Shopify has launched Canvas, an AI-powered website builder for online merchants. The new tool allows users to create and edit stores through natural language.
Canvas works with Shopify’s Sidekick assistant to help merchants make changes to their online stores. Users can describe the changes they want instead of editing code manually.
Previously, Shopify offered no-code tools for customizing store themes. Merchants could rearrange sections and blocks through the platform’s interface.
However, more complex changes often required coding knowledge or assistance from a developer. Canvas is designed to reduce the need for those additional steps.
Merchants can use chat instructions to ask Sidekick to change different parts of their storefront. The AI then works on the requested changes within the website-building environment.
Canvas also displays changes to the store in real time. Shopify says the tool shows the actual storefront rather than a simple static preview.
This allows merchants to see how different layouts, animations, and interactions appear. Users can also check their storefront at different screen sizes.
The feature is designed to help merchants understand how their websites will look across devices. Sidekick can also take screenshots while working on the storefront.
These screenshots allow the assistant to view the same interface that the merchant sees. This helps Sidekick make changes based on the current version of the store.
Merchants are not required to rely only on chat commands. Canvas also allows users to select individual elements and edit them manually.
The interface includes zoom and pan controls for navigating larger storefronts. This provides another way to make detailed changes without using chat instructions.
Sidekick itself has already been available for several Shopify tasks. The assistant can help with coding, app creation, theme customization, and other store changes.
Canvas brings these capabilities into a dedicated website-building environment. This gives merchants a single space for AI-assisted store development.
Shopify also changed parts of its theme architecture to support Canvas. Sidekick now has direct access to theme files within the new system.
The company has also simplified the underlying theme structure. This is intended to make the store’s design and logic easier for the AI to understand.
However, Canvas currently has several limitations. The tool is still in an early stage and works only on desktop devices.
It does not currently support third-party themes, app blocks, or extensions. Markets, translations, rollouts, and theme updates are also unavailable at launch.
Shopify says it plans to expand Canvas support over time. The company is expected to add more capabilities as the tool develops.
Canvas enters a growing market for AI-powered website creation. Similar tools are available from companies such as Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, and Framer.
Newer platforms, including Lovable and Replit, also offer AI-assisted website and software development features.
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The launch gives Shopify merchants another option for creating and managing storefronts. It combines conversational AI with direct visual editing within the store-building process.
