Shopify’s CEO, Tobias Lütke, just dropped some big news on how the platform is evolving to work hand in hand with AI agents. The updates aren’t just incremental, they’re shaping a new layer of infrastructure for how commerce will be done in an AI-driven world.
Here’s what’s new:
- Checkout Kit - Think of Checkout Kit as the bridge between AI and conversion. It allows developers to embed commerce widgets and Shopify’s checkout directly into an AI agent. This means your AI shopping assistant could not only recommend a product, but also let you purchase it seamlessly. No redirect, no clunky handoff.
- Shopify Catalog - This is Shopify’s global product search, offering low-latency access to millions of products from merchants around the world. We’ve written about Shopify Catalog before, and it’s essentially a giant, constantly updating library that AI agents (or any other tool) can tap into instantly.
- Universal Cart - This one might be the most exciting. Building on the Shopify Catalog, Universal Cart lets you shop across any participating Shopify store and check out with everything in a single cart. Want a t-shirt from an indie brand in London, a candle from a maker in Austin, and a backpack from a retailer in Tokyo? One cart, one checkout, done.
Why This Matters for AI and eCommerce
Universal Cart is a natural extension of Shopify Catalog, but it’s also a huge unlock for AI commerce. Shopify isn’t just making its data accessible, they’re making the buying process frictionless. AI agents won’t just be able to tell you where to find a product; they’ll be able to handle the entire transaction across multiple merchants, instantly.
This moves Shopify way out in front when it comes to AI-powered commerce. It’s a big step toward the “generative SEO” future where discovery, recommendation, and purchase all happen in one continuous AI-driven flow. And it’s good news for everyone in the Shopify ecosystem. This means more accessibility and more opportunities for customers to find and buy your products.
We’ll be watching closely as these tools roll out and start appearing in real AI use cases. If Shopify pulls this off at scale, it could redefine how online shopping works in the next few years.
