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It's hard to see Shopify resolving the issues at hand. The costs associated with mom n pop e-commerce are ultimately too high (eg investments in SEO). The same

It's hard to see Shopify resolving the issues at hand. The costs associated with mom n pop e-commerce are ultimately too high (eg investments in SEO). The same could be said for similar platforms like SquareSpace or Wix that offer e-commerce. I have a side project that monitors mom n pop sites -- take for example vintage clothing store sites in New York City. The landscape has become a ghost town, with hundreds of previous sites now abandoned. They've largely moved to platforms like Etsy or Instagram.

gingerlime 7y ago
Care to share some details about your side project? It sounds really interesting. Funnily enough, my wife has a niche within a niche within a niche website selling German vintage items to Japan. The unexplained drop in traffic was quite sharp around oct-nov 2017 if I recall. She’s promoting things on Instagram and has some loyal followers, but it’s still quite a struggle.
- deleted 7y ago
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CamelCaseName 7y ago
I don't understand why Shopify doesn't create a search engine for Shopify products. Overnight they would become a powerhouse akin to Amazon and solve the #1 issue faced by sellers -- product discovery. The #2 issue Shopify sellers face is fulfillment, but IIRC they are investing $1B+ in building out their own FCs across the US. (Which is peanuts, but a step in the right direction)
- thirdsun 7y ago
  > I don't understand why Shopify doesn't create a search engine for Shopify products. Overnight they would become a powerhouse akin to Amazon and solve the #1 issue faced by sellers -- product discovery. I don't see the appeal. I really, really like Shopify as a seller and would always recommend it to someone looking to sell online, regardless of volume. However as a customer I couldn't care less about a Shop's backend as long as I have a pleasant shopping and ordering experience. And Shopify alone doesn't guarantee that. A general search engine and price comparison for online stores/products, regardless of platform, is more appealing, but I think we already have that, at least here in Germany with Idealo, Geizhals or Google Shopping. Of course, when Shopify can provide fast, Prime-like shipping with their new fulfillment plans that's an actual appeal worth searching for.
- technotarek 7y ago
  It would be a search engine of _______? I'm not sure there is a clear answer there and it poses a huge challenge to marketability.

gingerlime 7y ago

Care to share some details about your side project? It sounds really interesting. Funnily enough, my wife has a niche within a niche within a niche website selling German vintage items to Japan. The unexplained drop in traffic was quite sharp around oct-nov 2017 if I recall. She’s promoting things on Instagram and has some loyal followers, but it’s still quite a struggle.

deleted 7y ago
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CamelCaseName 7y ago

I don't understand why Shopify doesn't create a search engine for Shopify products. Overnight they would become a powerhouse akin to Amazon and solve the #1 issue faced by sellers -- product discovery. The #2 issue Shopify sellers face is fulfillment, but IIRC they are investing $1B+ in building out their own FCs across the US. (Which is peanuts, but a step in the right direction)

thirdsun 7y ago
> I don't understand why Shopify doesn't create a search engine for Shopify products. Overnight they would become a powerhouse akin to Amazon and solve the #1 issue faced by sellers -- product discovery. I don't see the appeal. I really, really like Shopify as a seller and would always recommend it to someone looking to sell online, regardless of volume. However as a customer I couldn't care less about a Shop's backend as long as I have a pleasant shopping and ordering experience. And Shopify alone doesn't guarantee that. A general search engine and price comparison for online stores/products, regardless of platform, is more appealing, but I think we already have that, at least here in Germany with Idealo, Geizhals or Google Shopping. Of course, when Shopify can provide fast, Prime-like shipping with their new fulfillment plans that's an actual appeal worth searching for.
technotarek 7y ago
It would be a search engine of _______? I'm not sure there is a clear answer there and it poses a huge challenge to marketability.