On May 21, 2025, Shopify unveiled its Summer 2025 Editions, dubbed Horizon, marking a pivotal moment for e-commerce entrepreneurs. This edition introduces over 150 updates designed to empower merchants—from startups to global brands—with cutting-edge tools to build, manage, and scale their businesses. At its core is Horizon, an AI-powered theme design system, alongside enhancements in AI, checkout, POS, and more. In this blog, we’ll explore the key features of Shopify Editions Summer 2025 and how they can transform the way you run your online business.
Horizon: A New Foundation for Design Powered by AI
The centerpiece of Shopify Editions Summer 2025 is Horizon, a revolutionary theme system that blends flexibility, visual appeal, and ease of use. Horizon introduces Theme Blocks, modular components that allow merchants to create store layouts without coding expertise. With 10 new conversion-optimized free themes, merchants can select designs tailored to their industry or even build custom themes by describing their vision to Shopify’s built-in AI.
For instance, if you want a store with an “athleisure for women” aesthetic, simply input that description, and the AI will generate responsive theme blocks for mobile, complete with customizable settings. This feature accelerates store creation and enables experimentation without relying on developers. However, there’s a minor limitation: the AI currently accepts only text prompts, and design iterations are capped at a few revisions.
As Vanessa Lee, Shopify’s VP of Product, stated, “We want to make the complex simple, so entrepreneurs can focus on growing their business and connecting with customers.” Horizon is a major step toward this vision, offering design freedom without technical complexity.
Sidekick 2.0: A Smarter AI Assistant
Shopify’s AI assistant, Sidekick, has received a significant upgrade in this edition. Beyond providing simple answers, Sidekick now conducts in-depth analysis and offers proactive suggestions. For example, if you ask, “Why did sales drop last month?” Sidekick will analyze data such as inventory levels, marketing campaigns, and seasonal trends, delivering a comprehensive report with actionable recommendations.
This enhanced reasoning capability makes Sidekick an indispensable business partner, helping merchants make data-driven decisions faster. It’s a prime example of how Shopify integrates AI to support daily operations, not just as a marketing buzzword.
Faster, More Flexible Checkout
Shopify claims to offer the world’s fastest checkout with its latest updates, reducing load times by nearly 2 seconds. This is critical for minimizing cart abandonment. Additionally, Shopify Payments is now available in 16 new countries, including Poland, Norway, and Mexico, supporting payments in over 130 currencies and settlements in up to 8 currencies.
New features include the ability to apply discount codes directly in the cart using Horizon and the Ajax Cart API, as well as options to combine shipping and in-store pickup in a single transaction. Shopify has also ensured compliance with PCI DSS v4 standards by April 2025, providing peace of mind for merchants and customers alike.
Enhanced B2B and Global Expansion
This edition brings exciting updates for B2B merchants. Shopify Markets now supports B2B, allowing merchants to create custom catalogs, offer market-specific currencies, and tailor storefronts for each market. The View As feature lets merchants preview the buyer experience in every market, ensuring a seamless journey. Additionally, minimum and maximum order rules can now be applied directly in Checkout Blocks for B2B customers.
For global expansion, Shopify Payments now supports sales from multiple business entities through a single store, reducing the complexity of currency exchange fees and multiple integrations. This is a game-changer for merchants operating online and offline across countries.
POS and Elevated Customer Experiences
Shopify POS v10 introduces improvements like better navigation, enhanced search, and the ability to combine shipping and in-store pickup in one order. Customer-facing screens can now be customized with brand logos, colors, and backgrounds, ensuring a consistent visual experience across physical and online stores.
The Tap to Pay feature turns smartphones into payment terminals without additional hardware, while the Shop app offers a more personalized product discovery experience with real-time recommendations. These updates help new merchants gain exposure and boost customer engagement.
Tools for Developers
For developers, Shopify Editions Summer 2025 delivers a modernized development environment. Horizon Drive, an interactive mini-game, is a unique way to introduce these updates. Features like local development without tunnels, development stores for every Shopify plan, and isolated testing environments simplify app and extension building. Updated Shopify Functions documentation also supports the transition from Shopify Scripts, which will be phased out by June 2026.
Shopify Editions Summer 2025: Horizon is a bold step toward a smarter, more connected e-commerce future. With Horizon as the new design foundation, a smarter Sidekick, and updates supporting global expansion, Shopify empowers merchants to thrive in a competitive market. Visit the official Shopify Editions page at shopify.com/editions for more details.
