Shopify reports AI traffic converts 80% better than search
Shoppers referred by AI converted at an 80% higher rate than those arriving through organic search from April to June 2026, according to new Shopify data. AI-referred orders also had 14% higher average order values over the same period.
The findings form part of The Entrepreneur Effect, a new global data hub that launched on 13 October. It draws on Shopify’s platform data, merchant and third-party surveys, and economic-impact modelling to examine entrepreneurship’s growing reach.
AI opens new paths to customers
Beyond conversion rates, Shopify reported that AI channels drove nearly twice as many orders from new buyers as other channels. Merchants selling outside Shopify’s 100 most common product categories accounted for 75% of AI-referred sales.
The findings sit alongside data showing how technology is changing the process of starting and operating a business. Among surveyed Shopify merchants, 78% built their stores themselves. Compared with 2022, 43% more stores now make their first sale within one day of signing up.
Onboarding support from Sidekick increased the share of new merchants reaching five orders within 15 days by 8%.
When we think about many of the innovations around us, whether that’s product innovation, cultural innovation, or new ways of building value, this happens through the act of entrepreneurship. And this is probably one of the most exciting times to be an entrepreneur, as starting a business has fundamentally changed from a matter of months to a matter of hours.
– Dr. Gary Dushnitsky, entrepreneur professor, London Business School
Approximately 1.2 million stores made their first sale on Shopify in 2025, roughly one every 26 seconds. The number of first-time sellers on the platform has grown sevenfold since 2018.
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Economic activity and jobs expand
Shopify said its merchant and partner ecosystem generated more than $1.2 trillion in global economic activity in the past year, increasing 110% from 2022.
Shopify-powered businesses supported approximately 9.6 million jobs worldwide in the last year, up 193% from 2022. Merchants generated $68.1 billion in cross-border sales in the year ending June 30, 2026.
Entrepreneurship is what happens when ambition meets agency. We’ve never seen that happening faster, in more places, and with greater success, than we’re seeing today. The future of commerce is being written now.
– Harley Finkelstein, President, Shopify
The report also highlighted entrepreneurship’s economic contribution in the UK.
The ripple effect of entrepreneurship is clear. In the last year, Shopify data shows £71.1 billion in economic activity and 479,000 jobs supported in the UK. With cross border sales increasing by 136%, British entrepreneurs are also reaching more customers beyond their home market.
– Stephen Rogan, Head of Customer Success, EMEA, Shopify
Customers beyond home markets
In 2025, 186 million people bought from a Shopify merchant for the first time, equivalent to around six first-time buyers every second. Merchants averaged more than $1 billion in sales per day and shipped orders to one billion distinct addresses that year.
The data also showed expanding international sales among rural businesses. Rural cross-border sales increased 342% over 6 years, rising from $655 million in 2019 to $2.9 billion in 2025.
