by Tom Shackleton
Adopting the latest innovations in eCommerce technology can not only be an exciting time for your brand, but it can be the key difference between you and your closest rivals.
That’s why having an eCommerce platform that lets you experiment, adapt and implement new technologies quickly is so important, and there’s no doubt that Shopify Plus makes adding many of these features a breeze.
The last thing you want is to be weighed down with expensive, complex and difficult to manage projects just to stay on a level playing field - you want to be streaking ahead with ideas and innovations that leave your competitors standing.
Take a look at these five vital eCommerce innovations made easy by Shopify Plus.
1. Speeding through Checkout with Apple Pay
Apple Pay has been revolutionary when it comes to mobile shopping; drastically cutting down the checkout process and opening up a wealth of new opportunities for stores to take advantage of Apple’s huge user base both on mobile and on desktop.
On other enterprise platforms, it often seems like the cost of implementing Apple Pay outweighs any potential benefits. With Shopify, this isn’t the case; every store comes with Apple Pay support as standard and was added to every Shopify store around the world simultaneously.
Apple Pay will give your customers a seamless, speedy checkout experience that makes buying from your store a joy, and allows you to focus on a simple, beautifully designed checkout that strips away the barriers to completing that sale.
Just think of the potential of having instant access to cutting edge eCommerce technologies like Apple Pay instantly, without a project plan in sight.
You can think beyond logistics and security and focus on what really matters, creating a carefully crafted and unique experience for visitors.
2. Social Sales Channels
We don’t need to tell you about the importance of multi-channel in 2017, but selling directly on social channels like Facebook can usually pose a huge challenge.
In stark contrast to some enterprise platforms, your Shopify Plus store can launch natively in 16 different sales channels at the click of a button.
There’s no complex development required, no expensive project plans and no bloated integrations. You can strip the complexity away and get straight to forming meaningful, lasting relationships with your customers; providing a personal, characterful service akin to the experience of entering a brick and mortar store.
Shopify Plus integrates directly with platforms like Facebook, Messenger and Pinterest, as well as other channels like Amazon and even Buzzfeed! Some of these are currently US exclusives, but we expect that many will be coming to the UK soon.
Shopify Plus allows you to implement sales channels, monitor their effectiveness and quickly adapt your strategy. You can test and experiment with new channels without costly development projects, letting you make powerful, brand building connections with shoppers and exceeding their expectations.
3. Launching with a Bang Using Flash Sales & Campaigns
For high volume merchants, managing the constant push and pull between demand and supply is often key to success.
Product launches, sales and events like Black Friday can put huge strain on your infrastructure and failing to manage them efficiently can be hugely damaging.
Just take the example of GymShark; the £26million eCommerce store switched from Shopify to Magento, but their store crashed on Black Friday resulting in an estimated £100,000 in lost revenue.
Gymshark switched back to Shopify, and adopted Shopify Plus.
Using Shopify Plus’ exclusive Launchpad feature, you can set up, manage and automate flash sales, using Shopify’s speed and reliability to manage huge order volumes in a flash.
Being able to do this lets you direct your attention to making your sale event an incredible experience for visitors; one that endears them to your brand and forms lasting, loyal connections.
Launchpad can catapult your store ahead of competitors, preventing you from being bogged down in management and manual processing. You can run flash sales with confidence, giving customers a lightning fast, smooth experience.
4. An Incredible Mobile Experience with Dedicated Apps
A dedicated mobile app for your store can seem expensive, even for high growth merchants; but with Shopify Plus, creating an app for your store is simple.
Using Shopify Plus’ mobile store builder, you can build a powerful native mobile app without the need for technical expertise or coding.
Just take this example from luxury watch store Hodinkee. They use a dedicated mobile app to provide a curated, content led experience for shoppers. One that enables them to craft a unique shopping experience that’s sure to engage and energise their customers.
When it comes to mobile apps, it’s all about giving your customers a quicker, more enjoyable experience. A mobile app lets you cut out slow load times and lets both you and your customers focus on what really matters, the products.
Native apps load faster and often provide a better user experience than the mobile web, so being able to create an app for your store without high development costs lets you provide another attractive option for mobile shoppers, that could transform your conversion rate.
5. The Ultimate One-Click Checkout
Not every shopper will be willing to use Apple Pay, and making the checkout process as quick and simple as possible is without question essential for mobile shoppers.
One click checkout is the ultimate solution when it comes to reducing friction and dropouts, and with Shopify Pay, every Plus merchant can accomplish it.
Shopify Pay allows return shoppers to checkout with just one click or tap, removing dropout points and making the whole process much more seamless.
No matter how engaging your store is, if the checkout is poor visitors won’t remember your store as fondly, with one-click checkout, you can make that final step drastically exceed expectations. Leaving your customers with a much more positive experience and tying them to your brand.
There’s a common theme developing here… Shopify Plus lets you do all of this without cost of implementation, project plans or coding.
Focusing on What Matters
Being able to innovate and experiment with new technologies is vital when you’re looking for that edge over a competitor, and unlike other eCommerce platforms, Shopify Plus lets you do just that with minimal risk and investment.
What’s more, because of all of this, Shopify Plus lets you get bloated and unsustainable project costs out of the way. You can stop devoting all of your attention to just keeping the lights on, and get back to what really matters, giving your customers a unique, joyful experience that actually means something to them.
Interested in finding out more about how Statement and Shopify Plus can help your high volume eCommerce business? Feel free to get in touch with our team.
