Yesterday, Shopify unveiled a new app that could be a lifeline for the 1m+ merchants on its ecommerce platform, some of whom are struggling in a big way.
The new app, called Shop, is an update to a package-tracking tool called Arrive. If you’ve ever wanted retail therapy to feel a little more like picking out a meal on Grubhub, Shop might be for you.
The app’s buzziest feature: a “shops near you” tab that shows Shopify merchants whose brick-and-mortar outposts are close to your last delivery address.
You can follow those merchants within the app and buy directly from their Shopify listings.
One important detail, courtesy of Fast Company: Businesses don’t pay anything to be on the Shop app, and they don’t pay commissions on sales made through it, either. So it’s also a shrewd way for Shopify to get new merchants to try out its services.
Fast Company points out that the app might be best suited to digital-first brands that happen to have stores in a few cities. Small businesses need to be on Shopify’s platform to take advantage of the increased reach.