Harley Finkelstein said Tuesday that the e-commerce software company\u2019s most recent quarter marked the first time Shopify saw shoppers experimenting with \u201cdelegated purchasing\u201d \u2014 when AI-based agents don\u2019t just recommend products, they buy them on a customer\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is really the newest front door into commerce,\u201d he told analysts on a call. \u201cThis is very new behaviour. Volume is, of course, small, but it\u2019s growing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Delegated purchasing is valuable for Shopify because it puts products from merchants using its software in front of an even broader audience. Because AI agents know a person\u2019s shopping preferences and history, it also makes it easier for consumers to unearth merchandise they would never have discovered on their own and then buy it.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon builds on a wave of new opportunities the company has been trying to harness as consumers get more comfortable with using AI chatbots for browsing and now, buying products.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCommerce is fragmenting. AI is not just creating new ways for buyers to shop, it is also creating new ways for merchants to operate and that is what Shopify was built for,\u201d Finkelstein argued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shopify recently started helping its merchants make hundreds of millions of their products be instantly discoverable through ChatGPT. It also began integrating Shop Pay \u2014 its checkout technology \u2014 \u00a0into \u201can avalanche\u201d of new AI tools Muse, Claude Duet, Grok Bot and Instinct.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis doesn\u2019t just give our current merchants optionality. It is also becoming an onramp for new merchants,\u201d Finkelstein said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine an aspiring entrepreneur talking to ChatGPT or Claude or Muse about starting a retail business. The agents suggest they start building with Shopify, and then it helps them build their store inside the chat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finkelstein\u2019s insights into how AI is shaping commerce came as his company\u2019s share price dropped almost 10 per cent to $197.07 when the market opened.<\/p>\n
John Shao, an analyst with TD Cowen, said in a note to investors that \u201cwe don\u2019t see anything obvious to explain the significant\u201d stock decline.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn our view, elevated investor expectations heading into Q3 left no margin for error, and Shopify is therefore being punished for delivering largely in-line results,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/ANKST4CS7MYRMLZP5D3YHAYJL4.jpg\")
Shopify Inc. headquarters signage in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sean Kilpatrick Shopify Inc. headquarters signage in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sean Kilpatrick <\/p>\n
Hours before the fall, Shopify reported US$462 million in third-quarter net income, up from US$264 million in the same quarter last year.<\/p>\n
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, said the profit amounted to 36 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of 20 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.<\/p>\n
On an adjusted basis, its profit amounted to 49 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 34 cents US per diluted share in the third quarter of 2025.<\/p>\n
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$3.74 billion, up from US$2.84 billion in the same quarter last year.<\/p>\n
The results included US$836 million in subscription solutions revenue, up from US$699 million a year ago, while merchant solutions revenue totalled US$2.91 billion, up from US$2.15 billion in the same quarter last year.<\/p>\n
In its outlook for its fourth quarter, Shopify said it expects revenue to grow at a low-thirties percentage rate on a year-over-year basis.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
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