Shopify’s Summer ‘25 Edition, codenamed Horizons, was unveiled on May 21, 2025, bringing over 150 updates that redefine how merchants build, manage, and grow their online and in-store businesses. This release focuses on empowering creativity, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), streamlining checkout processes, and enhancing global selling capabilities. Whether you’re a small business owner, a developer, or a large-scale retailer, this edition offers tools to make commerce intuitive, efficient, and fun. In this article, we’ll dive deep into every major update, explain why they matter, and show how they can transform your Shopify experience.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to Horizons
2. Horizon Themes: Redefining Store Design
3. AI-Powered Innovations
– AI Store Builder
– Revamped Sidekick Assistant
– AI Shopping Agents
– Knowledge Base App
4. Checkout and Payment Enhancements
– Shopify Payments Expansion
– Unified Discounts
– PCI DSS V4 Compliance
– Eco-Friendly and Flexible Options
5. Shopify POS and Retail Upgrades
– Redesigned POS App
– Tap to Pay and Mixed Fulfillment
– Display Editor for Branding
6. Developer Tools: A Next-Gen Platform
– Centralized Dev Dashboard and CLI
– AI-Powered Code Generation
– Localhost App Development
– Unified UI Components with Polaris
– Storefront Web Components
7. Global Selling with Shopify Markets
– Submarkets and Localization
– B2B and Multi-Entity Support
8. Marketing and Customer Engagement
– Customer Segmentation
– Email Campaign Improvements
– Shop App Enhancements
9. Compliance and Privacy Features
– VAT Validation and Shopify Tax
– Cookie Consent and Privacy
10. Analytics and Reporting
11. Why Summer ‘25 Edition Matters
12. How to Get Started
13. Conclusion
Introduction to Horizons
Shopify’s Summer ‘25 Edition, themed “Horizons,” is all about breaking boundaries and empowering merchants to focus on creativity and growth. As Vanessa Lee, Shopify’s VP of Product, puts it, “Merchants can now translate a vision they have for their online store into something real much faster and without needing to code” (Shopify Editions). This edition introduces tools that simplify complex tasks, from designing stunning storefronts to managing global sales, all while integrating cutting-edge AI to make commerce feel as natural as a conversation.
With updates spanning store design, AI, checkout, point-of-sale (POS), developer tools, and global markets, Horizons ensures merchants spend less time on technical challenges and more time building their brand. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a Shopify Plus user, there’s something here for everyone.
Horizon Themes: Redefining Store Design
The centrepiece of Summer ‘25 is Horizon Themes, a new design foundation that combines beauty, flexibility, and speed. Shopify has introduced 10 new AI-powered themes, replacing the older Dawn-only era (Shopify Theme Store). These themes are built for merchants who want to create professional, conversion-optimized storefronts without coding expertise.
- Key Features:
- Preset Designs: Start with beautifully crafted templates optimized for conversions.
- Theme Blocks: Drag-and-drop blocks allow you to customize layouts intuitively. Add sections, rearrange elements, or tweak designs with ease.
- AI Customization: Describe your brand vision to Shopify’s AI, and it will generate custom content blocks tailored to your store (Shopify Editions).
- No-Code Flexibility: Merchants can create unique storefronts without compromising on speed or performance.
Why It Matters: Horizon Themes empower merchants to build visually stunning stores that reflect their brand identity, all while maintaining fast load times and high conversion rates. As @shawnkhemsurov noted on X, “Custom theme blocks with AI is kinda wild” (X Post).
AI-Powered Innovations
AI is at the heart of Summer ‘25, with updates that make Shopify smarter and more intuitive. These tools amplify merchant creativity and efficiency, from store building to customer interactions.
AI Store Builder
The AI Store Builder lets merchants create custom themes by simply describing their brand. For example, you could say, “I want a minimalist, eco-friendly store with earthy tones,” and the AI will generate a tailored theme complete with layouts and content blocks (Shopify Help Center).
- How It Works: Input your brand description, and the AI configures a store design, including visuals and layouts, saving hours of manual work.
- Availability: Rolling out to all merchants, with priority for new Shopify users.
Why It Matters: This feature democratizes store design, making it accessible to entrepreneurs without technical skills.
Revamped Sidekick Assistant
Shopify’s AI assistant, Sidekick, has been rebuilt with enhanced reasoning capabilities, making it more than just a chatbot (Shopify Sidekick). It now offers:
- Multi-Step Reasoning: Ask complex questions like, “Why did sales decline last month?” and Sidekick analyzes inventory, marketing campaigns, and trends to provide actionable insights.
- Action-Oriented: Sidekick can run reports, create customer segments, set up discount codes, and filter orders with your approval.
- Multilingual Support: Available in all 20 Shopify admin languages, with voice chat and screen-sharing capabilities on the Shopify mobile app.
- Use Case Example: A merchant noticing a sales spike can ask Sidekick to analyze the cause, and it might suggest optimizing a specific product listing based on data.
Why It Matters: Sidekick acts as a virtual business partner, saving time and providing data-driven strategies. As @rowancheung noted on X, the revamped Sidekick includes “image generation, voice chat, screen share” (X Post).
AI Shopping Agents
AI Shopping Agents connect your store to new sales channels by integrating with AI-driven platforms. These agents help customers discover products through natural language queries, like “What’s the best sustainable bedding?”.
- Customization: Use the Knowledge Base app to tailor AI responses, ensuring your brand’s unique selling points are highlighted (Shopify App Store).
- Global Catalog: Developers can build apps that search product data across millions of Shopify stores, enhancing discoverability (Shopify.dev).
Why It Matters: As AI shopping assistants become mainstream, this feature ensures your products stand out in a crowded digital marketplace.
Knowledge Base App
The Knowledge Base app allows merchants to customize AI responses for shopping agents. You can control the FAQs and facts shared about your brand, ensuring accurate representation.
- Key Features:
- Customize AI responses for customer queries.
- Gain insights into what questions buyers ask.
- Ensure brand consistency across AI platforms.
Why It Matters: This app gives merchants control over their narrative in AI-driven commerce, boosting trust and conversions.
Checkout and Payment Enhancements
Shopify’s checkout system is already world-class, and Summer ‘25 makes it even better with updates for speed, flexibility, and compliance.
Shopify Payments Expansion
Shopify Payments is now available in 16 new countries, including Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Latvia, Hungary, Estonia, Malta, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Gibraltar, and Mexico.
Key updates include:
- Multi-Currency Support: Accept payments in up to eight currencies to reduce foreign exchange fees.
- B2B Support: Manage multiple business entities through a single store (exclusive to Shopify Plus).
- Fraud Protection: AI-powered fraud models authenticate risky transactions to reduce chargebacks.
Why It Matters: Expanded payment options make it easier to sell globally while keeping costs low and transactions secure.
Unified Discounts
Merchants can now offer a single discount that applies to products, order totals, and shipping simultaneously using select discount apps or the Discount Function API. This feature requires a third-party app for full functionality, such as Bold Discounts.
- Example: Offer “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” alongside free shipping in one checkout step.
- POS Integration: Apply these discounts to draft orders in Shopify POS (exclusive to Shopify POS Pro).
Why It Matters: Unified discounts simplify the checkout process, reducing cart abandonment and improving customer satisfaction.
PCI DSS V4 Compliance
Shopify Checkout now meets PCI DSS V4 requirements (effective April 1, 2025) through Content Security Policies and sandboxing, ensuring secure transactions.
- Additional Security: Support for Apple Pay while maintaining customized checkout experiences.
- Eco-Friendly Option: Offer carbon-neutral shipping via the Planet app (exclusive to Shopify Plus).
Why It Matters: Compliance ensures trust and security, while eco-friendly options align with growing consumer demand for sustainability.
Eco-Friendly and Flexible Options
- Roblox Integration: Customers can buy physical products virtually through Shopify’s first payment integration in Roblox.
- Buy Now, Pay Later: Available in Canada to boost conversions (Shopify Pay).
- Flexible Delivery: Customers can change delivery addresses or pickup locations if items are unavailable.
Why It Matters: These options cater to modern shopping preferences, increasing flexibility and engagement.
Shopify POS and Retail Upgrades
Shopify POS gets a major overhaul in Summer ‘25, making in-store selling faster and more brand-focused.
Redesigned POS App
The Shopify POS app (version 10) is now more intuitive, with:
- Faster Navigation: Smarter search and a compact layout with modal views.
- Product Bundles Support: Set up and publish bundles directly in the app (Shopify Bundles).
- Enhanced Search: Improved handling of typos and alternative spellings.
Why It Matters: A faster, more responsive POS app improves staff efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Tap to Pay and Mixed Fulfillment
- Tap to Pay: Turn your phone into a payment terminal without additional hardware, now available on iPhone and Android in more countries (Shopify Tap to Pay).
- Mixed Fulfillment: Process orders where customers take some items home and have others shipped in a single transaction (exclusive to Shopify POS Pro).
- Offline Payments: Accept card payments during network outages, with processing completed when connectivity is restored.
Why It Matters: These features make in-store checkout seamless and adaptable to customer needs.
Display Editor for Branding
The Display Editor lets merchants brand customer-facing POS screens with logos, colors, and media across idle screens, carts, and receipts (Shopify POS).
- Use Case: A coffee shop can display its logo and a promotional video on the POS idle screen, creating a cohesive brand experience.
Why It Matters: Consistent branding strengthens customer trust and recognition in physical stores.
Developer Tools: A Next-Gen Platform
Developers get a major boost with Summer ‘25, thanks to a reimagined development experience that’s faster and more unified.
Centralized Dev Dashboard and CLI
The Next-Gen Dev Platform introduces a centralized Dev Dashboard and Command Line Interface (CLI), streamlining app development.
- Features:
- Preview apps in realistic dev environments without deployment.
- Deploy apps with a single CLI command, with Shopify automating provisioning.
- Unified Dev Stores: Test apps on any Shopify plan, including Plus, with real-time previews.
Why It Matters: These tools reduce development time and make Shopify more accessible to developers of all skill levels.
AI-Powered Code Generation
Shopify now offers AI-powered code generation for apps, automatically managing app metafields and generating GraphQL queries.
- .dev Assistant: An AI coding partner that handles complex tasks like function logic and query crafting.
- Use Case: A developer can describe an app feature, and the AI generates the necessary code, saving hours of work.
Why It Matters: AI reduces coding barriers, enabling faster app creation for merchants’ unique needs.
Localhost App Development
Localhost app development eliminates rate-limited tunnels and corporate firewall issues, allowing developers to edit, save, and preview changes instantly.
Why It Matters: Faster development cycles mean quicker app launches and less frustration.
Unified UI Components with Polaris
Polaris, Shopify’s UI toolkit, now supports consistent designs across Admin, Checkout, and Customer Accounts using web components.
- MCP Server: Accelerates app development by supporting GraphQL, Functions, and Polaris UI components from third-party interfaces like Cursor and Claude Code.
Why It Matters: Unified UI ensures a seamless experience for merchants and customers, while speeding up development.
Storefront Web Components
Storefront Web Components allow developers to embed Shopify features like product cards, buy buttons, and carts into any website with minimal HTML.
- Quote: Sam Davidoff of Lazer Technologies said, “Storefront Web Components is a game-changer for fast builds. The cart, collections, and all the variant selectors just work out of the box”.
Why It Matters: This feature enables rapid integration of Shopify’s commerce capabilities into external platforms.
Global Selling with Shopify Markets
Shopify Markets gets significant upgrades, making global and B2B selling easier and more customizable.
Submarkets and Localization
Merchants can create submarkets from existing region markets (e.g., customizing a Europe market for French buyers) and manage them via a graph view.
- Consistency: Logged-in customers see the same country, language, and company location on account pages and storefronts.
- Duties and Taxes: Include duties and taxes in product prices to eliminate surprise fees at checkout.
Why It Matters: Submarkets simplify localized experiences, boosting conversions in international markets.
B2B and Multi-Entity Support
- B2B Enhancements: Nine new apps support B2B features like collaborative buying and lookbooks, such as B2B Locksmith. Gift cards can now be added to B2B catalogs.
- Multi-Entity Selling: Manage multiple business entities through a single store with Shopify Payments (exclusive to Shopify Plus).
- NetSuite ERP Connector: Sync companies, orders, and payment terms for better efficiency (NetSuite Connector).
Why It Matters: These updates make Shopify a one-stop platform for complex B2B and global operations.
Marketing and Customer Engagement
Summer ‘25 enhances tools for connecting with customers and driving sales.
Customer Segmentation
- Pre-Built Templates: Create segments based on language, purchase history, or location using plain-language addresses (e.g., “151 O’Connor St.”).
- Assistive Features: Keyboard shortcuts and improved date filtering simplify segment creation.
Why It Matters: Targeted marketing campaigns become easier and more precise, improving ROI.
Email Campaign Improvements
- Cancel Campaigns: Stop email campaigns after they start to fix typos or delivery issues.
- Design Flexibility: Adjust padding, save footer customizations, and choose compact or expanded footers.
Why It Matters: These updates reduce errors and enhance email professionalism.
Shop App Enhancements
The Shop app now features a dynamic, personalized feed for buyers, improving product discovery. Customers can initiate returns and exchanges directly from the order management page.
Why It Matters: A better Shop app experience drives repeat purchases and customer loyalty.
Compliance and Privacy Features
Summer ‘25 prioritizes compliance and customer trust with robust privacy and tax features.
VAT Validation and Shopify Tax
- EU and UK Compliance: Validate VAT numbers in the admin and automatically apply tax exemptions with.
- Checkout Blocks App: Set minimum and maximum order values for all or B2B customers.
Why It Matters: Automated tax compliance reduces errors and legal risks.
Cookie Consent and Privacy
- Cookie Preferences: Allow customers to adjust cookie settings at checkout or on account pages, even if they skip the storefront.
- Marketing Opt-In: Choose which countries have preselected marketing opt-ins or rely on Shopify’s recommendations.
Why It Matters: Enhanced privacy features build trust and ensure compliance with global regulations.
Analytics and Reporting
- Bundle Analytics: Gain insights into product bundle performance with new metrics.
- Market-Specific Reports: Filter analytics by markets for better global performance tracking.
Why It Matters: Detailed analytics help merchants make data-driven decisions to optimize sales.
Why Summer ‘25 Edition Matters
The Summer ‘25 Edition is a game-changer because it:
- Empowers Creativity: Horizon Themes and AI tools make store design accessible to everyone.
- Boosts Efficiency: From unified discounts to a redesigned POS, tasks are faster and smoother.
- Expands Reach: Global selling and AI shopping agents connect merchants to new markets.
- Simplifies Development: The next-gen dev platform reduces friction for developers.
- Ensures Compliance: Privacy and tax features keep businesses secure and compliant.
As @Shopify tweeted, “The Summer ’25 Edition is live… It’s about where commerce is headed”.
How to Get Started
- Explore Horizon Themes: Log into your Shopify admin and check out the new themes under “Online Store > Themes”.
- Try Sidekick: Use the Shopify mobile app to interact with Sidekick via voice or screen share.
- Update Your Checkout: Enable unified discounts and check compliance settings in the admin.
- Leverage Developer Tools: Visit Shopify.dev to explore the Dev Dashboard and CLI.
- Learn More: Check out the official Shopify Summer ‘25 Edition page for detailed guides and tutorials.
Conclusion
Shopify’s Summer 2025 Edition, Horizons, is a bold step toward making commerce more creative, efficient, and global. With AI-powered tools, a redesigned POS, flexible checkout options, and robust developer support, this release caters to merchants of all sizes. Whether you’re designing a stunning storefront, optimizing global sales, or building custom apps, Horizons has something to elevate your business.
Stay tuned for the Winter ‘25 Edition, expected around December 2025.