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Shopify: AI Traffic Up 7×, AI-Orders Up 11× Since January

Last update:
November 14, 2025
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Mitchell Argamasilla
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The company says it is treating AI not as a feature but as the core engine of its commerce platform, positioning for the transition to “agentic commerce” — where conversational agents drive discovery, checkout and post-purchase engagement.

Shopify’s AI Surge: 7× More Traffic, 11× More Orders

In its Q3 earnings call, Shopify revealed traffic from AI tools to their merchants is up 7× since January, while orders attributed to AI-powered search have jumped 11×. TechCrunch+1

What’s driving the surge

Shopify isn’t treating AI as a side feature. According to President Harley Finkelstein, “AI is not just a feature at Shopify. It is central to our engine that powers everything we build.” PYMNTS.com+1
Behind that statement is a two-fold strategy:

  • Partnering with leading AI platforms like OpenAI, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot to embed shopping directly into AI-powered conversations. TechCrunch+1
  • Building internal tools (such as “Scout”) that analyze millions of merchant signals—support tickets, reviews, usage data—to make faster product and checkout decisions. PYMNTS.com

Why it matters for ecommerce

These numbers signal a structural shift. For merchants and operators this means:

  • The discovery-to-purchase funnel is compressing. AI agents are bypassing traditional search and search ads.
  • Product feeds, inventory data, reviews and merchant signals become more critical. Traffic from AI tools essentially demands high-quality data and transparency.
  • Conversion ecosystems (checkout, fulfillment, returns) are being pulled into conversational flows. Shopify says this is part of what it calls “agentic commerce”—where autonomy, not just automation, is the core. PYMNTS.com

The “So What?”

For ecommerce leaders and feed-management teams, this isn’t optional. AI-driven channels are scaling fast. Merchants who treat this like an experimental sidebar risk being excluded from the new flows.
Shopify’s advantage lies in its scale: millions of merchants, billions of transactions, a unified cart and one-click checkout capability. That position gives it a formidable head-start. TechCrunch
But it also poses questions:

  • Are smaller platforms able to adapt their data pipelines and feed compliance fast enough?
  • Will the major marketplaces capture most of the AI-agent flow and squeeze out independent merchants?
  • How will attribution work when AI agents replace clicks and traditional ad metrics?

What to do next

  • Audit your product feed and data schema: make sure your product titles, GTINs, inventory and shipping data are machine-readable and “agent-friendly.”
  • Prepare for conversational touchpoints: Chat agents, voice assistants, embedded checkout in AI platforms.
  • Build fallback strategies: If new traffic flows bypass conventional search and ads, you’ll need loyalty, direct-to-consumer channels and native integrations to retain control.

Sources:

  • TechCrunch: Shopify says AI traffic is up 7× since January, AI-driven orders are up 11×. TechCrunch
  • PYMNTS: Shopify President: Agentic AI drives 11× spike in orders. PYMNTS.com