Shopify just dropped 150 new features. One of them made a retailer say “frothing.” Another cut a team’s report time from 20 minutes to two. A few are so slick, store staff picked them up in 10 minutes flat (without training).
This isn’t your typical feature dump. And this isn’t about shiny objects.
Add To Cart invited James Johnson, Director at Shopify and self-proclaimed reformed retailer, to discuss what the new Shopify Editions drop actually means for e-commerce teams. Spoiler: it’s less about “adding AI” and more about removing friction, making faster calls, and finally joining the 2025 party.
Let’s break it down...
Sidekick Isn’t Just another ChatBot
You know that 47-tab spreadsheet ritual you do to pull sales insights? Sidekick doesn’t.
EXPERT TIP: Test Shopify Sidekick with questions like... 🗺️ “Why did sales tank in these postcodes last week?” 💕 “Which products are usually bought together?” 🥺 “Which customers haven’t returned since the Valentine’s Day campaign?”
And it answers in actual human language. You can segment, build campaigns, and even explain Cyclone Alfred’s impact on your conversion rates, all from one prompt. One brand identified a marketing leak that was costing them a significant amount. Another one even created hyper-local campaigns in minutes. Both looked like absolute weapons in their Monday stand-ups.
POS That Doesn’t Suck (or Need a Week of Training)
Shopify’s POS upgrade is making physical stores feel like digital extensions, not disconnected silos.
“Retailers used to block out four hours to swap out their POS system. Now it’s down to 30 minutes – and the biggest delay is literally cleaning the dust behind the old black boxes.”
With features like split-cart fulfilment (buy one item, take it home, ship the rest), fast setup (we’re talking 30-minute rollouts), and intuitive design for a “touchscreen generation” of sales staff, POS isn’t just a system anymore: now it’s a storefront experience enabler. It isn’t just about ringing up sales: it’s about making the store experience feel like it belongs in this decade.
💈 REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: Hairhouse is rolling this out across 100+ stores. And some retailers have cut their POS swap-out time from four hours to thirty minutes.
Start With AI, Then Ask: “Why Not?”
James doesn’t buy into AI for AI’s sake, and neither should we. He pushes ecommerce teams to flip their workflow: spend one week doing every task with AI first. Sure, it’ll be awkward. But you’ll quickly spot what’s broken, bloated, or just flat-out unnecessary. Whether it’s using Sidekick for reporting, tools like Whisper AI for comms, or even AI-generated content blocks inside Shopify’s Horizon themes, this isn’t about experimenting. It’s about escaping inefficiency.
📚 BOOK RECOMMENDATION: James' AI Princple comes from Ethan Mollick's book, Co-Intelligence
From emails to analytics to reports, the idea is to pressure-test your current workflows and spot the friction you’ve normalised. That’s where the real opportunity sits: not in chasing the next shiny SaaS, but in streamlining what already slows you down.
Don’t Just Add AI: Rethink How You Work
The retailers pulling ahead aren’t just “adopting AI.” They’re tearing up old workflows, building leaner teams, and rethinking how the whole thing runs. We’re talking wallet passes instead of EDMs. POS that works at pop-ups. Store managers acting like analysts thanks to Sidekick.
When the tech stops getting in the way, your team can actually do what they’re great at: being human, being useful, and making the sale. That’s the magic. Real conversations that actually move the needle.
AI should let your team spend more time with customers—not just answering questions. That’s where joy -and brand value- lives.
Episode #524 is live now. No fluff. Just real tactics:
