As usual, Shopify’s bi-annual update did not disappoint. Shopify Editions Winter 2024 unveils an almost overwhelming number of new products and features that continue to make the eCommerce experience better for both consumers and merchants. Because it’s a lot, we thought it would be helpful to share our take on what updates we think are most exciting and will be the most impactful for merchants – and explain how you can apply them to your store.

A lot happened with eCommerce and Shopify in 2023, from the launch of Shopify Online Store 2.0 and sections to new Shopify B2B features and AI app integrations designed to streamline efforts like email marketing. As a Shopify Plus partner agency, we stay up to date with all the news in the Shopify ecosystem. On our blog, we interpret and share this information as well as best practices, expertise and insights on subjects we think will be helpful for Shopify merchants, such as customer retention, A/B testing and UI/UX design. 

‘Tis is the season for new customer acquisition and increased revenue! But did you know it’s also a great opportunity for some strategic A/B testing? Yes! You can get even more value out of holiday traffic! But, as with most things, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. What to test and what not to test? Following is a guide to what factors we think are important to consider, as well as some recommendations for the best (aka most effective and least disruptive) areas to focus your testing efforts during the holiday season.

Since Shopify released Shopify Online Store 2.0, we’ve had many brands ask us if they should upgrade from their legacy Shopify store to Shopify 2.0. The answer is (as often is the case in life): it depends. Although we can’t give you a definitive yes or no answer, we can help you think through reasons why you might want to upgrade your legacy Shopify eCommerce store to Shopify 2.0 – or why you may not want to just now.

Your eCommerce site isn’t performing. You’ve tried all the usual fixes. Conclusion: you need a different approach. Should you go with Shopify Online Store 2.0? What about headless? Headless is becoming more common thanks to new tools and hosting, but it’s still not for everyone. Or, in another scenario, maybe you already went headless but the way it was built resulted in a costly headache. 

Here’s a little secret: a lot of brands have DTC eCommerce sites, but their revenue is largely driven by B2B. Why? It’s a smart model for building brand equity and brand recognition. And for keeping the lights on. Smaller brands (and even not-so-small brands) realistically can’t boil the internet ocean, so the savvy ones go where the market is more in their favor (e.g., third-party retail shops, gyms, salons, hotels) to get in front of their audiences directly with less competition. 

As 2022 comes to a close, we hope our recommendations and insights over the last year helped answer your questions, spark new ideas and put you on a path to optimize your business, including well-designed PDPs, great mobile experiences, fabulous site search, engaging lifestyle and educational content, proactive zero- and first-party data collection, more diversified marketing strategies, stellar subscription self-management portals, and more. 

If you’ve set up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for your eCommerce website already, that’s great news. But are you using it? Chances are, you’re still leaning heavily on Universal Analytics (UA) for reporting – and you’re definitely not alone. However, it would be smart to start using GA4 now before a lapse in reporting creates a crisis for your business. Otherwise, we foresee a stressful scramble versus a serene summer – do what you can now to protect your sanity later!

YouTube is an eCommerce channel that can’t be ignored. In addition to being the second most popular social platform after Facebook with more than 2 billion monthly users worldwide, YouTube is also the second most popular search engine after Google. Research shows that 90% of consumers say they discover new brands or products on YouTube, and 40% say they have purchased those products. Seventy-five percent of consumers say that using YouTube makes for a better shopping experience. 

If your eCommerce business is relying solely on conventional tracking for analytics – client-side tracking in the browser – you should be wary about trusting your data. Why? Unfortunately, due to trends like increasing use of ad blockers, cookie restrictions, and Apple iOS updates, as much as 20-25% of your data could be missing or inaccurate.