Hello creators! Since we have been meeting here on the internet, it’s about time we chat about it. Websites can sometimes be complicated to build, but they don’t have to be. I’m sure you’ve all met Shopify by now. It’s shown to be one of the most straightforward platform to create a simple e-commerce focused website. This year they have restructured plenty of pieces of their own design and creation tools. We are just doing our job to keep you up to date with their latest 2023 features as the Shopify Partners we are, so you can use it to its full potential. Plus, Shopify is an amazing example of using technology in an innovative way. (See how we keep coming back to innovation?)
"Technology empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn't think they could learn before, and so, in a sense, it is all about potential." - Steve Ballmer
1. Set Up Your Store
Website for the non-techie.
Step one when you enter Shopify will obviously be to set up your store. Whether you have already done so or are on the way, the new updates have come in to make the tasks easier and add all the much-needed features. Which brings us to the first two updates that will help you do so. Shopify has added an amazing function that lets you drag and drop, resize, group, and edit the content directly on your page (much like all of other customer programs are heading towards), and they have added a great variety of free templates you can use as a base to personalize your store. This isn’t bad advertisement for us (we know that you still need a designer to make the store POP), but with these functions, it can make it a lot easier to get started, (but seriously, we do recommend using graphic designers; they’re the reason any brand succeeds). That’s not all. To make the job easier, you can also draft pages of your website so you can preview them before launching.
Metaobjects
Metaobjects will help you save so much time. Metaobjects are basically a list you make of elements that are recurring. You can use them as data storage or for customized reusable content. Let’s say that you sell skin products; well, you are probably including a list of all ingredients that are part of your product in the description. Scientific names can be complicated and not so easy to remember, especially when you have a long list of them. With metaobjects, you can build your bank of ingredients that will not appear on the website; when you come to create a description, you can just use a metafield and personalize it from the list you created. That’s it!
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
Customized
Deeper customization on your website specifically for B2B businesses that operate in different markets. You can create different experiences for different crowds by changing the theme, replacing text in banners, changing the menu for the specific market, and more. That means that if you operate in two countries, for example, you can have a personalized layout for both of them and highlight discounts you want to offer only in one of these place.
Your products can now have their custom pages where you can add media like videos to enhance the buyer's experience. Not only will your products be easier to find, but now the customer will have access to more materials to decide if they want to buy or not.
Hydrogen
We are not going to enter into too much details with this one (because it’s a huge topic on itself), but it is a powerful program that Shopify had previously developed, and now with the new update, it is even more promising. In simple terms, it's like a set of tools and technologies that developers can use to build and design online stores or websites. It works by separating the front-end and back-end of the online store. That alone gives flexibility in design and functionality. It's particularly focused on making websites perform well and load quickly, which is crucial for providing a good user experience to visitors.
"The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order." - Alfred North Whitehead
2. Smooth Out the Customer Journey
Automation
Shopify’s new features are really focusing on helping e-commerce businesses develop by facilitating and simplifying every task that can slow down businesses. We always stress that understanding the customer’s journey is crucial when it comes to marketing and selling more, but once you understand it, you’ll see that there are many actions to take at every stage to maximize your chances of connecting with your clients, Shopify is starting to make it so much easier. Coming soon, the custom automation process will facilitate that process. Shopify will help you with its customer’s journey template to set up all these call-to-actions, emails, and so on to your customer. The best part is that you will, of course, be able to customize the design but also when they are being sent out and when there is a waiting period. Once this process is set up, you don’t have to think about it again.
Check-Out
Okay, so this is a big one. Obviously, the easier we can make the process for the customer, the more chance they will buy. If your check-out is too complicated or just overall badly done, there is much chance that your customer will give up and turn elsewhere. So, Shopify has worked on many features to make this part of the process as easy and smart as possible. First of all, they came through with Global Cart, which lets customers shop in different Shopify stores but have only one check-out instead of separate ones. Shopify functions too, do something similar: now custom logic and functionality can be added to the checkout process. For example, by creating special rules for discounts or product recommendations. Lastly, Shop Pay, which is a fast checkout solution, can now be included in emails. So, when customers click on a link in an email, it takes them directly to a quick and easy checkout process. There are some more upgrades that have been done on the checkout process which you have to be grateful for if you have an e-commerce business because they will all help you sell more.
In the Know
It’s important for your customer to have all the information necessary when it comes to investing their money, and instant answers are a really nice support to do just that, that’s a feature that is yet to come, but when it will, it’s a great one to take advantage of. You can personalize an FAQs section with your most asked questions about your product, and soon, AI will get involved in answering your box as well. Once they have done their purchase, they will be able to keep track of it and know where their order is and when it's expected to arrive. This real-time tracking adds transparency to the shipping process and let’s be honest, it’s kind of satisfying to see that thing you want on the way!
"The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don't really even notice it, so it's part of everyday life." - Bill Gates
That was a lot of information! We have more for you (yes, it was a serious update), but we feel like there is only so much that can be shared on one page. So, part 2 will be coming soon. In the next post, we will cover updates that will help you run your business and advertise it.
Have you used any of these updates yet?
Reference
- https://www.shopify.com/editions/summer2023?utm_campaign=Summer23Edition-Amplify&itcat=partner-dash&itterm=banner
- https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/263621.Ted_Nelson
- https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/steve_ballmer_173469
- https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/art-progress-preserve-order-amid-change-and-preserve-change-amid-order-alfred-north
- https://ddsn.com/blog/digital-design-service-technology-quotes/bill-gates.html