Shopify has released new data it says shows how big its merchant community’s economic footprint has become, with a focus on Australia.
The Entrepreneur Effect launched on 14 October 2026 as a global data hub. Shopify says it draws on its platform data, merchant and third party surveys, and economic impact modelling. The company says its merchant and partner ecosystem generated more than $1.73 trillion in global economic activity in the past year, up 110% from 2022. It also says Shopify powered businesses supported about 9.6 million jobs worldwide.
What Shopify reports
For Australia, Shopify reports $101.1 billion in economic activity and 300,000 jobs supported. It says Australian cross border sales have grown 119% since 2022.
These are Shopify’s own figures. The company says its economic impact estimates use a standard input output framework, informed by merchant and partner activity and OECD global supply chain data. Economic activity and jobs cover 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, and Shopify says reporting periods vary by finding.
Globally, Shopify says its merchants generated $98.1 billion in cross border sales in the year ending 30 June 2026.
Starting out faster
Shopify also points to signs that getting a business moving is quicker than it used to be. It says about 1.2 million stores made their first sale on Shopify in 2025, and that the number of first time sellers has grown sevenfold since 2018.
Among surveyed merchants, 78% built their stores themselves. Shopify says 41% of stores launch with a single product, and that 43% more stores now make a first sale within one day of signing up, compared with 2022.
AI referrals and sales
On AI, Shopify says sessions that came from AI referrals converted at a rate 80% higher than organic search sessions between April and June 2026. Over the same period, it reports that orders from AI referrals had 14% higher average order values. AI channels also drove nearly twice as many orders from new buyers as other channels, according to Shopify.
Shopify says 75% of AI referred sales came from merchants selling outside its 100 most common product categories.
Adoption across the wider small business community looks different. According to Deloitte research reported by Dynamic Business, two thirds of Australian small and medium businesses use AI in some form, but just 5% are fully enabled to realise its potential benefits. The two sets of figures measure different things, but they give a sense of how varied the picture is.
One founder’s view
James Lewin, Chief Operations Officer and Co Founder at Empress Athleticus, shared his view of starting a business today in comments supplied by Shopify.
“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.”