by Tom Shackleton
We had a great time at our eighth Shopify Meetup this March, which again provided some great insights for retailers on core Shopify through to Shopify Plus, and on everything eCommerce and online retail.
Fresh from Lambert’s Yard in Leeds, we’ve put together this roundup for those of you who couldn’t make it to what was another fantastic night.
From Shopify’s plans for 2018, to Google AdWords strategies for your eCommerce business, strategies for long-term growth and insight from growth Shopify retailers, here’s everything from Shopify Meetup Leeds.
Introduction & Shopify in 2018: Joshua Hobson @ Statement
Statement’s Digital Marketing Manager, Joshua Hobson, kicked off the meetup by welcoming the attendees, and looking at Shopify’s plans for the rest of 2018.
Covering the growth of Shopify Plus in the UK, as well as a host of new features expected at Shopify Unite in April, Joshua also reviewed some huge landmarks for Shopify from the last few months.
The platform has now surpassed 600,000 users, and hit an eye watering £1 billion in sales over BFCM17 weekend which clearly demonstrates the power of Shopify!
Don’t Waste Money on AdWords: Rick Tobin @ Circus PPC
Next up, Rick Tobin, MD of Circus PPC took to the stage to talk Google AdWords, and how your eCommerce business can avoid wasting money on PPC.
Rick discussed how to isolate campaigns, ad groups and keywords that aren’t performing, how to optimise campaigns for the best results, and when to draw a line and turn off aspects of your campaign.
He emphasised just how important it is to set up your campaign and tracking correctly. If you’re to report on and optimise your AdWords campaigns, you’ll need to make sure the data you’re collecting is accurate!
Integration Strategies For Long-Term Growth: Robin Smith @ VL OMNI
After Rick, Robin Smith from meetup sponsor VL OMNI took to the stage to discuss strategies for long-term growth, and how data integrations should play a big part in your business strategy as you grow.
Robin highlighted the fact that the average cost of processing an order manually is £40, so if your margins are less than this, you’re actually making a loss on each order if you focus on manual processes!
Robin also underlined the importance of data integrations that can scale as your business grows, as opposed to limited ‘plug and play’ integrations that will quickly break under pressure.
Shopify Retailer Q&A: Bishyika, Apothecary 87, Fitch Brew Co & Chia Charge
Finally, our panel of Shopify retailers rounded the meetup off with a wide ranging Q&A covering everything from selling on Amazon to influencer marketing and scaling to Shopify Plus.
Panelists from fashion brand Bishyika, men’s grooming brand Apothecary 87, healthy snacks brand Chia Charge and cold brew coffee company Fitch Brew Co took questions from the audience on everything Shopify and growth.
The popularity of micro-influencers and their importance to growing brands came up as a key talking point, with panelists advocating for approaching smaller influencers rather than big name personalities.
A few of the panelists had previously had poor experiences with other platforms, and found the switch to Shopify a breath of fresh air! The panelists also talked about their personal stories and experiences, as well as why they chose Shopify in the first place.
What’s Next?
Thanks to everyone who attended and spoke at Shopify Meetup Leeds. A special thanks goes out to our main sponsors VL OMNI and pizza sponsors Circus PPC too.
If you didn’t make it this time, or you’re already hungry for more Shopify insight, don’t forget to register for our mailing list to be the first to hear about our next meetup in Manchester and other eCommerce events we’re hosting throughout the year.
If you were inspired by what you heard at the event, and want to talk to someone about growing your own Shopify store, feel free to get in touch and a member of our team would be happy to help.
