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“Shopify’s agentic push is real, but the hype is running ahead of adoption. The smart move for merchants is to get the data structure right now so they’re ready when it matters more.”
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ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
tl;dr – what you’ll get:
- An objective take from .Dev 2026 on Shopify’s direction beyond the hype.
- Hear which updates actually matter for merchants.
- Understand why Sidekick and AI are becoming strategically important.
Summary:
When you spend time with Shopify agencies that live inside the platform every day, the signal gets clear fast: Shopify is no longer just talking about storefronts. It is pushing hard toward being the operating system for commerce.
That shift came through clearly in the recent Shopify .dev 2026 event in Toronto and in the latest Editions release. In this podcast, you’ll learn what the biggest themes actually were, which updates matter most for merchants.
We’re joined by highly respected Shopify experts Mike Warwick, Senior Director of Solutions at Shero Commerce, & Liam Quinn, Director of Innovation at Visualsoft.
Episode chapters:
- [01:00] Introductions
- [06:40] Why the two-day .Dev format added more value
- [08:40] Product catalogue becoming a major focus
- [10:00] Sidekick emerging as a central Shopify tool
- [14:00] Shopify’s move from storefront platform to commerce operating system
- [16:30] Why Shopify is pushing so hard on AI
- [20:20] What merchants should do about agentic commerce now
- [29:45] POS improvements and the return of Hydrogen / simplification
- [32:30] Demand for Shopify B2B and where it still needs work
- [36:15] What will matter most at next year’s .dev event
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