Shopify has launched a new AI chatbot named “Sidekick” to assist retailers. This release is part of Shopify’s “2024 Summer Edition” upgrade. The chatbot, which was initially hinted at last year, is designed to assist business owners with duties such as providing discount coupons, generating store reports, and offering blog post ideas. While these functionalities may appear to be common for AI chatbots, Sidekick is intended to serve as a personalized support system for Shopify retailers.
Sidekick is currently accessible to thousands of English-speaking shops across North America. Vanessa Lee, Shopify’s Vice President of Product, said in an interview with The Verge that merchants interested in adopting Sidekick may join a queue. The business intends to expand the chatbot’s availability to more languages and areas in the future.
In addition to Sidekick, Shopify revealed a number of new AI-powered capabilities. One notable enhancement is AI-powered product classification. This feature will automatically recommend relevant categories for items when merchants create listings, making the process faster and more effective. If the suggested categories are not appropriate, merchants can manually change them.
Another AI feature launched will recommend responses to client questions sent through Shopify Inbox. These ideas are presently intended to aid merchants, who will still be required to examine and provide answers themselves. Shopify is looking on allowing AI to manage client chats on its own, but for the time being, they prefer to have people engaged to assure quality and accuracy.
Additionally, Shopify’s AI-powered picture generator, which was introduced in January, is now available on iOS and Android applications. This tool may be utilized more extensively within the Shopify administration panel. Over the last six months, businesses have saved over a million AI-generated photos, demonstrating the tool’s effectiveness.
These enhancements demonstrate Shopify’s dedication to using AI to improve merchant experiences and streamline different areas of online business management. Shopify’s goal with products like Sidekick and other AI advancements is to give merchants with efficient, intelligent support systems that can perform regular chores and boost productivity.
You can check out the full article here by Peters, J. (2024, June 24) from the Verge.
Hi, I'm Voss Xolani, and I'm passionate about all things AI. With many years of experience in the tech industry, I specialize in explaining the functionality and benefits of AI-powered software for both businesses and individual users. My content explores the latest AI tools, offering practical insights on how they can streamline workflows, boost productivity, and drive innovation. I also review new software solutions to help readers understand their features and applications. Beyond that, I stay up-to-date with AI trends and experiment with emerging technologies to provide the most relevant information.