Shopify is doubling down on AI shopping agents, calling the technology the “biggest shift in technology since the internet” on its Q3 earnings call. The e-commerce giant, which partnered with OpenAI in September, said traffic from AI tools to Shopify-powered stores has surged sevenfold since January, while purchases attributed to AI search are up elevenfold.
President Harley Finkelstein said Shopify’s competitive advantage comes from its massive commerce data – “millions of merchants and billions of transactions” – combined with a “founder mode” approach to rapid product development. He pointed to internal tools like Scout, which uses AI to analyze hundreds of millions of pieces of merchant feedback for faster product decisions.
“AI is not just a feature at Shopify,” Finkelstein said. “It is central to our engine that powers everything we build.”
Beyond its OpenAI partnership, Shopify is working with Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot on in-chat shopping. A recent survey commissioned by the company found 64% of consumers are likely to use AI when making purchases – a signal Shopify says validates its push into “agentic commerce,” where autonomous AI agents complete shopping tasks.
Shopify posted Q3 revenue of $2.84 billion, up 32% year-over-year and ahead of expectations. Operating income of $434 million missed estimates slightly, sending shares lower.
