Shopify launches Canvas, visual store workspace

Canvas turns Sidekick from a chat assistant into a visual coding partner for commerce, making bespoke storefronts far more accessible. [Shopify’s announcement](https://www.shopify.com/news/introducing-canvas) also makes clear that the product is still early.

• –Renders real theme code rather than a static mockup, closing the gap between generated designs and production behavior
• –Lets Sidekick coordinate changes across theme files, validate code, and review screenshots in an iterative loop
• –Gives non-technical merchants a faster path to custom storefronts without sacrificing visual feedback
• –Could reduce demand for initial theme customization work, while increasing the need for developers to review generated code
• –The existing editor remains in place for now, so compatibility, polish, and control over complex themes are still open questions