Build A Shopify Store With AI (This Saved Me A Ton Of Time)

“Struggling to know where to start to launch a Shopify Store?

AI Just Made It Ridiculously Easy!”

Let’s be real—building an online store sounds exciting, but once you’re knee-deep in product listings, branding choices, and endless setup tasks, the overwhelm kicks in fast.

You know you need a professional, high-converting store, but who has the time (or budget) to spend hours perfecting every detail?

What if you could skip the guesswork and let AI handle the heavy lifting?

Imagine generating product descriptions, designing your store, and optimizing for sales—all in minutes.

In this post, I’ll show you how to leverage AI to build your Shopify store step by step—no coding, no stress, just actionable strategies to launch faster and smarter.

Ready to turn your eCommerce dream into reality?

Step By Step Guide To Build A Shopify Store With AI

Step 1: Getting signed up from the Magic Page

Will start on the actual AI page dedicated for Shopify AI (Which they call Shopify Magic)

From here you will see a page dedicated to it.

Look around a little bit before hitting the free trial button just to see some info.

Once you hit that free trial button, it’s going to have you sign up and answer some key answers for your onboarding process.

Step 2: Explore the dashboard

A couple of key things to spot

• If you look in the top right you will see a small little face icon which is the shopify side kick you can open that utilizes Shopify’s AI.  You type in what you need.
• On the left side is your menu.  Look in the very bottom left too for “settings”
• Steps to take front and center
• Should have a button or 2 to see plans if you decide to select one

Step 3: Build your theme with AI

Personally I’d say this is the most important step because after its up you can visualize a ton more.

For me once I have a structure filling it in seems way easier.

OK this is easy to get to

Click on “online store on the left”

Then you will see a “Themes” option

Here is a link that should take you directly to it.

Ok you’re on the page and should see something like this if you scroll down a little bit.

I typed in “I want you to build me a store dedicated to selling shoes” and then I hit generate themes.

Just to add:

If you don’t like the ideas just regenerate them.

Notice anything else too?

The cost is free for these themes.

So once you find one you like, you can hover over it and “view demo” or “try it”

If you hit try it, it will install i,t but you can always go back and regenerate one.

You will see where you can customize it just above.

I’ve gotta ask if you made it this far:  Does it feel pretty good having some type of theme structure in place?

Step 4: Customize your store

I’d call this a high learning curve phase just because Shopify offers a ton of customization steps.

Thankfully AI filled in a ton when you built your theme.

So now, you kind of just are replacing stuff and updating it.

A few things to note:

• The top right you can open the Side Kick that uses AI and it will guide you through everything
• On the left is all the key things for this page to edit
• That top arrow is pointing to your different pages you can edit.

Step 5: Add A Product

Click here to go right to the page

If you want the manual route, you can look on the left and see “products”

Then hit “add products”

From here you’re on the product building page

Now hit that top right button of the kick because it can help you build it out.

Notice you’re still doing everything manually in the middle but it’s assisting you.

Look over this section slowly and start adding info and pictures you have.

At the very bottom you will see where it says “save” so you can save your product and it’s now ready.

So in this next image you will see I typed in “Write description for sneakers for kids”

It then generates some info on this.

The really cool part is when you hit preview, it adds it to your listing.

To me this is a nice little touch because a ton of it is filled out for you.

Step 6: Customize some images

So this is an area I’m still trying to figure out.

When I go to content – file – select image

I feel I’m not getting the ability to do everything they are saying such as replace background.

Might be a user issue LOL

Overall, you can see it’s pretty easy getting going with AI and the side kick assist.

What’s The Pricing For AI?

There is no extra additional charges using AI with Shopify

If you go with the Basic Shopify Plan you are going to pay as low as $29 monthly just like you always would.

FAQ: Building a Shopify Store With AI

How can AI help me build a Shopify store?

AI makes building a Shopify store faster and easier by handling many of the time-consuming tasks for you. It can generate product descriptions, suggest design layouts, optimize SEO, and even help with branding ideas. With tools like Shopify Magic, AI simplifies store setup so you can focus on growing your business.

Is Shopify Magic the same as an AI website builder?

Shopify Magic is an AI-powered assistant built into Shopify that helps with content generation, marketing, and automation. It’s all bundled under the AI features to help build out your website.

Can AI design my Shopify store layout?

Yes, and this is a huge feature because you can really get your store structure up and live fast. While it won’t replace a professional designer, AI tools within Shopify can suggest themes, color schemes, and layouts that align with your business. You can always customize these suggestions to make your store unique.

Does AI help with writing product descriptions?

AI can generate high-quality, engaging product descriptions based on the product details you provide. This is especially useful if you have a large inventory and need compelling, SEO-friendly descriptions to attract customers and improve search rankings.

Can I use AI to optimize my Shopify store for SEO?

Yes, AI tools can analyze your store and suggest improvements for SEO, such as keyword optimization, meta tags, and image alt text. Some AI-driven apps also provide insights into search trends, helping you attract more organic traffic.

Will AI help with Shopify marketing?

It will totally help you out with your marketing and preparing certain areas such as email responses.  It can create automated email campaigns, suggest high-converting ad copy, and personalize customer recommendations. Shopify’s AI features help streamline these processes so you can run more effective marketing campaigns with less effort.

Is AI good for customer support on Shopify?

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can handle customer inquiries, provide order updates, and even suggest products, reducing the workload for store owners. This can improve customer satisfaction and response times while allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.

How do I start using AI with Shopify?

Getting started is easy. Shopify has built-in AI features like Shopify Magic, and you can also explore third-party AI apps in the Shopify App Store. Many of these tools integrate seamlessly, helping you automate tasks, improve store performance, and drive more sales.

Can AI help with inventory management?

Yes, AI can analyze sales trends and predict demand, helping you manage stock levels efficiently. Some AI tools also automate reordering, ensuring you never run out of popular products while avoiding overstock issues.

Do I still need a developer if I use AI to build a Shopify store?

It depends on how customized you want your store to be. AI can handle many aspects of store setup, but if you need advanced customization, integrations, or unique features, hiring a developer might still be a good idea. AI makes the process easier, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for human expertise in all cases.  I personally was able to just use the side kick to help me without feeling the need for a developer personally.

Can AI help me choose the right Shopify theme?

Yes, AI can analyze your business type and customer preferences to recommend themes that best fit your brand. While AI suggestions are helpful, always review the theme’s features and customization options to ensure it meets your needs.

What are the best AI tools for Shopify?

The best tool is built right into your plan called Shopify Magic. There are also AI-powered analytics tools that provide insights to help optimize your store’s performance.  You can search on the Shopify app store for some more options too.

How much does it cost to use AI with Shopify?

The Shopify Magic AI features are included in your plan.  So, as you sign up you can start using them and this is at no additional cost to you.

Can AI help me make more sales on Shopify?

AI improves personalization, optimizes product recommendations, enhances marketing efforts, and provides insights that help you make data-driven decisions. When used effectively, AI can boost conversions and help scale your online store more efficiently.