Shopify News

In late September 2025, Shopify officially announced a partnership with OpenAI (ChatGPT) , which represents a very important event. E-commerce has moved from "page-based shopping" to a new stage of "conversational AI shopping". In the future, consumers won't need to open websites, compare prices, or click buttons. They can simply ask ChatGPT, "I want to buy a pair of running shoes," and ChatGPT will directly recommend products from Shopify merchants and allow buyers to checkout instantly within the chat window. This collaboration represents a huge turning point for brands, e-commerce platforms, and DTC merchants. This article will summarize the latest official information, function analysis, precautions, and how Taiwanese businesses should prepare in advance . 🧩 What is the Shopify × ChatGPT collaboration? According to Shopify's official announcement (September 29, 2025) , this partnership will enable ChatGPT to: Read real-time product information (price/inventory/images/variations) from Shopify merchants during the conversation. Provide consumers with more accurate AI product recommendations Allow buyers to complete the purchase directly within ChatGPT. Orders are routed back to the merchant's Shopify backend. Source (official announcement): https://www.shopify.com/news/shopify-open-ai-commerce In other words, ChatGPT is no longer just a chat tool, but has become: A brand new shopping channel featuring AI-powered shopping guides, AI-powered price comparisons, and Shopify checkout. Initially launched in the United States, it will be gradually expanded to other regions and with more features (such as multi-item shopping carts and cross-border checkout). 💡 Why is this important? AI is replacing the "search pathway". Shopify also released a surprising statistic in November 2025: Traffic from AI tools is seven times that of the beginning of this year. AI-driven order growth 11 times (Source: TechCrunch, 2025-11-04) This shows that consumers are increasingly accustomed to "using AI to find products" rather than "using Google to find products". This means: Whoever's products are more easily found and recommended by AI will reap the next wave of traffic dividends. The core of Shopify's collaboration with OpenAI is to enable Shopify merchants to "be seen in AI conversations." 🛍️ The shopping process in ChatGPT will look like this. The following is a hypothetical purchase process (official preview process): user: "I want to buy a makeup remover suitable for heavy foundation." ChatGPT: → Comparison of a large amount of data → Search Shopify merchant products → Recommended products (including pictures, ingredients, price, and stock) user: "Can you buy this for me?" ChatGPT: "Okay, I've added this item to my cart. Would you like to place your order?" user: Select "Buy" and complete Instant Checkout. Merchant backend: → The order appears normally in Shopify Orders. → Logistics/payment process follows the same procedure as a regular store The entire process does not require opening a website. 📦 What will Shopify × ChatGPT affect? 1. Product information is more important. AI needs to understand your product information, therefore: Product titles should be accurate. Product descriptions are written in more natural language (easier for AI to understand). Specifications, ingredients, and usage scenarios must be clearly understood. Variations should be clearly named (e.g., size, capacity, weight). Images need to be standardized in order to be recommended. 2. SEO has expanded from "search engines" to "AI engines". The so-called AI SEO (AEO: AI Engine Optimization) will become a new required course. 3. Brands will shift from being "searched" to being "recommended". ChatGPT will use: Past data Customer needs Product Reviews Product Label Adaptation to Situation Come recommend products. How should Taiwanese businesses prepare? Here are the seven most important things: ① Enhance Product Data Optimization Make the product descriptions more natural and relatable so that AI can understand them. For example: ❌ Old method: "Red top, cotton, short-sleeved" ✅ AI-friendly approach: "This is a red short-sleeved top that's perfect for summer. It's made of 100% cotton, so it's breathable and not stuffy, making it ideal for outdoor activities." ② Establish clearer product attributes (Tags / Metafields / Metaobjects) AI will use these fields to understand your product. ③ Use Shopify's AI tools (such as Shopify Magic) Include: AI generates product descriptions AI Email AI Search AI Page Builder The more native the material, the easier it is to integrate into ChatGPT documentation. ④ Check product synchronization/inventory API ChatGPT recommending the wrong inventory = disaster. ⑤ Confirm that your website supports multi-region checkout (if you are doing cross-border e-commerce). ⑥ Check brand awareness (AI will reference external data) External data (including comments/communities/media) can influence AI recommendations. ⑦ When will the "Follow" feature be available to Taiwan? Recommended to do it earlier: Optimize product information Rewrite description Establish a Natural Language FAQ Improve image consistency Preparing in advance will give you a head start in getting recommended by AI. 🤔 Will this replace websites? No, but: Consumers will find you through new methods. AI will become the "first page of contact". The website will become a place for "trust, comparison, and brand experience". Websites remain important, but traffic is no longer solely reliant on SEO/Google/social media; it has expanded to include "AI traffic." 🔮 After 2026: AI Commerce will fully arrive. Shopify's partnership with OpenAI is just the first step. We may see the following in the future: ChatGPT automatically generates personalized store pages. ChatGPT becomes your personal shopping assistant. ChatGPT helps users compare prices, make recommendations, and place orders. AI search completely replaces traditional search The brand will establish a new "recommendation relationship" with the AI ​​assistant. This is a huge benefit for early adopters.

Shopify has significantly increased the product variation limit from 100 to 2048, giving merchants more flexibility in managing product options and eliminating the need to split products into multiple items.