E-commerce software provider Shopify reported substantial growth in AI-powered traffic and purchases during its third-quarter earnings call, positioning artificial intelligence as central to its platform's future. The company disclosed that traffic originating from AI tools to its online stores increased sevenfold since January of this year, with purchases attributed to AI-powered search rising elevenfold.
Shopify President Harley Finkelstein emphasized the company's strategic advantage in the AI era, citing its access to data from millions of merchants and billions of transactions. He also highlighted Shopify's "founder mode" mentality, enabling rapid product development and deployment. Finkelstein stated, "AI is not just a feature at Shopify. It is central to our engine that powers everything we build."
Internally, Shopify utilizes AI tools such as "Scout," which assists employees in analyzing vast amounts of merchant feedback to inform product decisions. Finkelstein noted that Scout is one of many tools designed to convert internal signals—including support tickets, usage data, reviews, social interactions, and "Sidekick" prompts—into "fast, informed decisions."
The company has also established partnerships with AI leaders, including ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot, to develop in-chat shopping experiences. A recent Shopify survey indicated that 64% of shoppers expressed a likelihood of using AI to some extent during purchases. Finkelstein stated that Shopify is actively "laying the rails for agentic commerce," anticipating various permutations of its evolution and preparing to adapt to whichever path gains prominence.
Separately, Shopify's Q3 financial results showed revenue reaching $2.84 billion, a 32% increase year-over-year, surpassing analyst estimates. The company reported a profit of $264 million, or 20 cents per share. However, Shopify's operating income of $434 million fell slightly below the estimated $437 million, according to market reports.
