Shopify Changelog Recap
Shopify Changelog Recap: Batch Fulfilment, Shipping Labels in Shopify Flow, and Royal Mail Pickup Points
This recap covers Shopify changes posted from October 12 to October 18, 2026. Most of them are about getting orders out the door faster. Each section links to Shopify's own pages so you can check the details yourself.
Published October 19, 2026. Author: Ecomm Guys. 5 min read.
1. Fulfil Orders in Batches
What changed. You can now group up to 250 fulfilments into a batch, by criteria such as product type or shipping destination, then pick, buy labels, print documents, and pack them together. Each batch follows a workflow with three default steps.
Pick prints a pick list for every order in the batch. Print buys shipping labels for the whole batch and prints packing slips, labels, and customs forms together. Pack lets staff scan to verify, with a tone and a green checkmark for each correct item, and an error tone and red icon for a wrong or extra item.
You can add, delete, rename, and reorder steps, choose which documents print in each step, and assign a staff member to each step.
Who it affects. The Help Center says batch fulfilment is available to all stores. Buying labels inside a batch works only in countries where Shopify Shipping is supported.
What to do. Go to Orders, select the orders you want, and click Create batch. To batch recent orders in bulk, turn on Group by batch on the Orders page and click Batch recent orders, which picks up to 250 unfulfilled orders from the last 14 days. Set up your workflow under More actions > Edit workflow. Changes to the workflow apply to later batches too.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Oct 16, 2026 and Shopify Help Center: Fulfilling your orders in batches
2. Shopify Flow Can Buy Shipping Labels for You
What changed. A new Shopify Flow action buys shipping labels as orders come in. You set which orders qualify, such as orders with a specific tag, orders that contain certain products, or single-item orders, and choose the carrier and service, package type, weight, and ship date. Each matching order gets a label, ready to print from your Shipping labels page.
The Help Center lists some limits. The action buys one label for one fulfilment, so bulk purchases need a For each step in the workflow. It runs only for orders fulfilled directly through Shopify, so orders assigned to a third-party fulfilment service are skipped. Cancelling an order doesn't void a label the workflow already bought.
Who it affects. Stores that buy shipping labels in the Shopify admin.
What to do. Start from Shopify's ready-made workflow template in Flow, adjust the settings for your store, and turn it on. If you also use a fulfilment service, add a condition that filters orders by fulfilment service before the label step. Void labels for cancelled orders from the order page or the Shipping labels page, within Shopify's voiding rules, such as labels no older than 30 days with no tracking events.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Oct 15, 2026 and Shopify Help Center: Purchase shipping label
3. Offer Royal Mail Pickup Points at Checkout
What changed. Royal Mail is now a pickup point provider across the UK. At checkout, customers choose a location from a map or a list and see its name, address, opening hours, and price before they commit.
Who it affects. Stores that ship from a location in the UK.
What to do. Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery, then open Pickup points under Additional delivery methods. Choose a UK location and turn on Ship to pickup points from this location. Then edit the rate to include Royal Mail and set what you want to charge.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Oct 15, 2026
4. Smart Grid Tile Suggestions in Shopify POS
What changed. Shopify can now suggest smart grid tiles based on the products and discounts your staff use most. Suggestions come only from your store's own catalogue, orders, and POS activity, and each one explains why it's recommended. Your smart grid changes only when you add a suggestion and save. In the POS editor in your admin, you may also see suggestions to remove tiles that haven't been used in the past year.
Who it affects. Stores that use Shopify POS.
What to do. Look for suggestions in the Add tile flow in POS, or when you edit a smart grid template in the POS editor in your admin. We'd review the remove suggestions too, since unused tiles take space from the ones staff tap every day.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Oct 12, 2026
5. Sidekick Helps in the Checkout and Accounts Editor
What changed. Sidekick is now available in the desktop checkout and accounts editor. You can ask it how to configure checkout and customer account settings, get app recommendations, and search the Shopify Help Center. In the Checkout Blocks app, Sidekick can help you understand and plan blocks and functions, review what's already set up and why, and find the settings to make a change yourself.
Who it affects. Stores that customize checkout and customer accounts, or use the Checkout Blocks app.
What to do. We'd ask Sidekick in the editor to explain what's configured before you next change checkout.
Sources: Shopify Changelog, Oct 13, 2026
Also Worth Knowing
Shopify is rolling out an updated Shopify app for iOS and Android, with faster launch and screens and the same colour, type, and icons as the redesigned admin. Source, Oct 13, 2026
Merchants shipping from the Netherlands or Poland can now buy DHL eCommerce shipping labels on Shopify at discounted rates. Source, Oct 16, 2026
Hydrogen 2026-10 is generally available, and Shopify says it now works with any JavaScript framework. Source, Oct 14, 2026
You can book a call with us if you'd like help working through any of these on your store. The Shopify Changelog lists every Shopify change in full.
Last checked against Shopify's official pages on November 12, 2026.