Shopify sales data shows evidence of ‘cocktail craze’ and ‘AI gold rush’

Shopify’s sales data for May shows some predictable and not-so-predictable shopping trends, from outdoor grill spits and cocktail ingredients to computer hardware designed to support the “AI gold rush.”

Invited to the cookout: To start with the fun stuff, the e-commerce platform saw sales increases for items that seemed related to recent outdoorsy holidays and events such as Father’s Day, Memorial Day, and graduation parties. For example, sales of food warmers were up 242%, grill spits spiked 254%, and large catering dishes grew 223%.

Shaking things up: There also appeared to be a bit of “cocktail craze” in May, according to Shopify, though not necessarily for your standard mixed drinks.

• While sales of rye whiskey were up 139% and frozen cocktail mixes rose 124%, more unusual ingredients such as lychees for lychee martinis jumped 252%.

Drinkers also discovered the charms of the so-called “Green Fairy,” a nickname for absinthe. Sales of absinthe fountains were up 1,175% last month. These are ornate vessels with multiple taps designed to louche (pour water into) absinthe, diluting the famously stiff spirit and giving it its distinctive emerald green glow.

Onto a decidedly nerdier note, sales of network bridges skyrocketed more than 2,800% in May. These devices link together computer networks, allowing them to work as one network with their combined power.