Joel Gross, the founder and CEO of Coalition, often emphasizes the significance of transparency, stating that “light is the best disinfectant.” This metaphorical expression underscores the importance of revealing hidden issues or overlooked aspects to the public. In our commitment to enlighten the ecommerce community on crucial information, we have crafted this blog post.
As of June 2019, Shopify is poised to introduce a new Experts Marketplace. Initially, promotional materials for the platform suggested that it would represent a significant advancement in the hiring processes for managing an online store, as well as enhance agency representation. Over the past several months, our agency, along with many others, has been preparing for the transition to the new platform, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to continue supporting Shopify merchants worldwide.
Upon reviewing a reminder email from Shopify, one of our team members noticed a concerning clause within the new Experts Marketplace Terms of Service. These terms are available for public viewing here: [https://help.shopify.com/en/partners/selling-services/terms](https://help.shopify.com/en/partners/selling-services/terms). While these terms are not considered confidential or private, the clause that sparked our concern reads:
“Soliciting merchants to leave Shopify and move their business to another platform is prohibited.”
While this might seem self-evident to some, it raises serious alarms for us. As an agency that has always maintained an unbiased stance, we base our recommendations on the merits and capabilities of different platforms. We have abandoned platforms that have proven to be non-competitive, advised against those vulnerable to cybercrime, and have always strived to provide advice that is in the best interest of our clients, rather than influenced by any commissions.
We have generally found that ecommerce platforms have been accommodating of this approach. Each has attempted to incentivize our recommendations, but they have allowed us to continue making the most suitable platform suggestions for our clients. However, we are troubled by Shopify’s aggressive stance against a competitive marketplace and its apparent attempt to force agencies to promote Shopify over other platforms, regardless of whether it is the right fit for the customers.
This move, combined with recent disputes in the Shopify apps ecosystem over consumer data ownership, seems to be a continuation of a disturbing trend and a potential shift in Shopify’s leadership mindset. Shopify achieved its prominence through successful competition with other platforms. It focused on fostering a strong community of businesses and technologies to offer a superior ecommerce product. Now, as a publicly traded company and the largest player in the market, it appears to be enforcing anti-competitive practices to maintain its dominance, rather than adhering to the philosophy that led to its success.
Many agencies, both large and small, rely on Shopify for their business. While some have managed to balance their dependence on Shopify with their clients’ interests, others have not, leading to recommendations of Shopify regardless of the project’s specific merits. Our concern is that more merchants may find themselves in a scenario reminiscent of Magento’s early days, where they are trapped in a poorly suited platform due to an agency’s push.
Coalition will continue to recommend the Shopify platform when it is the best option for our prospects and merchants. We are fans of the platform and appreciate its many strengths. Nonetheless, we are relieved that we do not rely on the Shopify Experts Marketplace for a significant portion of our business. We will continue to advocate for our merchants’ best interests, irrespective of any pressure from a single platform.
