This piece marks the fourth installment in Coalition Technologies’ comprehensive 6-part series dedicated to dissecting the Shopify Editions Summer 2023 updates.
Following the progression of this series, readers will be aware that Shopify has implemented several groundbreaking changes designed to enhance the platform’s appeal to developers and B2B entities. Simultaneously, Shopify has significantly improved the daily operations and order fulfillment experience for e-commerce proprietors.
Especially in the realms of shipping and third-party logistics (3PL), Shopify’s latest updates are poised to grant its merchants a competitive edge over non-Shopify retail counterparts.
Here’s an overview of what you need to be aware of.
Shipping and order fulfillment are consistently recognized as some of the most pivotal aspects of e-commerce management. A recent survey revealed that 96% of consumers view delivery as a decisive factor in their online purchasing decisions, with 59% preferring to shop with retailers offering a variety of delivery options.
In its Summer 2023 Edition, Shopify has streamlined 3PL processes for its retailers, offering a range of fulfillment choices to enhance customer service and minimize cart abandonment.
Source: Shopify
Shopify Shipping, a new product available for purchase, is designed to fully streamline your order fulfillment process. It enables faster deliveries at a fraction of the usual cost, while also alleviating the complexities of managing multiple platforms and providers.
This brings about substantial competitive advantages. Consider that 74% of customers cite free shipping as a crucial factor in their purchase decisions, and 63% will abandon their carts if shipping costs are too high.
Shopify Shipping provides industry-leading discounts of up to 88% through partnerships with a variety of domestic and international carriers, including UPS, USPS, and DHL. You can track all shipments and their delivery status directly from your Shopify portal, regardless of the carrier.
With Shopify 3PL, you can manage numerous shipping-related tasks, including automatically generating shipping forms, scheduling pickups and drop-offs, printing labels, and more, significantly reducing the time spent on fulfillment.
Shopify Shipping also allows you to expand your operations internationally, fulfill orders in bulk, and optimize e-commerce operations with in-depth insights. Best of all, you make a single monthly payment, included in your Shopify subscription, and can pass these savings on to your customers, fostering a competitive advantage.
Shopify’s 3PL platform also empowers you to fulfill your own orders without the need for a fulfillment service. Shopify further simplifies this process by enabling you to fulfill multiple orders simultaneously, saving on shipping time and costs.
You can also break down orders into separate line items or consolidate different orders destined for the same location to expedite delivery to your customers. By utilizing Shopify’s Fulfillment Constraints API, you can further customize your delivery strategies to optimize shipping.
Order routing determines which location fulfills each line item in a cart. For example, you can direct items to the customer from a warehouse, retail store, or 3PL provider. Shopify’s intelligent order routing feature allows you to do just that.
This feature offers multiple routing logic options to efficiently fulfill customer orders. It is flexible, easy to configure, and an excellent tool for scaling your business as order volumes increase. Brands like Element Brooklyn have leveraged Shopify’s shipping platform to reduce delivery times by an average of 1.2 days and offer next-day shipping on 94% of orders.
Shopify 3PL also features an Order Routing Location Rule Function API, currently in early access, enabling developers to provide their own ranking of preferred fulfillment locations for each cart line item.
Shopify’s Planet app allows you to offer carbon-neutral shipping on all your orders. It automatically calculates estimated shipping emissions for each order and permits you to offset them by paying a small fee ($0.035-0.15) per order, demonstrating your commitment to eco-friendly shopping practices to environmentally conscious consumers.
As consumers become increasingly environmentally conscious, with 71% reporting a preference for sustainable shopping practices, the Planet app is an excellent way to leverage Shopify’s 3PL services to capitalize on this trend.
Beyond 3PL functions, Shopify has also refined its interface and the Shopify admin to simplify daily store management. This includes enhancements such as a new visual design and improved data reporting and analytics.
The most significant change is likely to be Polaris, Shopify’s design system, which has evolved from a traditional flat design to a more interactive layout that aids in easily locating relevant options and provides a satisfying user experience.
The admin has also been improved in several areas:
The Analytics page now provides a wealth of business-related information, including orders, key sales, and visitor data. The metrics displayed are those Shopify deems most valuable for assessing store performance.
However, you can now customize your reporting and analytics to gain insights that are more relevant to your needs. This includes the ability to benchmark your store data against that of comparable brands on Shopify, comparing 3PL performance, sales figures, conversion metrics, and more.
Instead of being limited to industry-specific standards, you can now view your performance in a league of peers, providing a more accurate understanding of where and how you need to improve.
You can also incorporate data from other sources into ShopifyQL Notebooks using Python code blocks, allowing you to visualize data in Notebooks and leverage some of the most powerful data libraries available.
The Flow app is now accessible across more Shopify subscription plans, enabling you to build custom automations that align store management with your business processes. This includes creating unique workflows without coding, enhancing efficiency and productivity.
Shopify’s app store offers over 8,000 apps to further improve store control and revenue. Notably, some Shopify APIs are rate-limited to ensure a stable experience for all users on the platform. However, Shopify also provides considerable freedom in building your own apps and APIs using the GraphQL Admin API, allowing for further enhancements to functions like Shopify 3PL and customization of the store experience.
Managing large-scale e-commerce operations is now much more manageable on Shopify. You can easily navigate between stores, add or remove locations, handle billing, review organizational performance, and streamline global 3PL using the Shopify Plus admin.
Mobile interface navigation has also been significantly improved, along with product creation and interface design. With mobile expected to drive nearly 50% of sales in 2023, the Shopify Mobile app helps you capitalize on this shift by building a mobile-optimized store to impress all your prospects.
With the numerous features and customizations available, navigating Shopify’s ecosystem can be complex. Collaborate with proven experts to launch or elevate your Shopify store. Streamline 3PL, e-commerce operations, and customer experience across your website with our assistance.
Coalition has generated over half a billion dollars in earnings for nearly 800 companies worldwide. Schedule a consultation to discover how we can assist you as well.
Stay tuned to our blog for the fifth and sixth installments of our Shopify Summer 2023 Edition series.
