Shopify reports that AI search is attracting new customers rather than replacing Google search.
Concerns are growing that '
AI-referred shoppers convert better and spend more (2026) - Shopify
https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/blog/ai-search-insights
Shopify says AI search is driving more traffic and sales, not replacing Google | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/05/shopify-says-ai-search-is-driving-more-traffic-and-sales-not-replacing-google/
Shopify released data on customers who purchased products via AI during its Q2 2026 earnings call. According to Shopify's Q1 2026 commerce data, referral sessions from AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, and Grok increased eightfold year-over-year. Organic search remains a major product discovery channel, driving more sessions to Shopify than the combined traffic from all AI platforms that Shopify tracks, and is up approximately 5% year-over-year, Shopify announced.
On the other hand, when focusing on 'traffic quality,' specifically the conversion rate of visitors (how much product they purchase), it was found that customers accessed via AI had a conversion rate approximately 50% higher and an average order value 14% higher compared to customers accessed via organic search.
Shopify cites the session initiation point as the reason for the higher conversion rate via AI. In the case of AI-driven sessions, 55% start on the product detail page, meaning half of customers directly access the product page they are interested in. In contrast, with organic search, many users link to brands or categories, and only 20% directly access the product detail page. Shopify states, 'AI search consolidates the discovery and consideration stages of the purchasing process into a single conversation, guiding potential customers directly to the product page. While this channel is still in its early stages of consumer adoption, its commercial effectiveness is clear.'
AI search services such as Google's 'AI Summary' and ChatGPT Search are rapidly gaining popularity as alternatives to traditional search engines. However, concerns have been raised that the direct display of answers by AI may reduce website traffic, impacting businesses that rely on search engine traffic. In fact, according to data on search engine traffic released by a data analytics firm, search engine traffic decreased by 22% for large publishers with over 100,000 page views per day, by 47% for medium-sized publishers with 10,000 to 100,000 page views per day, and by 60% for small publishers over the two-year period from 2024 to 2026.
Search engine traffic declines across the web, with smaller sites seeing a 60% drop - GIGAZINE
On the other hand, Shopify CEO Harley Finkelstein said at the Q2 2026 earnings call, 'AI search is not replacing Google search. AI search is creating new customers, and Google search is still growing.' He pointed out that it is particularly benefiting the ' long tail ' segment, which includes small businesses that make up the majority of the customer base and have low sales volumes.
Finkelstein explains, 'While search engines rank products based on the popularity of a few keywords, our AI agent accesses Shopify catalogs multiple times and uses richer structured data to match products that not only match keywords but also the buyer's specific intent. For example, if a buyer asks the AI assistant for 'the best child seats that can fit three side-by-side in the back seat of a sedan,' a traditional search would narrow the search to the keyword 'child seats.' However, the AI agent understands the actual needs, dimensions, vehicle type, and the requirement to fit three child seats side-by-side. It then searches for all of these constraints simultaneously to find products that actually work, not just the top-ranked products.'
Shopify lists 'what online stores should do now' as measuring AI traffic as a unique channel, optimizing product pages so that AI agents can evaluate the correct information, and preparing for transactions through agents. Shopify also stated that it is working on integration with AI tools and AI agents, building connectors to platforms such as Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Manus, Replit, and Vercel, and providing a development environment for AI agents that sellers can freely build on Shopify.
Furthermore, Shopify states that 'AI is not a substitute for search, but a complement,' and that it is important to continue investing in organic search, as organic search still drives far more sessions than AI.
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in AI, Web Service, Posted by log1e_dh