Shopify Entrepreneur Weekly

Hey there!

Happy New Year to everyone celebrating! 🎉 As we step into this season, it’s the perfect time to level up your Shopify store. Whether it’s design tweaks or full-scale development, shopexperts is here to help! Got a request? Reach out and let our top-notch experts support your growth.

In this week's newsletter:

• The latest updates and news in ecommerce

• Exciting partner app updates and deals

• Brand-new themes now available on the Shopify theme store

• Shopify hack of the week – don’t miss it!

• Free ShopPay installments banners to boost your sales

• This week’s top picture – check it out!

Ecommerce news and updates

Shopify Flow now includes new actions for working with metaobjects in workflows. In addition to the "Metaobject entry created" trigger, users can now use the "Get metaobject entries" and "Get metaobject entry" actions to store and retrieve data more efficiently. These tools enable tasks like managing a fraud deny list and querying metaobjects by various fields, streamlining workflow processes.

Shopify has reportedly laid off more customer support employees, continuing a trend of quiet staff reductions since its major restructuring in May 2023. Sources suggest the company has been gradually cutting support roles without replacing them, instead relying more on AI and third-party vendors.

Walmart is launching an in-home user testing program that allows verified customers to try products at home and provide feedback to suppliers. Available to suppliers subscribed to Walmart Luminate (soon rebranded as Scintilla), the program targets Walmart's invite-only Customer Spark community. This initiative enables Walmart to offer product testing services directly, leveraging its vast customer base and data. Duracell trialed the program to gather feedback on its new recyclable packaging, which received positive responses from battery buyers.

Wix has launched an integration with YouTube Shopping, allowing merchants to sell products directly through their YouTube profiles. Features include a dedicated store tab, product tagging in videos, livestreams, and shorts, automatic product syncing, and insights via YouTube analytics. Merchants can manage everything through the Wix dashboard, with Wix handling backend processes like inventory and checkout. Other platforms like Shopify, Spreadshop, and Spring also offer similar integrations.

Instagram is making changes to its app, including replacing the square profile grid with a vertical grid. Users will now have more control over their profiles, such as adjusting image crops, reordering the grid, and posting directly to the grid without sharing to the feed. Highlights are moving to the grid, and Reels are getting longer, increasing from 90 seconds to 3 minutes. While some users are upset over the new grid design, Instagram promises more updates to enhance customization.

Partner apps news

🚀 Judge.me just hit a huge milestone—40,000 reviews on the Shopify app store! And the best part? We’ve kept a perfect 5.0/5 average rating too.

Unlock the full power of Judge.me with 45 days of free access to the Awesome Plan — no hidden fees, cancel anytime. After your trial, it’s just $15/month.

Use link: 45-days-free-use

🚀 FastBundle – get 25% off all FastBundle plans for the first 3 months! Increase your AOV effortlessly with 25 seamless bundle types.

Use code: shopexperts25for3

Shopify hack of the week

 A/B testing different installment payment options is definitely a smart move since conversion rates can vary a lot based on the audience.

Klarna and Afterpay are solid choices, but it’s also worth testing other options like Shop Pay Installments. Different customers have different preferences, and sometimes the right option can make a big difference in sales. 🚀

Quick reminder: You can add Shop Pay Installments banners to your Shopify store — for free!

These banners give your customers a clear, easy way to see that they can break their payments into installments, which can significantly increase conversions.

Shopify has partnered with us to make it super easy to add these banners without any hassle. Simply request a free update, and we’ll handle the rest.

👉 Request your free banner update.

New themes alert

Bespoke by Red Plug Design Co. – $360 USD 💵

A highly customizable theme designed for creativity and flexibility. Build unique sections with 20 different content blocks, create dynamic and layered layouts, and offer a seamless user experience with interactive features. Perfect for crafting a one-of-a-kind design.

San Francisco by Apparent Collective – $320 USD 💵

A sleek, advanced Shopify theme designed for modern brands. Featuring adaptable layouts, interactive elements like hover effects and animations, and smart product tools to enhance user experience and boost sales. Perfect for showcasing your brand with style and functionality.

Photo of the week

A breathtaking drone light show illuminates the night sky at NianHua Bay Zen Town in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China, creating a stunning display to celebrate the New Year.

That's it for today!

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