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Shopify’s Fall ’26 Edition, Exponential, is here, bringing new ways for retailers to reach customers, simplify operations and get more from their technology.
But the question for retailers isn’t how many features have launched. It’s which ones could make a genuine difference to sales, customer experience and everyday operations.
Here are the developments we think UK retailers should pay attention to.
AI shopping is becoming a real sales opportunity
Customers are increasingly using AI assistants to research products and decide what to buy. Through Shopify’s new shop.md skill, assistants including ChatGPT and Claude can help shoppers discover products and use Shop Pay to check out. Shopify is also extending shopping into Google Search AI Mode and Gemini.
More importantly, merchants now have better control over the information those agents use. Shopify Catalog eligibility checks highlight potential issues, while a new knowledge base lets retailers review and approve details such as delivery policies, returns and FAQs.
For brands, that makes accurate product information and clear policies more valuable than ever. Being visible in AI search is one thing. Giving shoppers the confidence to buy is another.
Making online and in store feel like one experience
Shopify POS can recognise more shoppers when they choose to share their details for a digital receipt, connecting their purchase to a customer profile. Authorised staff can also retrieve a known customer’s abandoned online basket and help complete the purchase in store.
Alongside faster checkout flows and local delivery options, the latest updates include scheduled stock counts and saved baskets that staff can pick up across POS devices.
This is what unified commerce should deliver: less friction for shoppers, better information for staff and more opportunities to build lasting relationships.
Sidekick is taking on more of the workload
Shopify’s AI assistant, Sidekick, is moving beyond answering questions. It can now help with more technical tasks, calculations, coding and bulk changes, with merchants reviewing changes before they are applied.
That could mean updating product descriptions across a collection, investigating performance or creating draft orders. Sidekick can also test proposed improvements using SimGym, so merchants can review recommendations before applying them.
For busy retail teams, the benefit is straightforward: less time spent on repetitive administration and more time focused on customers and growth. The sensible starting point is one task that regularly consumes time, rather than trying to automate everything at once.
Clearer marketing insights and fewer barriers to purchase
Shopify has also introduced unified marketing reports designed to make channel performance easier to understand, alongside the expansion of Shop Campaigns into the UK and more than 35 new markets. Eligible merchants can run campaigns where they only pay when an advert drives a sale.
On the payments side, new local payment methods and expanded Shopify Protect tools aim to reduce checkout friction, fraud and disputes.
Better attribution, trusted payment options and fewer avoidable losses can all help retailers make more informed commercial decisions.
What should retailers do next?
Our advice is to start with the customer journey. Check how accurately your products and policies appear in AI channels. Look for gaps between online browsing and the in store experience. Then identify where improved reporting or automation could save time or protect revenue.
Not every update will be available or relevant to every merchant immediately. The opportunity lies in choosing the right ones and putting them to work properly.
As a UK Shopify Platinum Partner, Visualsoft helps retailers do exactly that, from Shopify builds and migrations to POS, app development and ongoing growth.
Want to understand what Shopify’s latest updates could mean for your business? Get in touch with our Shopify experts and let’s explore what comes next.
