Shopify is expanding its advertising ambitions with the launch of the Shopify Product Network, a new system that surfaces products from across participating merchants—even if the item isn’t carried by the store a shopper is currently visiting.

The pitch. If a shopper searches for “organic cleaning supplies” on a Shopify store that doesn’t carry that product, the Product Network may show alternatives from other merchants. Items can also appear natively on another merchant’s homepage, indistinguishable from the store’s own inventory. Shoppers purchase all items in a single cart, often without knowing some items come from other merchants.

Shopify’s angle. The Product Network resembles ad platforms like Google Performance Max, Meta Advantage+ Shopping, and Amazon Performance+—advertisers set a cost-per-acquisition target, and the platform optimizes automatically.

Key difference: Shopify emphasizes merchandising over advertising. Network placements only appear if contextually relevant, rather than filling predefined ad spots.

• Amanda Engelman, Shopify’s advertising product director, says, “It’s just a different approach to the world.”

Revenue and structure.Shopify has historically avoided heavy ad monetization. For example, its Audiences program builds customer segments for use across channels like Google and Meta without taking a cut of ad spend.

Merchants participating in the network earn commissions on third-party products, paid in cash or Shopify ad credits—effectively creating off-site ad budget support.

The Product Network continues this trend. Early placements are context-driven rather than revenue-driven. Over time, the network could optimize for higher commission items while still favoring purchase likelihood.

Why we care. Shopify’s Product Network opens a new way to reach shoppers across a vast network of independent merchants without requiring those merchants to carry their products. By surfacing relevant items contextually—on search results or directly on another store’s homepage—advertisers can gain exposure in more places while keeping the shopping experience seamless.

Unlike traditional ads, the network optimizes for conversions and purchase likelihood rather than simply filling ad space, potentially delivering higher-quality traffic. Additionally, merchants earn commissions on third-party sales, creating an incentive for broader participation, which can amplify reach and effectiveness for advertisers.

What’s next: Shopify plans to refine personalization and monetization as the network scales, but the core principle remains: keep shoppers on the platform and help merchants sell more—even if the items aren’t theirs.

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About the Author

Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.

In 2008, Anu started her career delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side. Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event - PPC Live and host of weekly podcast PPC Live The Podcast.

She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US, UK, Munich, Berlin), Friends of Search (Amsterdam, NL), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna, IT) and more.