The named Shopify Catalog distribution channels
Per Shopify's Catalog page, products appear on five surfaces: Shop, select AI platforms, shopping sites, AI agents, and agentic storefronts. The Agentic plan page names the AI channels explicitly: ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, and the Shop app, with 'more coming soon.' Two checkout models: ChatGPT is a discovery-focused referrer (buyer completes on the merchant's storefront); the others support direct checkout inside the AI conversation.
ChatGPT — discovery-focused referrer
ChatGPT is documented by Shopify as a 'discovery-focused referrer platform.' When a buyer taps a product card inside ChatGPT, they leave the AI surface and land on the merchant's storefront via in-app browser or new tab. The merchant's storefront then handles the checkout. ChatGPT-sourced traffic reads as referral in Shopify analytics with the appropriate channel attribution.
The direct-checkout channels
Gemini and Google AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, and the Shop app support direct purchasing via Shopify-powered checkout inside the AI conversation. The buyer doesn't leave the AI surface; the order appears in the merchant's Orders report with channel attribution. The four channels read the same Catalog data; their differences are checkout UX and which queries surface which products.
Shop — Shopify's own consumer surface
Shop is Shopify's first-party consumer channel. It's separate from the AI engines, but it reads Catalog the same way. Shop has features no other channel has — customizable PDP blocks (March 2026), Posts (April 2026, the rebrand of Updates that pushes shoppable content into the Shop feed), and the Shop Pay checkout natively integrated.
Per-channel matrix
Six channels carry Shopify Catalog products as of 2026-05-22. The matrix below summarises each: checkout model, attribution type, and per-channel admin control.