine store management tasks like product discounts. According to the business, shops may utilize Sidekick to respond to typical customer care inquiries.

Along with some other capabilities, Sidekick is being added to Shopify’s e-commerce platform. Retailers can give corporate credit cards to their staff members thanks to a new feature called Shopify Credit. The business also introduces an AI tool to create marketing emails and decide when to send them automatically.

A pair of enhancements designed to aid retailers in managing their product catalogs complete the new update. Shopify Connect, the first feature, enables online retailers to offer products from other Shopify stores on their websites. Retailers are also getting integrations that will make it simpler for them to list their products on well-known e-commerce marketplaces.

The rollout of Sidekick and the other updates comes a few days after one of Shopify’s main competitors, Wix.com Ltd., unveiled its own AI helper. Users may create website layouts using simple natural language commands with the latter tool. It integrates OpenAI technologies as well as a few Wix-developed internal AI models.