You already know marketing matters. But figuring out what to run and where to spend either takes time you don’t have or an agency budget you can't seem to justify.
Starting today, that changes.
Meet Campaign Autopilot
Autopilot is a new way to run your marketing, built directly into your Shopify admin. It uses AI to plan and run marketing on your behalf across channels like Meta, Shop, and email with more ad channels on the way, including ChatGPT Ads, Microsoft Advertising (July) and Snapchat. That way, you can spend your time on the work that needs you: your products, your brand, and your customers.
Your part is simple. You set the budget, add your guardrails, and can approve what runs before it goes live. Campaign Autopilot handles the rest, including creating campaigns, spreading your budget across channels, and adjusting over time based on what's working.
Plus, there’s no agency retainer or marketing degree required.
How it works
Here's what happens when you turn on Campaign Autopilot:
- Connect your channels. Campaign Autopilot can help create a new ad account on Meta if you don't already have one, or connect to ones you do. It also sets up email automations and runs ad campaigns with Shop Campaigns (and associated ad channels like Pinterest and ChatGPT).
- Pick a monthly budget. Campaign Autopilot deploys this budget across the channels you’ve connected. Campaigns pause automatically when you reach your budget.
- Set the rules. You tell Campaign Autopilot what it can and can't do. You decide how much control you want, from approving every campaign before it runs to giving Campaign Autopilot more room as campaigns evolve.
- Autopilot builds a plan and gets to work. It creates campaigns, puts your budget where it sees the most opportunity, and starts running. If something isn't performing, it adjusts. If something needs your attention, it tells you.
- You stay in control. You can reject a recommendation, change your budget, or pause at any time. Campaign Autopilot works for you, not the other way around.
Run campaigns across top channels
Campaign Autopilot works across different marketing channels, with more coming soon:
- Meta ads: Create a new ad account or connect an existing one, and run ad campaigns across Meta platforms.
- Shop Campaigns: Run ads on Shop and third-party channels. Available in the US and Canada.
- Shopify Messaging: Autopilot suggests and builds email automations like abandoned cart and abandoned browse sequences.
- Coming soon: More channels are on the way, including ChatGPT Ads, Microsoft Advertising (July) and Snapchat.
Sidekick is always on hand to help. Ask Sidekick about your growth recommendations, trigger Autopilot actions, and get a clear picture of what's happening across your marketing. Sidekick is available globally.
Channel availability varies by location, but every eligible store owner can get started with automations and paid ads from day one.
Opt for a different mode of marketing
Campaign Autopilot isn't another ad platform layered on top of what's already complicated. It's a different approach entirely.
- It handles the setup for you. Getting started with ads shouldn't be a barrier. Campaign Autopilot walks you through creating your Meta ad account directly from your Shopify admin, so you can go from "I've never run an ad" to live campaigns, all from one place.
- It runs multiple channels together. Instead of managing Meta and email all on different tabs, Campaign Autopilot coordinates across all of them from one place. It moves your budget toward what's performing and pulls back from what isn't.
- It gets smarter over time. Shopify sees what's working across millions of stores, including which channels drive orders for your category, region, and stage of growth. That means Campaign Autopilot makes recommendations that a single-channel tool or generalist agency simply can't because it uses real patterns from real stores, not generic advice.
- You learn alongside it. Campaign Autopilot doesn't just run your marketing. It shows you what's working, including which channels are driving orders, which products are getting traction, what's underperforming, and what it's doing about it. You'll understand your business better by asking questions where you’re most curious, instead of someone else managing your campaigns.
- It won't touch your existing campaigns. If you're already running ads on Meta or Shop, Campaign Autopilot creates its own separate campaigns. Your existing work stays exactly as it is.
Start with clear expectations
While Campaign Autopilot offers an incredible solution for your marketing, we want to be straightforward about what it can and can't do.
- We can't guarantee specific results. No honest marketing tool can, but Campaign Autopilot is constantly working across your channels to find what drives sales for your store. It adjusts based on real performance data, not assumptions.
- Results take time. Marketing isn't instant, even when it's automated. Campaign Autopilot needs time to learn what works for your business, including which audiences respond, which channels convert, and which ads resonate.
- Use your images and your brand. Campaign Autopilot uses your existing product images and catalog to create campaigns. It's not generating AI creative on your behalf, so what goes out looks like your store.
One more thing: Marketing is now Growth
You'll notice the Marketing tab in your Shopify admin has a new name: Growth. This isn't just a label change, it reflects what we're building. The Growth tab is a place where your can run your marketing automatically or dive deeper into manual tasks.
Your marketing summary, Shopify Campaigns, and Automations are still there, and you can manage Automations directly from the Messaging app.
Early access is now live
Campaign Autopilot is available now in early access. If your store qualifies, you'll have immediate access to turn it on from the new Growth tab in your Shopify admin. If you don’t have access yet, still sign up and we'll notify you when it’s available.
Campaign Autopilot is free for all brands on paid Shopify plans. You only pay for ad spend directly to Meta and through Shopify for Shop Campaigns and email, just as you do today. There's no additional fee for Campaign Autopilot itself.
Head to the Growth tab in your Shopify admin to get started. No more guessing which ad format to pick, what bidding strategy to use, or when to send your next email. Campaign Autopilot has it covered.
