We Put Shopify's AI Sidekick to the Test, Here's What We Found
Your Shopify store is ticking along nicely. Orders are coming in, customers are happy, and you're finally getting a bit of breathing room to think about what's next. Someone mentions AI assistants for e-commerce, and suddenly you're wondering if you're missing out on something that could make your life dramatically easier.
Enter Shopify's AI Sidekick, their built-in assistant that promises to help you manage your store more efficiently. But how does it stack up against more sophisticated integrations?
We put this to the test by comparing Shopify Sidekick with our custom Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration across 5 real-world business scenarios. The results reveal critical insights about the future of AI-powered commerce management.
Understanding the Players
Shopify Sidekick is Shopify's built-in AI assistant designed to help merchants manage their stores more efficiently. It can answer questions about your store data, provide insights on sales performance, and assist with various administrative tasks directly within the Shopify admin interface.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) represents a new paradigm in AI integration. Unlike traditional APIs that require constant back-and-forth communication, MCP allows AI assistants to maintain persistent context about your business systems. This means the AI can access real-time data from multiple sources simultaneously – your Shopify store, inventory management system, customer support platform, and analytics tools – all within a single conversation.
Think of it this way: Shopify AI Sidekick is like having a knowledgeable store assistant who knows your Shopify data inside and out. An MCP integration is like having a business analyst who can see across your entire operation, connecting the dots between different systems and providing holistic insights.
Why This Comparison Matters
Most businesses don't operate in isolation. Your Shopify store is just one piece of a larger ecosystem that might include:
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems
Inventory management platforms
Email marketing tools
Analytics and reporting dashboards
Customer support platforms
Social media management tools
The question isn't just whether an AI can help you manage your Shopify store. It's whether it can help you manage your entire business operation.
The 5 Tasks We Tested
We designed these tasks to reflect real scenarios that growing e-commerce businesses face daily. Each task was selected to test different aspects of AI capability, including data access, cross-platform integration, analytical depth, and actionable insights.
Task 1: Cross-Platform Inventory Analysis
Scenario: "Show me which products are selling well on Shopify but are understocked according to our inventory management system."
Shopify AI Sidekick Response
Custom MCP Response
I'll help you identify products that are selling well but may be understocked. Let me analyse your sales performance and inventory levels.
Based on your current inventory, I can see that you have several products with very low stock levels, but since you don't have sales data yet, I can't identify which ones are selling well. Here's what I found:
Current Inventory Status:
Products with Stock Issues:
Food Bell Only 1 unit available for variant "1", but variants "2" and "3" are completely out of stock (0 units)
MindArc T-Shirt Only 1 unit available for variant "1", but variants "2" and "3" are completely out of stock (0 units)
Products with Minimal Stock:
MindArc Vegemite - 1 unit available
The 'GM' - 1 unit available
Matt's Calculator - 1 unit available
Key Observations:
Most of your products have very low inventory (only 1 unit each)
Several product variants are completely out of stock
None of your products have inventory tracking enabled, which makes it harder to manage stock levels automatically
Recommendations:
Enable inventory tracking for your products to get better stock management
Restock the out-of-stock variants (Food Bell variants 2 & 3, MindArc T-Shirt variants 2 & 3)
Increase stock levels for products that you expect to sell regularly
Once you start getting sales, I can help you identify which products are selling well but running low on stock
Would you like me to help you update inventory levels for any of these products, or show you how to enable inventory tracking?
Based on the Shopify data I've retrieved, I can see your current product inventory situation. However, I notice a few important limitations:
Current Inventory Status Products with Low/Zero Inventory:
Food Bell - $100.00
Variant 1: 1 unit in stock
Variant 2: 0 units in stock (out of stock)
Variant 3: 0 units in stock (out of stock)
MindArc T-Shirt - $0.00
Variant 1: 1 unit in stock
Variant 2: 0 units in stock (out of stock)
Variant 3: 0 units in stock (out of stock)
MindArc Vegemite - $1.00 - Only 1 unit in stock
The 'GM' - $0.00 - Only 1 unit in stock
Matt's Calculator - $0.00 - Only 1 unit in stock
Key Observations:
No Recent Orders: The orders query returned empty, which means either there are no recent orders or the orders are from an earlier period.
Inventory Tracking Disabled: All products have tracked: false, which means Shopify isn't actively tracking inventory changes for these items.
Low Stock Across All Products: Most products have very low inventory (0-1 units), which could indicate either low demand or understocking.
Recommendations: To better identify which products are selling well but understocked, I'd recommend:
Enable Inventory Tracking: Set tracked: true for products you want to monitor
Check Your Analytics: Look at Shopify Analytics for sales data over the past 30-90 days
Set Up Inventory Alerts: Configure low stock alerts for products that sell regularly
Review Order History: Check your order history for patterns in product sales
Would you like me to help you set up inventory tracking for specific products or query a different time period for sales data?
Winner: Draw – both tools faced the same limitation of missing sales data in our test environment, but the MCP integration showed a more comprehensive analytical approach and the potential for actual cross-system integration.
Task 2: Customer Journey Mapping
Scenario: "Identify customers who abandoned their cart yesterday and show me their previous purchase history and support ticket status."
Winner: Custom MCP - This task demonstrated the key limitation of Shopify AI Sidekick being bound to Shopify-only data. The custom MCP integration attempted to query multiple systems systematically:
Shopify Store for cart abandonments
JIRA for any related support tickets
Slack for any support messages that might be related
Internal reporting databases for any further detail it could
This was an attempt to gather a complete customer view, while Shopify AI Sidekick would only access cart abandonment data within Shopify itself.
Task 3: Administrative Task Execution
Scenario: "Create me a customer called Matthew Craig his address is 4 Australia Street, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia, also created me three draft orders for him for 10, 20. and 30 orders of Vegemite"
Shopify AI Sidekick Response
Custom MCP Response
I'll help you create a customer for Matthew Craig and set up those draft orders. Let me start by creating the customer profile.
Perfect! I found your MindArc Vegemite product. Now let me help you create the customer profile and draft orders. I'll need to use the form filling tool to create these in your Shopify admin. I see that customer creation isn't supported through the form filling tool. Let me help you navigate to the customers section where you can manually create the customer, and then I'll help you create the draft orders.
Here's what you need to do:
1. First, create the customer:
Click the "New customer" button above to go to the customer creation page
Fill in the details:
Name: Matthew Craig
Address: 4 Australia Street, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia
2. Then create the three draft orders:
Click the "Create order" button above to start creating draft orders
For each draft order, you'll need to:
Select customer: Matthew Craig (once created)
Add product: MindArc Vegemite
Set quantities:
Draft Order 1: 10 units
Draft Order 2: 20 units
Draft Order 3: 30 units
You'll need to repeat the draft order creation process three times with the different quantities. Each time you create a draft order, you can navigate back to create the next one using the same "Create order" link above.
Would you like me to guide you through any specific part of this process?
I'll help you create a customer named Matthew Craig and three draft orders for him. Let me start by creating the customer in Shopify and then create the draft orders for the Vegemite products.
✅ Customer Created Successfully
Customer Details:
Name: Matthew Craig
Email: matthew.craig@example.com
Phone: +61400000000
Address: 4 Australia Street, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia
Customer ID: gid://shopify/Customer/8842682630216
Created: July 3, 2025
✅ Three Draft Orders Created
Draft Order #D1
Order ID: gid://shopify/DraftOrder/1020219686984
Product: MindArc Vegemite
Quantity: 10 units
Unit Price: $1.00 AUD
Total: $11.00 AUD (including tax)
Status: Draft
Draft Order #D2
Order ID: gid://shopify/DraftOrder/1020219719752
Product: MindArc Vegemite
Quantity: 20 units
Unit Price: $1.00 AUD
Total: $22.00 AUD (including tax)
Status: Draft
Draft Order #D3
Order ID: gid://shopify/DraftOrder/1020219752520
Product: MindArc Vegemite
Quantity: 30 units
Unit Price: $1.00 AUD
Total: $33.00 AUD (including tax)
Status: Draft
Next Steps
The draft orders are now ready and you can:
Send Invoices: Convert any of these draft orders to invoices to send to Matthew Craig
Complete Orders: Process payment and fulfill the orders when ready
Modify Orders: Edit quantities, add/remove products, or update customer information
Track Orders: Monitor the status of each draft order in your Shopify admin
All orders include both shipping and billing addresses set to Matthew Craig's address in Camperdown, NSW. The customer profile is now active in your Shopify store and ready for future orders.
Winner: Custom MCP - The Custom MCP actually executed the task completely through API calls, while Shopify AI Sidekick could only provide guidance for manual completion.
Confirmation customer was created:
Confirmation of the draft orders that were created:
Task 4: Financial Reconciliation
Scenario: "Compare our Shopify payout reports with our accounting system and identify any discrepancies in the last 30 days."
Shopify AI Sidekick Response
Custom MCP Response
I understand you want to compare your Shopify payout reports with your accounting system to identify discrepancies. However, I don't have access to your external accounting system data or Shopify's payout/financial reports through the available tools.
To compare your Shopify payout reports with your accounting system, you'll need to access your payout data from the Shopify admin and export it for reconciliation. Here's how to do this:
Steps to access and export your payout data:
Navigate to Payouts: Go to Settings > Payments in your Shopify admin, then click "View payouts"
Filter by date range: Set the date range to the last 30 days to match your reconciliation period
Export transaction data: Export the payout data from the Payouts section for accounting purposes
Filter by payment method: Use filters to view specific payment types (like PayPal Wallet transactions) if needed
Generate reports: Create reports in your Shopify admin to view transaction summaries over your specific 30-day period
For reconciliation:
Each payout will show detailed transaction lists indicating payment methods
You can filter transactions by payment method to distinguish between different payment types
The exported data includes all necessary information for maintaining accurate financial records
Common discrepancy areas to check:
Payout timing differences (Shopify pays out on specific schedules)
Transaction fees and adjustments
Refunds and chargebacks
Different payment methods (credit cards, PayPal, etc.)
Since I can't access your external accounting system, you'll need to manually compare the exported Shopify data with your accounting records to identify any discrepancies.
I'll help you compare your Shopify payout reports with your accounting system to identify any discrepancies in the last 30 days. Let me gather data from both systems.
🔍Shopify Payout vs Accounting System Analysis
📊Key Findings:
1. Limited Recent Shopify Transaction Data:
✅Shopify Store Status: Active but showing zero orders in the last 30 days
❌No Recent Payouts: No Shopify payouts detected in the recent period
⚠️Potential Issue: This could indicate a problem with your Shopify store or payment processing
2. Accounting System (Xero) Data:
✅Shopify Billing Records Found: Multiple invoices from "Shopify Inc"
⚠️Outstanding Invoices:
INV-XXXX (Due: Jun 28, 2025) - OVERDUE
INV-XXXX remaining (Due: May 28, 2025) - OVERDUE
3. Revenue Tracking:
✅Last Revenue Entry: XXXX
❌No Recent Revenue: XXXX
🚨Major Discrepancies Identified:
XXXX
🔧Recommended Actions:
Priority 1: Immediate (Today)
Pay Outstanding Shopify Invoices: $26,520.62 total
Verify Shopify Store Status: Check if store is active and processing payments
Test Checkout Process: Ensure customers can complete purchases
Update Accounting Integration: Ensure automatic sync between Shopify and Xero
Set Up Alerts: Monitor for future payment processing issues
Would you like me to help you investigate any specific aspect of these discrepancies or create a detailed action plan for resolving them?
Winner: Custom MCP - The Custom MCP accessed multiple data sources (Shopify, Accounting platform, internal revenue database) to provide a comprehensive analysis, while Shopify AI Sidekick could only provide guidance on manual processes.
Scenario: "Show me our top 5 best-selling products from last month and their current inventory levels, then recommend which ones need restocking."
Shopify AI Sidekick Response
Custom MCP Response
I'll analyse your product performance and inventory levels to help you make restocking decisions.
Current Product Inventory Analysis: Since you don't have sales data from last month yet, I'll show you your current product inventory status and help you prepare for when you do have sales data.
Current Inventory Status:
Products Available:
1. Food Bell - $100.00
Variant 1: 1 unit in stock
Variants 2 & 3: Out of stock (0 units)
Status: Needs immediate restocking
2. MindArc Vegemite - $1.00
1 unit in stock
Status: Very low stock
3. MindArc T-Shirt - $0.00
Variant 1: 1 unit in stock
Variants 2 & 3: Out of stock (0 units)
Status: Needs restocking
4. The 'GM' - $0.00
1 unit in stock
Status: Very low stock
5. Matt's Calculator - $0.00
1 unit in stock
Status: Very low stock
Key Observations:
All products have critically low inventory (1 unit or less)
Multiple product variants are completely out of stock
No inventory tracking is enabled, which makes automatic reorder alerts impossible
Immediate Recommendations:
Enable inventory tracking for all products to get low stock alerts
Restock all out-of-stock variants immediately
Increase base inventory levels to at least 10-50 units per product depending on expected demand
Set up low stock alerts when you reach 5 units or less
Once you start getting sales data, I can help you identify which products are selling fastest and need priority restocking. Would you like me to help you enable inventory tracking or update stock levels for any of these products?
I'll analyse your product performance and inventory levels to identify restocking needs. Let me check your current product data and any available sales information.
All products have dangerously low stock (0-1 units)
Inventory tracking is disabled (tracked: false)
4 out of 7 product variants are completely out of stock
🎯Restocking Recommendations:
Priority 1 - Immediate Action:
1. MindArc Vegemite: Stock up to 100+ units
Reason: Recent high demand (60 units in draft orders)
Suggested reorder: 200 units
2. Food Bell: Restock all variants
Reason: Highest price point ($100) = high revenue potential
Suggested reorder: 25 units per variant
Priority 2 - This Week:
3. MindArc T-Shirt: Restock variants 2 & 3
Suggested reorder: 50 units per variant
4. The 'GM' & Matt's Calculator: Moderate restock
Suggested reorder: 25 units each
📋Action Plan:
Immediate (Today):
Enable inventory tracking for all products
Set low stock alerts at 10 units
Restock MindArc Vegemite (highest demand)
Restock Food Bell variants (highest value)
This Week:
Implement automatic reorder points
Review supplier lead times
Set up sales velocity tracking
Would you like me to help you enable inventory tracking or calculate specific reorder quantities based on your supplier minimums?
Winner: Custom MCP - The Custom MCP provided more detailed analysis, including recent demand indicators (draft orders), pricing considerations, and specific reorder recommendations with reasoning.
What These Tests Reveal
The comparison reveals several key insights about the current state of AI-powered e-commerce management:
Shopify AI Sidekick Strengths:
Deep Shopify Integration: Excellent for store-specific queries and guidance
User-Friendly Interface: Provides clear, actionable steps within the Shopify admin
Administrative Guidance: Good at explaining how to complete tasks manually
Shopify Best Practices: Incorporates Shopify's recommended workflows and processes
Shopify AI Sidekick Limitations:
Single-System Boundary: Cannot access external systems or databases
Execution Limitations: Often provides guidance rather than executing tasks
No Cross-Platform Integration: Cannot correlate data from multiple business systems
Limited Data Sources: Restricted to Shopify-only information
Custom MCP Integration Strengths:
Multi-System Access: Can query Shopify, accounting systems, CRM, and
internal databases simultaneously
Automated Execution: Actually performs tasks via API calls rather than just providing guidance
Comprehensive Analysis: Provides holistic business insights by connecting data from multiple sources
Real-Time Integration: Accesses live data from all connected systems
Custom MCP Integration Considerations:
Setup Complexity: Requires technical implementation and API configuration
Maintenance Overhead: Needs ongoing management of integrations
Security Considerations: Requires careful handling of API keys and data access
Custom Development: May need tailored solutions for specific business needs
The Verdict
For Shopify-Only Operations: Shopify AI Sidekick is excellent for merchants who primarily work within the Shopify ecosystem and need guidance on platform-specific tasks.
For Multi-System Businesses: Custom MCP integrations provide significant advantages for businesses that need to coordinate data and actions across multiple platforms, systems, and databases.
The Future: As businesses become more complex and data-driven, the ability to access and synthesise information from multiple sources will become increasingly valuable. While Shopify AI Sidekick serves as an excellent starting point, growing businesses will likely need more sophisticated integration solutions.
Key Takeaways
Context Matters: The scope of your business operations determines which AI approach is most valuable
Execution vs. Guidance: Some scenarios benefit from automated execution rather than manual guidance
Scalability: As businesses grow, multi-system AI integration becomes more critical
Current vs. Future Needs: Consider where your business is heading, not just where it is today
Next Steps
As Shopify integration specialists, we've seen firsthand how the right AI implementation can transform e-commerce operations. Here's our recommended approach based on your business stage:
Just Getting Started with Shopify? Begin with Shopify AI Sidekick to:
Learn the fundamentals of AI-assisted store management
Understand your data patterns and business workflows
Identify repetitive tasks that could benefit from automation
Build confidence with AI-powered insights
Growing Beyond Shopify-Only Operations? This is where custom MCP integration becomes a game-changer. If you're using 3+ business systems (CRM, accounting, inventory management, email marketing, etc.), you're ready for:
Cross-platform data synchronisation
Automated workflow orchestration
Unified business intelligence dashboards
Real-time inventory and financial reconciliation
Enterprise-Level Multi-Channel Operations? Custom MCP integrations are essential for:
Managing complex supplier relationships
Coordinating across multiple sales channels
Advanced customer journey mapping
Predictive inventory management
Automated compliance and reporting
Ready to Unlock Your Business's Full Potential?
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