Shopify’s Global Economic Impact Report: How Shopify Partners are Changing Commerce

The success of millions of independent business owners is critical to our world's economic prosperity. Every new business adds more value to the world.

But entrepreneurship is challenging—whether it’s competing with big corporations or overcoming the many hurdles of setting up shop.

Thankfully, we’re changing that together.

We recently hired Deloitte to produce a report that examines Shopify’s global economic impact, as it relates to our corporate operations, merchants, and partner and developer community. 

While this report highlights how Shopify is transforming the global economy by removing barriers to business, an essential part of this story is you, the thriving community of digital agencies, app developers, freelancers, and commerce specialists. In 2019, Shopify’s revenue surpassed $1.5 billion USD, while our partner ecosystem generated over $6.9 billion USD—showcasing the tremendous growth and success of the Shopify Partner ecosystem.

"In 2019, Shopify’s revenue surpassed $1.5 billion USD, while our partner ecosystem generated over $6.9 billion USD."

What’s more, this global partner network has been invaluable to the success of Shopify merchants around the world.

Merchants are able to spend their time more efficiently and with greater impact because of the day-to-day help partners provide. And at the same time, partners are spreading economic prosperity from their clients and users, to their families, communities, and beyond.

So today, we want to celebrate and say thank you to this amazing partner and developer community that has helped us power a global economic movement, now a million merchants strong!

Shopify Economic Impact Report

How Shopify Partners are changing entrepreneurship

Alongside Shopify, the partner community drives economic activity in emerging markets, re-invests capital back into local economies, and employs hundreds of thousands of people. 

Below are just a few highlights from Shopify's Global Economic Impact Report worth celebrating.

You might also like: An Insider's Look at the Technology That Powers Shopify.

A network of entrepreneurs

One million merchants now use Shopify to run their businesses, and many of them rely on your apps and services to grow. Over 80 percent of Shopify’s merchants have used a third-party app to run their day-to-day operations.

But the impact goes further than just Shopify merchants. According to the report, in 2019 businesses on Shopify supported over 2.1 million full time jobs around the world.

"In 2019 businesses on Shopify supported over 2.1 million full time jobs around the world."

Borderless commerce

Shopify Partners and Developers are spreading the entrepreneurial dream both at home and abroad. In 2019, there were over 14,700 partner businesses engaged in international activity. 

"In 2019, there were over 14,700 partner businesses engaged in international activity."

Global growth

Finally, it’s not only partners from a few select countries that are seeing success—the partner ecosystem is global, with exciting growth happening in emerging markets.

As of 2019, there were over 7,500 partners operating in developing countries across the world.

"As of 2019, there were over 7,500 partners operating in developing countries across the world."

Shopify Economic Impact Report

Still more opportunity to come

From 2016 to 2019, businesses built on Shopify supported $319 billion USD in global economic activity—to put that into context, that’s on par with the national GDP of many countries around the world.

Let that sink in.

While we’ve hit an important milestone together, it’s important to stress that there are still many merchant needs to address, niches to fill, and problems to solve. As Shopify merchants continue to grow and scale, there’s more opportunity than ever before to offer services and build products that enable and empower entrepreneurship around the world.

As Shopify Partners and Developers, you’re already making merchant dreams a reality, and in turn, you amplify the changes they seek to make in the world. You’re changing the face of entrepreneurship for the better, through the businesses you run, the Shopify merchants you support, the advice you share, and the people you employ. 

Thank you, and here’s to the next million entrepreneurs!