How Shopify's New Mobile App "Shop" Supports Local Businesses
Shopify recently announced the launch of its new consumer shopping app, simply called “Shop.” Shopify’s ecommerce platform powers over 1 million ecommerce stores, including major brands like Lindt, Rebecca Minkoff, Gymshark, and LeSportsac. Now, Shopify is pivoting to a shopping app of its own.
Shopify mobile app Shop is a rebranded version of Arrive, an app that allows consumers to track packages from Shopify merchants and other retailers. Shopify reports that the Arrive app has been used by 16 million consumers already.
As an updated version of the app, Shop includes those same package tracking features — but it also lets consumers:
- Browse a feed of recommended products from Shopify merchants
- Learn more about each brand
- Make purchases using Shopify’s one-click payment method, ShopPay
“Shopify has focused the last decade on solving complex problems for entrepreneurs by making commerce seamless and accessible. Now, we want to do the same for customers. We set out to solve the common pain points in the customer’s shopping journey today while developing specific features, like local business discovery, that will be relevant today and in the future.”
– Carl Rivera, General Manager of Shop at Shopify
Rivera told TechCrunch that it can be a challenge for brands to launch an app of their own — but consumers are moving away from mobile web and doing more shopping than ever on just a few select native apps. “What we want to do with Shop is give them a place to call their own,” Rivera said.
Shop’s product recommendations all come from brands that shoppers have already shown an interest in, purchased from, or followed on the Shop app. This makes the shopping experience more personal and relevant for every customer, which helps Shopify merchants find their target customers — and helps Shop stand out from other native app shopping experiences.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shop also offers a feature that allows shoppers to shop local. The app shows which local merchants currently support delivery and in-store pickups, and lets users make purchases to support those businesses.
“At Shopify, supporting small businesses is at the heart of everything we do – a mission that is now more important than ever. Shop is an expansion of that mission, giving businesses another touchpoint to connect with their shoppers (where they’re already shopping) and providing them a seamless, transparent and customized shopping experience.”
– Melissa Ho, Product Marketing Lead, Shopify “Shop”
“When developing Shop, we heard from shoppers that they were interested in hearing about how their dollars can help small businesses stay afloat. With the “shop local” feature, we make it easy to find and buy from neighborhood favorites, and discover new ones. Better yet, we make this easy for our merchants because Shop comes at no cost to them, and there’s no need to opt-in to participate. We’ve got them covered.”
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