The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, Aug. 6, edition that on Wednesday Shopify posted strong second quarter revenue and profit growth, exceeding analysts' expectations, thanks to artificial intelligence tools that are attracting more merchants. The Globe's Olivia Grandy writes that Shopify has experienced growth from agentic commerce, utilizing autonomous AI agents to facilitate on-line shopping. Shopify is developing AI tools to help shoppers find retailers, boosting the total value of goods sold on its platform. Citi analyst Tyler Radke says stronger-than-expected results may have eased investor concerns about increasing competition for Shopify, following recent underperformance in its stock price. Shopify said its second quarter revenue rose to $3.6-billion, up nearly 34 per cent compared with the same period last year (all figures U.S.). That exceeded analysts' expectations of $3.4-billion. Net income climbed to $1.5-billion or $1.16 a share, up from $906-million or 70 cents a share in the same period in 2025. More merchants are now making use of Shopify's AI tools -- such as its Sidekick assistant, which can help with store setup and design, and later, provide analytics.