Shopify Magic is Shopify's family of AI features across store workflows. Sidekick is the conversational assistant inside the Shopify admin. Use them for a defined task whose output you can verify, such as drafting a product description from a fact sheet or investigating a specified reporting period.
This guide is based on current Shopify documentation and editorial workflow design. It is not a hands-on performance study, and it does not claim measured revenue lifts or hours saved.
Magic and Sidekick serve related jobs
Shopify's Magic overview describes text, media, theme, and other AI features. Shopify says Magic is free across subscription plans, while availability of specific experiences can vary. Check the feature offered in your own admin before making it a dependency.
The Sidekick overview describes a store-aware assistant that can provide guidance, create content, build apps, and handle tasks. Its scope has expanded beyond a simple help chatbot. The important question is what you want it to do and what you will review before a change takes effect.
Start with three bounded workflows
| Task | Give the assistant | Review before using |
|---|---|---|
| Product description | Verified materials, dimensions, variants, exclusions | Every factual claim and compatibility statement |
| Sales investigation | Dates, comparison period, metric definition | Filters, cancellations, refunds, and source report |
| Draft store change | Exact product or page and desired change | Proposed fields, affected records, and customer impact |
A request such as “improve my store” leaves too many decisions undefined. A narrower request produces a result you can assess against a written expectation.
Product content example
Try this original prompt: “Draft a short description using only the attached product facts. Put unanswered customer questions in a separate list. Do not invent certifications, delivery dates, compatibility, or performance claims.”
Compare the answer to the fact sheet sentence by sentence. If the item is polyester, a polished paragraph calling it organic cotton is still incorrect. Keep a record of approved product facts so later rewrites do not reintroduce the same error. Use the AI product FAQ review checklist for another customer-facing content workflow.
Reporting example
Ask for a specific period and metric: “Compare net sales for the last two complete weeks. Show the date ranges, filters, and excluded orders, and link to the report used.”
Open the underlying report. Check whether the explanation confuses traffic with orders, revenue with profit, or an association with a cause. A promotion, stockout, or changed tracking setup may explain the result. An AI-generated chart does not resolve those interpretation questions.
Store change example
Ask it to prepare a change to one sample product first. Inspect the proposed price, variant, description, and affected location where relevant. Apply the same discipline to app suggestions: write down the job, confirm permissions, and verify the billing terms.
Shopify's Sidekick help and guidance documentation describes supported tasks and review steps, including order and draft-order changes. Specific capabilities depend on the task, permissions, and store setup. Do not assume every suggestion has already been saved, or that a saved change has been tested end to end.
Decide when an additional AI app is useful
First check whether the built-in tool solves the actual requirement. A separate app might be justified by a particular integration, controlled approval process, repeatable batch workflow, or reporting requirement. An overlapping feature list alone is a weak reason to add another subscription.
Use our built-in features versus apps guide and app permissions checklist. For each candidate, test the smallest realistic task and record the total cost.
Keep a small review log
Record the task, source facts, output, corrections, reviewer, and final action. After several attempts, compare the complete time spent—including checking and repairs—with your previous process. Count useful completed work, not generated words.
For anything that affects checkout, delivery, or access, include a customer-journey test after the change. AI assistance is most useful when the task has a clear finish and the merchant can tell whether that finish was reached.