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We came to Shopify Unite this year with the hopes of finding solutions for our current clients. This included sourcing partners, app technology and general news that would effectively increase sales lift and ease the stress of day-to-day operations. What we didn’t expect, is how hard Shopify worked in developing their core offerings in the back-end throughout the year, which directly translates to many huge improvements that will be benefit Merchants & Partners alike.
As this is starting to become a yearly tradition, here are 4 key takeaways that we believe will benefit small-medium sized Merchants.
1. The Introduction of Sections
There are many notable improvements rolling out to merchants front & backend over the next few months. Sections will now be available on product pages & collection pages, enabling Merchants to communicate the features & benefits of each product in a more organized manner. App developers will also be able to take advantage of this, permitting their apps to fit more natively on these pages. A practical application of this feature would be showcasing user-generated content directly on the collection page, showcasing only the assets related to that product.
2. Create Richer Product Browsing Experiences with New Media Types
As Adjust Media works with a plethora of fashion brands, our biggest complaint is the lack of flexibility on showcasing a fashion product. Previously, Shopify has limited Merchants to static, 2D photos on the product page. We have found that adding videos of models showcasing the product in addition to static photos has significantly improved our conversion rates. The issue is, Shopify themes do not natively support video, so video had to be embedded below or above the product description, rather than built into the slider itself. This has now been Adjusted, and you can bet that all of the brands working with Adjust Media will be taking advantage of this feature! Further, 3D photos & AR functionality has been built in, and will roll out in the coming months.
3. Improved Checkout.. on Every Level.
Gone are the days of ‘checkout hacking’ to improve your Checkout > Purchase CR%. Shopify has announced that apps are now available to embed within your checkout processes & page. Add reviews, create upsells/cross-sells, offer a quick discount, all natively on the checkout page.
The above isn’t even the biggest change! Shopify is utilizing Re-Cart’s technology to build-in recurring orders (thank god!) + the ability to handle These additions are truly game changing for merchants who want to sell globally, and streamline the process for merchants that sell both in-cart & subscription based products.
Shopify has truly improved the checkout… on every level.
4. Shopify just got Real….Estate.
One of the biggest pain points for growing businesses is outsourcing fulfillment. There are oftentimes problems:
Choosing the right 3PL Company
Having transparency on Shipping Stage/Time
Knowing the true cost of fulfillment
Inventory mismatches
Shopify has identified this as a main concern for eCommerce in general, and has created the Shopify Fulfillment Network as the solution. This strategy vertically integrates Shopify into fulfillment by partnering with a network of warehouses/fulfillment centers across the world. Think of Shopify Fulfillment Network as a direct competitor to FBA.
The SFN disperses your product across multiple locations, allowing for a network that allows faster, cheaper shipping for your end-user. Once enabled, you don’t need to think about pick & pack costs ever again! They quote you up-front and allow you to better estimate your shipment/storage costs, so that you can now calculate your true margin per product. The service is multi-channel, so if you receive an order from Amazon, Facebook, IG Shop, it is all synced. Custom packaging is available & you are eligible as long as you ship out a minimum of 10 orders per day.
Shopify plans to invest $1 Billion over the next year in this network, so it is a big focus on their business operations going forward. For more information, or to apply, head to www.Shopify.com/fulfillment
The Keynote presentation was absolutely packed with useful updates and information that every single merchant on the platform can use to their advantage. Though this is only a small summary of what was announced, the Opportunity ahead is beautiful.
Want to get in-touch with Uri & the Adjust Media Team? Click here
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