Shopify just rolled out a subtle yet powerful change: compare‑at prices are now included in the data that AI‑driven shopping agents pull from the Shopify Catalog. In plain English, if you’ve marked a product down in your store, those AI agents can now see the original price and highlight the discount for shoppers. This update bridges a gap between your storefront markdowns and the emerging “agentic” shopping experiences that are reshaping discovery.
What’s New? – Compare‑at Prices Shared with Agentic Channels
Previously, AI agents that read your Shopify Catalog only received the current selling price. They could not tell whether a product was on sale because the compare‑at (original) price was omitted. Starting today, the Catalog API now includes the compare‑at field, allowing agents like chat‑based shoppers, voice assistants, and recommendation bots to surface “Was $X, now $Y” messaging just like a human shopper sees on your storefront.
Who Is Affected?
• Merchants – Anyone who uses compare‑at pricing (sale prices, clearance, seasonal discounts) will see those markdowns displayed in AI‑driven channels. If you prefer to keep the original price private, you now have a toggle to hide it.
• Developers – Apps that query the Catalog (GraphQL or REST) will receive an additional field. Any custom logic that filtered or transformed price data should be reviewed to handle the new attribute gracefully.
How To Manage The Setting
The toggle lives in the Shopify admin under Settings → Catalog → Compare‑at. Turn it on to share the original price with AI agents, or turn it off if you want only the current price exposed. The UI includes a brief description and a “Save” button, so the change takes effect instantly across all agentic channels.
Technical Details & API Implications
When the toggle is enabled, the Catalog GraphQL schema now returns the compareAtPrice field on the ProductVariant object. A minimal query looks like this:
{ product(handle: "example") { variants(first: 10) { edges { node { sku price compareAtPrice } } } } }
If you’re using the REST endpoint (/admin/api/2024-07/catalog/products.json), the response now includes a compare_at_price attribute under each variant object.
Key things to note:
compareAtPrice/compare_at_price.Action Checklist for Merchants
✔️ Review your compare‑at pricing strategy. Decide whether you want AI agents to broadcast your discounts.
✔️ Go to Settings → Catalog → Compare‑at and flip the toggle to match your preference.
✔️ Test the change in a sandbox AI channel (Shopify’s “AI Agent Preview” in the Partner Dashboard) to see how the price appears to shoppers.
✔️ Update any storefront messaging that references “sale” information so it aligns with what the AI agent will show.
Action Checklist for Developers
✅ Update GraphQL queries to request compareAtPrice when you need the original price for analytics or custom UI components.
✅ If you serialize Catalog data to third‑party services, add the new field to your schema mapping.
✅ Review any price‑validation logic that assumes the current price is the only numeric value on a variant.
✅ Add unit tests that cover scenarios where compareAtPrice is null, equal to price, or higher than price.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Sharing compare‑at prices with AI agents unlocks a more transparent, discount‑aware shopping experience across emerging channels. By toggling the setting and updating any custom code that touches the Catalog API, merchants can control the narrative around sales while developers keep their integrations robust. Stay ahead of the AI‑driven commerce wave by testing the new data, adjusting your messaging, and ensuring your apps handle the extra field gracefully.
Ready to make the most of this update? Flip the compare‑at toggle in your admin today, run a quick query against the Catalog API, and let your AI‑powered storefronts start showcasing those markdowns!
