Shopify Entrepreneur Weekly

Hey brand owners! 👋

This week’s newsletter is packed with updates to help you stay ahead in the ecommerce world. From Shopify’s latest integrations and design tips to big moves in AI-powered selling and thoughtful Mother’s Day marketing strategies — we’ve got everything you need to grow your brand. Let’s dive in! 🚀

Here’s what’s new:

• The latest updates from Shopify and the world of ecommerce.

• How brands can navigate Mother’s Day with sensitivity

• Did Shopify just integrated a checkout system directly into ChatGPT?

• A brand-new premium Shopify theme for electronics, gadgets, and smart devices.

• Photo of the week: One smartphone every second without human hands.

• Let’s dive in!

Ecommerce news and updates

Shopify Email now offers enhanced design flexibility with new padding controls and an updated footer section. Adjust padding dynamically or individually for sections, and enjoy a more compact, customizable footer with rich text editing and added social icons like WhatsApp and WeChat.

The Shopify Fulfillment Network just got bigger with the addition of ShipBob, Shipfusion, and ShipMonk. These three major players join Flexport to help streamline the process and ensure your goods keep moving efficiently.

Checkout Blocks now lets Shopify Plus merchants set order value limits and block checkout for subtotals outside minimum or maximum limits. Limits can apply to all customers or only B2B companies.

eBay sellers are discovering their listings are selling for less than expected due to a default "Send Offers" feature eBay enabled without notifying them. Many sellers reported the feature being turned on without consent, forcing them to disable it manually for each listing. eBay has yet to clarify the situation, leaving confusion among sellers.

Temu and Shein have significantly reduced their digital ad spending in the US, cutting back on platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok. Temu's active ads on Google dropped from over 60,000 to just six globally, and their app downloads in the US fell from a top 5 position to 67th. Similarly, Shein reduced its ad spend across major platforms by 19%, with its app downloads dropping from 12th to 73rd.

TikTok is testing a new feature that displays reviews for local businesses directly in the comments section of videos. This allows users to see star ratings, written reviews, and photos without searching elsewhere, making it easier to discover and evaluate businesses on the platform. For small business owners, this feature could be a game-changer, offering a way to gain visibility and attract potential customers through TikTok's growing influence in local business searches.

Etsy is helping shoppers find local sellers to reduce the impact of import tariffs. New features include curated shopping pages and local seller spotlights. Sellers also get access to a tariff handbook with guidance on tariff collection.

Shopify hack

Mother’s Day is a major moment on the retail calendar — but it’s also an emotional one.

For some people, Mother’s Day is joyful. For others, it can be a source of grief, frustration, or pain. Whether someone has lost their mother, had a strained relationship, or is facing challenges with motherhood — this day can bring up a lot.

Here’s why this matters for brands:

A well-intentioned Mother’s Day email might land poorly with some subscribers. And if your emails feel insensitive or triggering, it could prompt someone to hit "unsubscribe."

Once they're gone, they’re hard to win back.

What to do instead? Offer a simple opt-out.

Send one thoughtful message ahead of your campaign, giving customers the option to skip Mother's Day emails this year. That one small gesture can make a big difference.

Here’s an example of how that email might look:

Thoughtful email practices aren’t just good etiquette — they’re good business.
Empathy builds loyalty.

​🗓️ Mother's Day in the United States will be celebrated on Sunday, May 11, 2025. ​

Overheard on social

Shopify just integrated a checkout system directly into ChatGPT.

This changes the game for online selling. ChatGPT can now recommend, display, and close sales — all in one seamless conversation. No tabs, no redirects. Just chat, buy, done.

Here’s why this matters: Until now, ChatGPT mostly scraped the web, sharing generalized results. But with Shopify plugging in, there’s now a direct pipeline for AI-powered commerce. Every Shopify merchant now gets front-row access to sell through AI interactions.

This is a huge win for creators, indie brands, and manufacturers. They can now skip the middle layers and sell directly inside the conversation.

We’re officially in the age of agentic commerce — where the AI doesn’t just suggest products, it sells them.

So what’s next? Smarter buyer expectations. ✔️ Less friction ✔️ More context in content ✔️ Data-driven funnels ✔️ AI assistants that actually take action

For sellers on platforms like Amazon, this isn’t a reason to panic — but it’s definitely a moment to pay attention. The way people shop online is evolving fast.

This is just the beginning. Are you ready for what’s next? 👀

New theme alert

Elixira by MUUP – $320 USD 💵

A modern e-commerce theme designed for electronics, gadgets, and smart devices. Stand out with bold headings, vibrant gradients, and sleek illustrations. Features like quick buy buttons, sticky add-to-cart, and customizable bundles ensure a seamless shopping experience. Built for easy scalability, this theme offers premium tools and intuitive settings for merchants of all levels. Perfect for growing your online store effortlessly.

⚡️ If you need help getting started with a new theme or updating your current one, just ​let us know​.

Photo of the week

A futuristic, fully automated Xiaomi factory producing smartphones in complete darkness. The factory operates 24/7 without production employees, assembling one phone per second. AI technology powers the entire process, optimizing and fixing itself as it learns, producing over 10 million phones annually. A glimpse into the future of manufacturing. What does this mean for jobs around the world?

That's it for today!

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