Shopify Makes It Simple To Set Up Shop On Facebook Messenger

What Happened
Shopify is expanding its partnership with Facebook to make it easier for brands and merchants to start selling directly on Facebook Messenger. A new “Shop Now” button will appear when a user starts chatting with any Facebook Business Page store if that Page uses Shopify’s Messenger sales channel. Tapping the button opens an in-chat portal that showcases the merchant’s product catalog. Users can complete purchases via Shopify’s checkout portal without leaving Messenger.

What Brands Should Do
Earlier this year, Shopify released an iOS keyboard app that enables merchants to sell via various messaging and social apps. As it continues to explore the ecommerce potential in conversational contexts to cater to changing consumer behavior on mobile and a shift in brand-customer interaction, brands and retailers need to take note and start experimenting with conversational commerce.

To learn more about how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, check out the Conversational Interfaces section of our Outlook 2016.

 


Source: TechCrunch

Header image courtesy of Shopify’s promotional video

Shopify Launches iOS Keyboard To Help Brands Sell On Social Channels

What Happened
Shopify is making it easier for brands to sell on social and messaging platforms with the launch of an iOS keyboard app. Named Shopkey, the app will be to be integrated with product catalogs so that merchants using Shopify’s software can easily find and send product pictures and purchase links to their customers via an interface akin to a sticker keyboard.

What Brands Need To Do
Though still in its nascent stage, conversational commerce has been gaining momentum among online retailers. In China, popular messaging app WeChat has seen considerable success in integrating ecommerce into its platform. Therefore, brands looking to sell directly to consumers via messaging and social platforms should consider utilizing this keyboard app to quickly respond to customers’ requests and move them down the sales funnel.

For more information on how brands can develop authentic brand voices and sell on conversational interfaces, check out our Outlook 2016.

 


Source: Buzzfeed

Header image from Shopkey’s App Store Page

Facebook Partners With Shopify To Build Shop Sections On Pages

What Happened
A week after Facebook first announced the addition of a new mobile-optimized Shop section to Pages, Canadian ecommerce platform Shopify is revealed as the partner that will be powering those new shopping channels on the social network. Shopify says the feature will be made available for all page-owners for free, and merchants can active it by simply adding the Facebook sales channel within the Shopify dashboard in the “coming weeks”. In related news, Shopify has also been selected by Amazon as a preferred Webstore alternative, as the ecommerce giant begin shutting down its own Webstore ecommerce platform in July.

What Brands Should Do
The new Shop section allows businesses to sell directly from their Pages, and merchants that are already using Shopify should definitely take advantage of this new partnership. As Shopify allows Shopify shoppers to save their payment information for future purchases, it can create a frictionless shopping experience, which is crucial for conversion rates. As mobile commerce continues to grow substantially, retail and CPG brands would be wise to make use of this new mobile-friendly feature.

The Lab has always kept an eye out for the ever-changing consumer behaviors in ecoomerce. To learn more about the shifting ecommerce space and the opportunities in social commerce, you can contact our Engagement Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) and schedule a visit to the Lab.

 


Source: Marketing Land