Newsletter Mid January 2026: Agentic Storefronts rollout

Tamir from 40RTY here. On January 26, Agentic Storefronts started rolling out. That means 40RTY products can begin showing up with a native "buy" flow inside AI channels like Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot.

This email is a practical operator guide. How it works, what to watch out for, and what to do this week so you do not get surprised. If you're not sure how to handle this just talk to us.

What will actually happen on Jan 26

Shopify will syndicate and surface your products in participating AI channels, making them available for purchase directly inside the AI experience.

When a shopper buys, the order is processed through your Shopify checkout and lands in your Shopify admin like a normal order. You remain the merchant of record and keep ownership of the customer relationship.

The operator view: what matters most

Your product data becomes your "listing"

Agents do not browse your site. They browse structured product data. Title, description, category, options, images, price, availability, and key attributes.

Some checkout customizations might not carry over

Certain channel experiences may override or not support parts of your checkout setup. If you rely on specific checkout extensions, delivery rules, marketing opt-ins, or custom flows, you should consider direct traffic to your site.

This is opt out by channel, not "set it and forget it"

Agentic Storefronts are expected to be enabled by default, but you can turn off individual channels and control which products are available for purchase in those channels. Even if you opt out of direct checkout, your products may still be discoverable, but the AI will send shoppers to your site to complete the purchase.

Fees are a new decision knob (especially for ChatGPT)

Some channels may charge a fee after a free trial period. Shopify calls these Agentic Storefronts Fees and you will see the exact terms inside your admin. Many merchants are discussing a ChatGPT fee in the range of 4% after a trial. The important point is not the exact number here. It is that you should treat each AI channel like a new paid channel with its own unit economics and decide where you opt in.

What to do this week (simple checklist, we can help)

• Read the supplemental terms so there are no surprises
• Set up your brand facts, policies, and FAQs so agents will answer policy questions in the moment. Make returns, shipping, warranty, sizing, and FAQs easy to consume. Shopify recommends doing this via their Knowledge Base app.
• Review Default Listing guide (this is the big one) Default Listing is how you tell Shopify Catalog how to interpret and present your product data on AI channels, without changing how your products look in your store
• Decide your channel posture. Keep direct checkout on for all channels, or start with one channel, measure performance, then expand. Consider to opt out of a channel if the fee or checkout limitations do not fit your business right now

How 40RTY helps right now

If January 26 is the switch flip, 40RTY.ai is your control panel.

With 40RTY.ai you can:

• Package your brand knowledge so agents can answer policy questions confidently (via Shopify's Knowledge Base app)
• Catch the small SKU issues that quietly kill selection (missing attributes, wrong taxonomy, weak images, unclear titles)
• Run the exact intents you care about and see whether you're listed in Shopify Catalog, how your feed performs, and where you stand vs the other listings agents can choose from

Read more from Shopify's announcement here: https://www.shopify.com/news/ai-commerce-at-scale

Talk soon,
Tamir & Yoav
Founding team @ 40RTY.ai