Why Everyone Is Choosing Shopify in 2026

On November 4, 2025, Shopify President Harley Finkelstein joined CNBC’s Squawk on the Street to discuss Shopify’s breakout Q3 performance and its rapidly expanding role in the future of global commerce. His conversation wasn’t just about numbers—it was about vision. At Ventura Web Design & Marketing, we help brands transform that vision into real-world sales performance. Harley’s insights directly reinforce why Shopify remains the most powerful platform for eCommerce in 2026—and why Ventura continues to build on it every day.

Shopify’s Explosive Growth: A Platform for Every Stage

“Every 26 seconds a brand-new entrepreneur gets their first sale on Shopify.” — Harley Finkelstein, CNBC

That single quote says it all. Shopify’s Q3 2025 results were record-setting: 32% revenue growth, 32% GMV increase, and 18% free-cash-flow margin. From first-time sellers to global retailers, merchants are finding traction faster than ever.

For Ventura clients, this means you’re never “too small” or “too big.” Shopify powers solo founders launching their first product and enterprise retailers like Estée Lauder, Michael Kors, and Nestlé—on the very same infrastructure. Our job is to tailor that power to your brand’s scale: whether that means a clean, conversion-optimized store for a local Tampa boutique or a multi-store rollout with advanced fulfillment logic.

Simplicity That Empowers Entrepreneurs

“If you know how to use email, you can set up a store on Shopify in under an hour.” — Harley Finkelstein

That statement embodies Shopify’s philosophy: reduce friction so creativity can flourish. While competitors complicate onboarding, Shopify keeps setup simple—and Ventura amplifies that simplicity with design expertise, SEO optimization, and automation.

Our clients don’t need to know code or manage servers. We handle the complex setup—so they can focus on products, storytelling, and sales. Finkelstein’s remark that “four or five entrepreneurs got their first sale while we’re talking” wasn’t hyperbole—it’s the real-time velocity of modern commerce.

The Rise of AI and “Agentic Commerce”

“We’re laying the rails for agentic commerce.” — Harley Finkelstein

Shopify’s next leap is what Harley calls agentic commerce—shopping powered by AI agents that can discover, compare, and even purchase on behalf of consumers. Through partnerships with OpenAI, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot, Shopify is embedding AI into every layer of the buyer journey.

At Ventura, we’re preparing clients for this shift right now:

• Structuring product data for AI discoverability and chat-based search.
• Integrating Shopify’s AI Store Builder and semantic search tools.
• Optimizing sites for conversational interfaces and smart-recommendation systems.

Imagine your store being surfaced by a voice assistant or chatbot that identifies exactly what a customer wants—then completes the purchase seamlessly. That’s not future tense; it’s already happening.

Modernizing Big Brands, Empowering Small Ones

“A lot of these very large enterprise brands… don’t want to build their own tech stack anymore.” — Harley Finkelstein

Shopify’s enterprise solution (Shopify Plus) is replacing legacy infrastructure across global brands because it removes the operational drag. That same modernization benefits Ventura’s mid-market clients. You don’t need to run servers or maintain custom codebases—Shopify handles it, letting you focus on brand and customer experience.

Harley cited brands like Alo, Viori, and Gymshark, which “started with us” and scaled to global success. That growth path mirrors what we see in Florida and beyond: local businesses using Shopify and Ventura’s design expertise to punch above their weight online.

Why Shopify Outpaces the Competition

“Right now we have about 12% of U.S. eCommerce market share… Shopify actually outpaces the overall eCommerce market.” — Harley Finkelstein

That leadership isn’t coincidence. Shopify’s streamlined UX, constant feature rollouts, and deep integration ecosystem are rewriting the playbook. Ventura’s development team makes sure clients always ride that wave—leveraging new Shopify capabilities the moment they launch.

Conversion impact is measurable: Shopify stores convert up to 36% better on average than competing platforms, and Shop Pay delivers checkout conversions 50% higher than guest checkouts (source: Shopify Data, 2025).

When your platform outperforms at checkout and expands faster than the market itself, your growth isn’t speculative—it’s statistical.

Why Ventura Chooses Shopify for Our Clients

Finkelstein’s CNBC appearance reinforced a truth we see daily: Shopify has become the default commerce engine for the AI era.

For Ventura Web Design & Marketing clients, that means:

• Faster launches and lower maintenance costs.
• Access to enterprise-grade features without enterprise-level complexity.
• Future-ready infrastructure for AI shopping, multi-channel sales, and global scalability.

“When you look at the brands that consumers love, the ones they’re talking about—all those brands are on Shopify.” — Harley Finkelstein

We couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re a boutique in Tampa or a multi-store operation serving customers worldwide, Ventura’s Shopify-focused team builds stores that convert, scale, and thrive in the AI-driven commerce landscape of 2026 and beyond.

Kevin Richards is the Founder of Ventura Web Design & Marketing — a Tampa-based agency specializing in Shopify web design, eCommerce solutions, and digital marketing for growing brands.
Contact Ventura today to build your next Shopify success story.