Shopify: AI Search Is Boosting Sales

20:51 / 05.08.2026·18·Technology

The e-commerce software developer Shopify has begun benefiting significantly from the growing popularity of AI technologies. According to ixbt.com, at the company’s second-quarter earnings call, Shopify President Harley Finkelstein emphasized that AI is not replacing search; instead, it is becoming an effective complement to it, bringing substantial benefits, especially to small product manufacturers and merchants. TechCrunch.com reports this.

Recently, AI-powered search engines and summaries have negatively affected online publishers, causing website traffic and advertising revenue to decline. Shopify, however, is seeing the exact opposite trend. The company attributes its strong financial performance and revenue growth partly to AI search.

Financial Success and Sales Growth

According to the reported data, during the second quarter, AI-driven traffic to Shopify stores and order volume tripled compared with the same period last year. Interestingly, this growth did not come at the expense of traditional search. According to Finkelstein, traditional search remains one of the main sources of customer acquisition and continues to grow as well.

In addition, traditional search sessions have increased 1.3-fold over the past two years, retaining nearly one-third of all visits to stores. As for the financial results, the company’s revenue grew 36% during this period to $3.6 billion, exceeding Wall Street forecasts. Gross operating profit rose 31% to $1.71 billion.

Why Is AI Delivering Results?

Shopify executives also explained why AI-powered search works well in e-commerce. While traditional search engines rank products based on keywords and popularity, AI agents delve deeper into the catalog and use structured data to understand and respond to a shopper’s specific intent.

For example, if a shopper asks an AI assistant for the best child seat suitable for a sedan, traditional search focuses only on the “child seat” keyword. AI, however, considers dimensions, vehicle type, and all other requirements simultaneously to find a genuinely suitable product. This multidimensional search capability is driving a sharp improvement in conversion rates for merchants.