Shopify is cementing its commitment to Australia with a set of new products designed to help merchants shift from Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) to a new phase – Connect to Consumer (C2C) – where customers feel connected, considered and appreciated by brands.

Shopify unveiled a major set of products for the local market at its new twice-yearly global product release, Summer ’22 Edition.

“We’re strengthening our investment in innovation and product development to help Australian merchants build a future that moves beyond transactional relationships to cultivate the power of connection,”Shopify managing director for Asia Pacific, Shaun Broughton said.

Shopify unlocks NFT to reward loyalty with token gated commerce

In this new era of commerce, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) represent a unique opportunity to build deeper connections through brand loyalty.

Shopify research found that more than one-quarter (27%) of Australian consumers said they’re likely to purchase an NFT in 2022. Token gated commerce on Shopify rewards true fans and VIPs by giving NFT holders exclusive access to products, perks, and experiences. When consumers connect their crypto wallets to a Shopify online store, they can use their NFTs to unlock experiences.

Token gated commerce on Shopify will be multiplayer and collaborative. One brand’s NFT can unlock another brand’s store, making it easier for brands to partner and collaborate. 

Shopify expands into B2B to unlock market opportunity

Directly integrated into Shopify, B2B makes it easier for Shopify merchants to sell to other businesses using the same platform they use for their D2C storefront. B2B on Shopify offers a similar online store experience that merchants use to sell to consumers, but with customised tools that make it easier to sell wholesale or in bulk directly to large businesses. 

“We are now at the point where it should be just as simple for a business looking to sell B2B to manage their products, prices and sales through an e-commerce platform, as it would be for any business selling individual products to consumers. With B2B, Shopify’s helping Aussie merchants expand into an entirely new market category on the same platform they already use to reach consumers,”Broughton said.

With B2B on Shopify, merchants can set customer-specific prices at fixed rates or discounted retail prices, easily modify currencies and exchange rates for international buyers, and add automated payment terms while integrating with ERP solutions like Acumatica and Netsuite.

Shopify teams up with Google to help brands turn browsers into local buyers

With local inventory sync on Google, Shopify merchants can automatically let nearby customers know when a product is available in store, making it easier to shop and support local brands. Google local inventory sync is available globally to merchants using Shopify’s point-of-sale app.

Shopify Functions a step forward for C2C commerce on Shopify

Shopify is allowing developers to extend or replace Shopify’s backend layer with custom code so they can create out-of-the-box Shopify features to tailor commerce experiences.

Functions creates the flexibility of an open-source platform without the hosting, security, or code versioning challenges. The custom code runs on Shopify’s global infrastructure, allowing merchants to handle high volume traffic spikes from flash sales while still providing a speedy checkout experience.

Starting with Discounts, Functions will let developers build powerful custom offers like volume discounts – for example, spend $100 get $20 off or free gift with purchase. Merchants can use these alongside existing Shopify discounts, such as free shipping, without needing to touch a line of code. 

Functions can be developed for a single merchant or shared with millions of merchants through the Shopify App Store, meaning developers will have more ways to generate income with Shopify.