Shopify has launched Canvas, a new way for merchants to design their online shop by chatting with Sidekick, its built-in AI agent, the company said on 1 October. Canvas lays out every page of a store side by side. Merchants can ask Sidekick for changes in plain language, or click any part of a page to edit it themselves.
Unlike a static mock-up, the preview runs the shop’s real code, so animations and interactive parts can be tested before they go live. TechCrunch reports that it works on desktop only at launch and does not yet support third-party themes, app add-ons, translations or selling in multiple markets.
Shopify says Canvas does not replace its existing store editor yet and that there are gaps it still needs to close. It has not said how many merchants are using it.