The major e-commerce platform that is Shopify has recently made the major step to develop its online services into mobile services. In case you didn’t know, Shopify is the eight-year-old Ottawa-based website that allows those to create their own shops online, and earns a profit through any sales that they happen to make.
The company made the move in early January and introduced the mobile POS service as an app for the Apple iPhone. Although the days are still early, so far over 1,800 merchants have ordered it, and an Android version is expected, too. The product manager for Shopify Mobile, Carson Brown, says that they did so in order to provide its merchants with a better experience. The development was decided finally after polling its clients and finding out that a “large portion” had already turned into competitive mobile products. This shows that Shopify as a company is listening to feedback from its merchants, and will re-develop itself if needed in order to fit their needs, increasing its reputation as an e-commerce platform in the process.
Although there is both the online service and the newly-made mobile service, the two aren’t that different at all. Carson Brown also states that by developing a mobile service, they are “taking away lots of complexity” for its current merchants, and therefore making Shopify a little bit more convenient and present within the everyday busy lives of its clients. Not only this, but those behind the decision to develop Shopify into a mobile app recognize that they need to provide this edge that will more than likely keep their merchants using their services, as opposed to losing them to other gateways that are modernizing and simplifying their products first. Louis Kearns, director of payments, says, “It’s relatively easy for an online retailer to switch over to another gateway if you’re not providing everything they need”.
Overall, Shopify’s recent decision to go mobile is certainly showing to be a wise one. It is predicted that by the end of the year, Shopify will have about 160,000 merchants signing up. The service includes a monthly fee for its merchants, meaning that they will be earning a significant amount of profit if this many people really do join the platform. Going mobile is sure to give Shopify that much-needed edge in today’s e-commerce market, and sets its services apart as being simple, convenient, and easy to use when on the move. Best of luck, Shopify!
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