11 Things to Know and Learn from Shopify Spring '26

AI is Merging Customer Support and Sales Into One Powerful Experience

Author

Brent Peterson
July 16, 2026

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When the Agent Shows Up Ready to Buy

By Brent W Peterson

Shopify released its Spring '26 Edition with more than 150 updates. I analyzed the release to see how these updates change the way products get found, how transactions occur, and who does the buying.

This release marks a significant shift toward agentic commerce. The Universal Commerce Protocol, co-developed with leaders like Google, establishes a standard for AI agent transactions. With open access to the agentic layer, any developer can now build autonomous shopping experiences. Tools like the Catalog API bridge the gap between discovery and transaction, while Campaign Autopilot hands marketing execution directly to AI.

While technology changes, you remain the hero of your business. Success still requires your human judgment and strategy to navigate this complex landscape. My role is to guide you through these updates. Let me know what questions you have, and I will find the answers for you.

Our Latest Episode:

AI is Merging Customer Support and Sales Into One Powerful Experience with Michelle Donnelly

Coming up next!

Get ready for eTail Boston August 10-12

Is your customer support costing you money or making you money?

On a recent episode of Talk Commerce, Michelle Donnelly, CRO at Crescendo, shared how AI-native contact centers are turning traditional support operations into revenue drivers. Crescendo combines truly autonomous digital agents with human agents to create seamless customer experiences. The result is support interactions that naturally become sales opportunities, turning a $79 order into $300 or more through relevant, personalized recommendations.

Michelle explained why selling outcomes rather than seats changes the economics of customer support entirely. With deployment in under 30 days, flat monthly pricing that absorbs holiday spikes, and 10 to 30 percent cost savings over traditional models, brands are rethinking their entire approach to customer experience.

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