Shopify bets on seamless shopping from Shop App to physical store

Shoppers don’t stick to one lane anymore. They browse online, walk into stores, and ask AI what to buy. Shopify’s latest round of updates tackles this new way of shopping with updates to agentic search and a faster in-store checkout system.

The throughline from Shopify’s June 17 Editions event, a bi-annual event for product updates, is that the company wants to connect all its surfaces—from the online store to point-of-sale (POS) hardware and its Shop App—into one smooth experience for both merchants and shoppers. It is making sure a frictionless shopping experience carries over, whether someone is shopping in store or via the app.

Search assistant: Shopify has upgraded the search function in its Shop App, the hub of all its shopping activity, making it easier for shoppers to go from browsing products to asking post-purchase questions, like return policies, all in one place. Think of it as a personalized shopping assistant.

“We’ve extended our search functionality to really encompass many more use cases,” Jess Jacobs, VP of consumer marketing and head of growth for the Shop App, told Retail Brew. “What’s unique about our experience is it’s all powered by that single understanding of the buyer.”

The Shop App, launched in 2020, was originally intended to track Shopify packages. However, it has evolved to encompass more capabilities. Shopify said it has more than 250 million verified shoppers who use both the Shop App and Shop Pay, Shopify’s express checkout function (that purple button shoppers see when they checkout from a Shopify merchant).

Original add to cart: Shopify also announced it has rebuilt its POS system, which powers merchants’ online and in-store sales, and has worked to improve the in-store checkout time.

Shopify’s updated POS is faster and simpler: The cart stays on the screen the whole time, discounts are now scannable via QR code, and creating new customer profiles includes autofill.

“It’s fewer taps and just faster performance overall,” Helen Mou, director of product and retail at Shopify, told Retail Brew. “We’ve actually made discounts now scannable, so it’s really instant. Merchants can now generate scannable QR codes for discounts in Shopify, and just scan them at the POS to instantly add, just like a barcode.”

All of these updates are geared toward associates working in retail stores.

The thinking behind the new POS is that brands wanted to elevate their in-store experiences as foot traffic to stores rises.

“The meta point here is that we want every touchpoint in a retail store to be focused on delighting the customer,” Mou said. “So you need that confidence, there’s no room for friction, and I think that’s what brands powered by Shopify POS really care about, that they’re able to deliver that experience in store.”

The latest version of Shopify’s POS can handle checkouts up to 73 seconds faster on complex carts with multiple items, the company said.

Mou said the best retail experiences are no longer happening at the checkout counter; they’re happening on the floor, where in-store associates consult with customers. To support that shift, Shopify is also introducing a mobile POS hardware with the Verifone Victa mobile terminal for retailers to purchase.

“That’s our new handheld, fully integrated mobile POS device,” Mou said. “So the payment terminal barcode scanning is all in one device. It can also convert very easily to a countertop payment terminal, so there’s that flexibility for retailers to go from countertop to mobile point of sale.”