Shopify has launched a data hub called The Entrepreneur Effect and reported that AI-referred sessions converted at a higher rate than organic-search sessions. Between April and June 2026, the conversion rate was 80% higher.
The figures sit alongside broader data on how people start and run online businesses, with Shopify arguing that technology is reducing barriers of time, cost and geography.
AI is also changing customer acquisition patterns on the platform. Shopify said AI channels drove nearly twice as many orders from new buyers as other channels over the same period, while AI-referred orders recorded average order values 14% higher than organic-search sessions.
The data also suggests AI-led discovery may be helping smaller and more specialised merchants. According to Shopify, 75% of AI-referred sales came from merchants selling outside its 100 most common product categories, indicating that narrower product ranges may be gaining more visibility through AI tools.
Australian impact
In Australia, businesses using Shopify generated AUD $101.1 billion in economic activity in the year to 30 June 2026 and supported 300,000 jobs. Australian merchants also increased cross-border sales by 119% since 2022.
Globally, Shopify's merchant and partner ecosystem generated more than USD $1.73 trillion in economic activity in the past year, up 110% from 2022. Shopify-powered businesses supported about 9.6 million jobs worldwide, a 193% increase over the same period.
The data points to continued growth in first-time entrepreneurship on the platform. In 2025, about 1.2 million stores made their first sale on Shopify, or roughly one every 26 seconds, while the number of first-time sellers has risen sevenfold since 2018.
Lower barriers
Shopify said 78% of surveyed merchants built their online stores themselves, while 41% launched with a single product. Merchants also installed 21 million apps in 2025, up 19.5% from 2024.
Early sales timelines also appear to be shortening. Compared with 2022, 43% more stores now make their first sale within one day of signing up, while onboarding support from Sidekick increased the share of new merchants reaching five orders within 15 days by 8%.
The platform's customer base continued to expand as well. In 2025, 186 million people bought from a Shopify merchant for the first time, or around six first-time buyers every second.
Merchants generated more than USD $1.44 billion in sales per day on average in 2025 and shipped orders to one billion distinct addresses. Rural cross-border sales rose 342% over six years, increasing from USD $943 million in 2019 to USD $4.2 billion in 2025, Shopify said.
Harley Finkelstein, President, Shopify, said: "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."
An Australian merchant cited by Shopify said lower barriers to entry are changing what smaller businesses can attempt. James Lewin, Chief Operations Officer & Co-Founder, Empress Athleticus, said: "For sure, entrepreneurship is worth it, but it's not for everyone. The barrier to entry is as easy as possible now with Shopify and AI, but you still have to be willing to keep learning and keep pivoting. AI has opened up so much more of what we can do. We're not limited by finances in the same way anymore. We're limited by our imagination and our effort. We have 14 staff in the business now, and our car park is full of women with lives and stories. We've also had friends start businesses because they've seen what's possible through us. If you're ready to chase something different, go for it."