Shopify Summer '25 Edition Updates That Matter Beyond Horizon
Shopify released its Summer '25 Edition on May 21 with more than 150 updates. Horizon themes and the AI Store Builder got most of the attention. For brands that already have a working store, we think the less visible updates deserve a closer look.
Image: Shopify
Published May 22, 2025. Author: Ecomm Guys. 4 min read.
Key Points
- Horizon is a new set of 10 free themes built on theme blocks, with AI-generated blocks from a text prompt.
- Plus stores can now create multiple B2B markets, each with its own catalogs, currency, and theme customizations.
- Collecting duties and taxes at checkout is now available on all plans, and Buy Now, Pay Later is now offered in Canada.
- A new Knowledge Base app lets merchants set the facts AI shopping assistants use about their store.
- Sidekick now supports 20 languages and can reason across more store data.
Horizon and the AI Store Builder
The headline launch is Horizon, a new theme foundation with 10 presets, built on theme blocks that can be moved and customized in the editor without code. Merchants can also describe a block, such as a seasonal discount banner, and have AI generate it. For new stores, the AI Store Builder creates three custom designs from a short description of the brand.
These are useful, especially for new merchants. For established brands, a theme change is a bigger decision than a new feature, and we cover it separately. Evaluate Horizon at your next redesign, and keep your current theme until then.
B2B Gets More Flexible
Several Summer '25 updates matter for wholesale. Plus merchants can now create multiple B2B markets, each with its own catalogs, currency, and theme customizations. They can also preview the buyer's view with a View As option. The free Checkout Blocks app can set minimum and maximum order values for all customers or only B2B customers. Gift cards can be added to catalogs.
Shopify also updated its NetSuite connector for Plus to sync companies, orders, PO numbers, and payment terms. It says nine more apps are now compatible with B2B, including broader QuickBooks integration. If you run wholesale on Shopify today with workarounds, this Edition may remove some of them.
Checkout and International Selling
Collecting duties, taxes, and tariffs at checkout is now available on all plans, and merchants can choose to include duties and taxes in product prices instead. Shopify also added a tool that suggests an HS code and duty rate from a product description and country of origin. If you're a Canadian brand selling into the US, test all three.
Buy Now, Pay Later is now offered in Canada through Shopify. Shopify Payments has expanded to Mexico and 15 more European markets, and Plus merchants can run multiple international entities from one admin. Shopify also published a personalized guide to help stores upgrade their thank you and order status pages, which matters because older customizations on those pages are being retired.
AI Updates Worth Watching
The new Knowledge Base app lets merchants set the facts AI shopping assistants use when answering questions about their store. Shopify frames it as a way to control how your brand is described when AI is doing the talking. It's early, but it points to where product discovery is heading.
Sidekick now handles more complex questions, connects more store data, supports voice and screen sharing, and works in 20 languages. On the developer side, Shopify introduced Shopify Catalog, which lets apps and AI agents search product data across Shopify stores, and Storefront MCP for building AI shopping agents for a single brand.
POS Changes for Retail Brands
Shopify POS has been redesigned for speed, with new navigation and search. A new Ship and Carry Out option lets customers take home what's in stock and have the rest shipped. Tap to Pay turns a phone into a payment terminal. POS Pro stores can set payment options per device and apply one discount across products, orders, and shipping.
Where to Start
If you sell wholesale, review the B2B updates against your current workarounds. If you sell into the US from Canada, test duties at checkout or duty-inclusive pricing. If you haven't upgraded your thank you and order status pages, open the upgrade guide in your admin. Then try Sidekick on a real question about your store.
Not sure which Summer '25 updates are worth setting up? Book a call with our team.
Sources
- New features, good vibes: Welcome to Summer '25 Edition Shopify, May 2025
- Summer '25 Edition developer highlights Shopify, May 2025
- Shopify Editions Summer '25 Shopify, May 2025
- The Summer '25 Edition is live Shopify Changelog, May 2025