What Is Shopify’s Shop Channel? (And How Do You Use It?)

Shopify is always adding new features to make things easier for you and your customers.

Some features, like Shopify Magic, have been a hit, while others, like Shopify Handshake, quietly disappeared.

The newest feature is the Shop app. It's designed to help you improve your customers' online shopping experience from discovery all the way to delivery.

Curious to learn more? Let's dive in!

Tip: Have you already created your Shopify account? If not, sign up by clicking this link here to get a free 3-day trial + 1 month for $1!

What is Shop Channel?

Shopify’s Shop Channel is a sales channel that lets you manage the Shop app from the backend.

The Shop app, which came out in 2020, combines the best features of Arrive (a delivery tracking app) and Shop Pay (formerly Shopify Pay).

It helps customers discover new stores, receive personalized product recommendations, track packages, and make purchases using Shop Pay.

If a customer uses Shop Pay Installments, they can also manage their payments through the Shop app.

In short, Shop is like a digital shopping assistant that makes online shopping more personal and convenient for your customers.

So how do you manage your listings and your brand presence on the Shop app?

It’s by using the Shop channel.

The Shop Channel lets you manage your brand presence and engage with customers directly on the Shop app. You can add it via the Shopify App Store.

But keep in mind that Shop and Shopify aren't involved in the actual purchase, sale, or delivery of goods or services.

As the merchant, you’re responsible for handling everything: purchases, deliveries, customer service questions, refunds, returns, complaints, problems, and disputes.

Shopify just gives you the platform to display your products and collections to a wider audience that you might not reach otherwise.

How does the Shop app work exactly?

You may be wondering how the Shop app works or how it benefits you as a merchant.

Well, for starters, any customer can download the Shop app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Customers can then browse through various Shopify-powered brands, checkout using Shop Pay, and earn Shop Cash that they can redeem within the app.

Then, when a customer places an order, Shop automatically scans emails from Gmail and Outlook for order tracking numbers and provides real-time order tracking notifications.

Customers can also link their Amazon account to get live tracking updates via the Shop app’s push notifications.

But that’s not all: Shop uses AI to show customized product recommendations to customers who have already bought from you.

This means Shop helps independent businesses by automatically recommending products to their existing customers, all from a place they already shop - on their phone.

Shop also syncs automatically with Shopify. So, customers can see all orders they've placed from different Shopify stores in the Shop app.

Abandoned cart notifications may also appear in Shop, prompting customers to return to your store to complete their purchase.

Last but not least: there’s a shop local feature that enables buyers to find nearby merchants and support their local businesses.

This is especially helpful because customers who might not have known about your store can discover you through the Shop app!

Who can use Shop Channel?

Now that you know what the Shop app is and why you need to be on it, let's find out if you're eligible to have your store displayed in the Shop app:

• Your store needs to be on an active Starter Shopify plan or higher.
• Your store must have Shopify Payments activated.
• Your store also needs to have Shop Pay activated. This allows customers to use Shop Pay for a smooth and fast checkout experience.
• Your store must have a chargeback rate of less than 1% in the last six months.
• At least one of your products must meet the Shop's product eligibility requirements. If you sell both prohibited and approved products, only the approved products will appear in the Shop.
• Your store must have the Online Store sales channel active, and it should not be password-protected.

How do you use Shop Channel?

Here's how to add the Shop channel and use it:

1. Add the Shop channel to Shopify

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Apps and sales channels.

2. On the Apps and sales channels page, click Shopify App Store.
3. In the Shopify App Store, search for Shop.
4. Click 'Install.'

2. Activate ‘Sell with Shop’

Make sure you're eligible to use the Shop app and have Shopify Payments activated before proceeding:

1. Open the Shop sales channel from the backend.
2. Click 'Settings.'
3. In the Sell with Shop section, click 'Activate.'

With these steps, your store can be easily found by customers using the Shop app, thanks to its ranking systems that deliver relevant search results quickly.

3. Manage products, categories, and collections on Shop

To have your products listed in Shop, make sure they have an image, price, and product category.

1. Go to the Shop sales channel.
2. Click 'Catalog,' followed by 'Manage products in bulk.'
3. Click 'Columns' and select 'Published in Shop.'
4. In the Published in Shop column, choose the products you want to display in Shop or deselect the products you want to hide.
5. Click 'Save.'

After updating product availability, it may take a few minutes for the changes to reflect in the Shop app.

4. Create collections

You can add collections to your Categories or Collections on Shop to help customers navigate your products.

Categories appear as icons at the top of your Shop Store, while collections are displayed in the Collections section.

You can add up to 12 categories and 5 collection lists, where each collection list can include up to 10 collections, each listing up to 250 products. Once you add a collection to a collection list, it cannot be added to another list.

To manage collections you want to display in Shop:

1. Go to the Shop sales channel.
2. In the Store section, click 'Customize.'
3. To add a collection, click 'Add a category,' and then select the collection that you want to display in Shop.
4. Similarly, to add a collection to your Shop collections, click 'Add a collection' and then select the collection that you want to display in Shop.
5. Finally, click 'Save' to apply your changes.

5. Market your store within the Shop app

You can effectively reach new customers and re-engage your followers on Shop by posting a custom update that promotes new products, collections, or special offers.

Post an update

To promote a collection:

1. Go to the Shop sales channel.
2. Click 'Marketing tools' and then click 'Post update.'
3. In Audience selection, you have two options:
   • To promote a collection, select 'Collection' and then search or browse for the collection you want to send.
   • To promote a general store update, select 'Shop store' and click 'Select image' to upload an image for your update.
4. Type your message in the Message field, keeping it under 75 characters, and then click 'Post update.'

Create a post-purchase offer automation

You can create a post-purchase offer to give returning customers an in-app discount for your store.

You can offer free shipping, a fixed amount off, or a percentage off. Note that you can't restrict the discount code to specific customers, groups, collections, or products.

To create a post-purchase offer automation:

1. Go to the Shop sales channel.
2. Click 'Marketing tools' and then click 'Create automation.'
3. To create a discount code, click 'Create a discount code.'
4. Click 'Publish.'

After setting up the automation, you can track performance metrics in the Shop channel.

These metrics, updated every 30 days, will show who received the offer, how many orders were made with the discount code, and the total sales generated. This helps you see how effective your marketing efforts are and plan future promotions.

6. Engage with customers on the Shop app

After a customer buys a product through the Shop app or your online store, they can leave a product review in the Shop app.

Customers receive a notification on their device, either through push notifications or in-app notifications, asking for a review.

They can leave a rating from one to five stars and have the option to leave a comment up to 1,000 characters long.

As you can see in the image above, you can view the reviews in the Shop channel.

You should know that you can't opt out of receiving product reviews if you sell products on Shop.

To reply to Shop product reviews, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Shop sales channel.
2. Click 'Reviews' and then click the review you want to reply to.
3. In the Reply to this review field, type your reply (up to 1,000 characters), and then click 'Send reply.'

If a reviewer edits or deletes their review, your reply will be unpublished. However, you can respond to the new version of that review if needed.

7. Analyze your Shop performance

Last but not least, you can view and analyze the following Shop data values:

• Total sales processed with Shop Pay across all sales channels.
• Number of orders made using Shop Pay across all sales channels.
• Total sales made on the Shop sales channel.
• Number of orders placed on the Shop sales channel.

To view Shop performance, click the calendar icon, and then select the time frame you want to view. You can select today, the last 7 days, or the last 30 days.

Click a metric to view a more detailed report in your Analytics section. Here, you can view both the Shop Pay performance and Shop Store performance reports.

How much does Shopify’s Shop channel cost?

Shopify’s Shop channel is free for all Shopify users, no matter what plan you have. This means everyone, from new shops to big businesses, can use its features without paying extra.

However, you need to have an active Starter Shopify plan to use Shop to display your products on the app.

How do users rate Shop Channel?

Shopify merchants are finding the Shop channel extremely helpful, noticing an increase in traffic and more sales from the Shop app.

Here’s what some Shopify merchants have to say about their experiences with Shopify’s Shop:

Since the launch of the Shop App our store Rareplayingcards.com has seen an increase in sales mainly due to getting exposure to a whole new audience of buyers. If you are selling on Shopify and have not set up your store on this app you are missing out!

Rare Playing Cards

Shop has been an incredible asset to our business! Since integrating Shop, we've noticed a significant increase in website traffic and customer engagement.

Grit Knives

Here’s another personal review video by a Shopify store owner:

Shopify's Shop App: Transforming the Way You Shop!

What’s our opinion on Shop Channel?

We believe the Shop app and Shop channel are fantastic additions for Shopify merchants!

The Shop app has over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store with a rating of 4.6 and more than 5 million downloads on the Apple App Store with a rating of 4.8. This shows strong customer adoption and satisfaction.

If you check the reviews, you’ll see that the customers have spoken positively about the user experience and the quick and easy checkout process.

We believe the reason for Shop's success is that Shopify focuses on helping customers first, which in turn benefits merchants.

The main benefit for you as a merchant is better retargeting. You have another channel to showcase your products without much effort! Just install the Shop channel and add your products to the app, all for free.

The Shop local feature, personalized product recommendations, and order tracking make it even better.

One of the best parts is that Shop automatically syncs with Shopify. This means customers can see all their orders from various Shopify stores in one place.

Abandoned cart notifications can also appear in Shop, prompting customers to return to your store and complete their purchase. Plus, there are no annoying display ads, making it a pleasant experience for users.

There are a few downsides, though. It doesn’t show tracking for all carriers, and sometimes, the tracking information can be a bit slow.

Overall, we think Shopify’s Shop is a great way to bring in extra customers. It builds trust because customers can see your store listed on a popular app, making them more likely to buy from you.

FAQs about Shopify's Shop Channel

Here are a few more FAQs answered about the Shop channel:

Summary

Before we go, we've created a quick summary of this article for you, so you can easily remember it:

• The Shop iOS and Android app allows customers to browse various Shopify-powered stores, make purchases, and track their orders.
• The Shop channel enables Shopify sellers to manage their brand presence and engage with customers within the Shop app.
• Merchants can easily add the Shop channel through the Shopify admin, sync their products, and start promoting their stores.
• The Shop app uses AI to provide personalized product recommendations to customers based on their purchase history.
• The app includes a feature to help customers find and support nearby local businesses.
• Shop helps merchants retarget customers with abandoned cart notifications and custom updates about new products and offers.
• Reviews and average star ratings in the Shop app help build trust and improve customer engagement.
• The Shop app has millions of downloads and high ratings on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store, indicating strong customer satisfaction.

Final thoughts

We've already shared our opinion on the Shopify Shop channel, and in short: We love it!

Customers have embraced the app, which gives Shopify merchants an excellent way to attract extra customers.

Many Shopify merchants have reported unexpected orders coming from the Shop app. For example, one Shopify store owner mentioned on Reddit:

Surprisingly, I just checked and about 20% of our orders have come from this app in the last 30 days.

Shopify store owner on Reddit

As we say, what’s the harm in being on an app that is 100% free for both customers and merchants?

Plus, with the shop local feature, your neighbors might buy from you more often for faster shipping.

Try it out today and let us know your experience below!

Want to learn more about Shopify?

Ready to move your Shopify store to the next level? Check out the articles below:

• 9 Best Shopify Page Builder Tools: Top Picks for 2024
• Do You Need a Business License to Sell on Shopify? (2024)
• How Do You Pause or Close Your Shopify Store? (2024 Guide)

Plus, don’t forget to check out our in-depth how to start a Shopify store guide here.