Shopify, which provides software and other services that underpin the websites of many small businesses, grew dramatically during the early stages of the pandemic, with sales jumping 86% in 2020. Investors, however, fear the company cannot sustain its growth as shoppers return to more normal buying patterns. Those concerns intensified last month when Shopify said it had terminated contracts with several warehouse and fulfillment partners, sending shares to a 16-month low. But for the fourth quarter, Shopify beat analyzes estimates for revenue and profit. Revenue increased 41% to $ 1.38 billion. Analysts, on average, projected $ 1.34 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Profit, excluding some items, was $ 1.36 a share, compared with analysts' average estimate of $ 1.26. Gross merchandise volume, the value of merchants sales flowing through Shopify's platform, increased 32% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier to $ 54.1 billion. Analysts, on average, estimated $ 52.6 billion.