Shopify Says AI Search Is Driving More Traffic and Sales, Not Replacing Google

My take: This week Shopify released its Q2 2026 results, and the numbers on AI-driven search traffic are hard to ignore: traffic and orders originating from tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity tripled compared to the same period last year.

What makes this data especially relevant for any business with an online presence is how that traffic behaves. More than half of AI-referred sessions land directly on a product page, compared to just 20% from traditional organic search. And they convert at rates 50% higher. That means buyers with much more defined purchase intent, not just more visitors.

This does not replace Google search, which also grew in the quarter. But it establishes that AI search is already a real and distinct discovery channel. If you have a store or sell products online, do you know whether your business is well represented when someone asks an AI about what you sell?