We’ve just attended the Tobi Q&A session at Shopify’s Editions.dev event and we wanted to share a quick summary of the key takeaways. There was a lot of exciting news and forward-looking insights, but one thing that clearly stood out: Shopify Catalog, the new global API. This was what got Tobi the most energized. However, there is plenty more worth digging into.
Shopify + AI Agents: Moving Beyond Bots
Tobi spoke about Shopify’s vision for AI as not just as a tool to automate tasks, but as a way to help merchants thrive and satisfy their curiosity. AI should feel delightful. One example is Shopify Inbox, where AI helps merchants manage customer and team conversations.
What’s ahead? Even more API exposure such as order tracking, customer accounts, storefront APIs, all designed to deepen what AI tools can access and automate. It’s a long game, but one focused on merchant experience, not just automation for automation’s sake.
Flexibility Over Configurability
Rather than making every setting configurable in a UI, Shopify’s leaning into flexibility through natural language. The idea: let merchants speak or type what they want, and the platform generates what they need. This is a big part of the vision behind Sidekick, which Shopify is pouring serious energy into.
Sidekick is aiming to become the most personalized software experience for entrepreneurs, translating intentions into actions. It builds on Shopify’s GraphQL APIs, but with much of the technical complexity hidden behind a much simpler interface.
ChatGPT + Shopping: The New Frontier
Tobi also touched on the growing overlap between ChatGPT and commerce. With the news of Shopify’s integration into ChatGPT’s shopping features, there’s a huge opportunity for apps and agencies to get involved.
He likened it to the shift from desktop to mobile; a new platform moment where the next wave of shopping experiences will be defined. This is where Shopify’s new Catalog API plays a central role.
The Global Shopify Catalog: A Major Shift
This was the moment that clearly got Tobi the most excited: the new Shopify Catalog API. It’s the first truly global API for Shopify, indexing products across all stores.
This means AI platforms like Perplexity, which Tobi called out as a personal favorite, can tap into a massive product search index. According to Tobi, “the best product of Shopify is all the products of Shopify.” There’s huge white space here: storefront MCP, catalog queries, 3D models, new purchasing interfaces. It’s open season for experimentation.
Sidekick: More Than an Assistant
Sidekick isn’t just an AI chatbot, it’s becoming a core part of the Shopify platform. It will talk directly to apps that expose APIs, helping merchants get things done without needing to dig through menus. Over time, the lines between Shopify and Sidekick will blur.
Expect voice interaction to become a more prominent interface, especially for merchants who prefer speaking over typing. Tobi emphasized that the modality of spoken language will be fully supported.
Final Thoughts
Tobi’s Q&A gave a clear look at Shopify’s direction: AI-first, globally connected, and focused on making entrepreneurship radically simpler. Whether you're building apps, running an agency, or just exploring what’s next, this is a good time to lean in and get involved.
