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Strategy June 16, 2021

Shopify Extends Checkout Software to Facebook, Google

The e-commerce service says it will allow merchants to use Shop Pay, whether or not their online stores are powered by Shopify.

By  Theresa Hegel

Shopify is making its one-click checkout service available to any U.S. merchant that sells on Facebook or Google, regardless of whether they use Shopify’s software to power their online stores. In its announcement, the popular e-commerce platform calls it “a critical step in becoming the preferred checkout for all merchants.”

Shop Pay was introduced in 2017 and is similar to other instant checkout solutions that offer an easier way to pay online by reducing the number of fields customers have to fill out during the checkout process. It also remembers and encrypts customer information, allowing for one-tap checkout online.

In February, Shopify added Shop Pay to Facebook and Instagram, but at the time it was only available for existing Shopify merchants. Last month, Google announced that it was partnering with Shopify on an online shopping expansion.

According to Shopify, the move will make its services more accessible to independent brands at a crucial time and place – since more than 1.8 billion people log on to Facebook and 1 billion shopping sessions take place on Google every day.

“Since launching, Shop Pay has set the standard for checkout experiences, facilitating more than $24 billion in orders,” Carl Rivera, vice president of product, said in Shopify’s blog post. “According to studies, cart abandonment averages 70%, with nearly 20% occurring because of a complicated checkout process.”

Shop Pay will be enabled for all merchants selling in the U.S. on Facebook in the coming months, followed by a rollout to all merchants on Google in late 2021, according to Shopify.

Merchants are already touting the benefits of Shop Pay’s accelerated checkout. “As an e-commerce store owner, we’re always looking for ways to increase our conversion rate,” said Edward Glassman, CEO and co-founder of jewelry shop Bryan Anthonys. “Shop Pay reduces the friction between our checkout process and the buyer, which in turn leads to more conversions and revenue.”

During the pandemic e-commerce boomed. Social commerce, allowing customers to shop directly from their social media apps, has also grown in popularity. Even as retail reopens and in-person events come back, online shopping continues to thrive.