X has taken another step forward in its “everything app” plan, with the platform announcing a new partnership with Shopify, which will provide more opportunity for Shopify merchants to promote their products in the app.
X ????@Shopify
More to come on this new partnership, enabling all Shopify merchants to reach even more customers by leveraging the power of X!— Business (@XBusiness) January 9, 2024
The new deal, which both X and Shopify are developing, will facilitate all-new ways to help Shopify sellers advertise on X. Though it may not be a major update, given that Twitter already had a deal in place with Shopify to directly display products in-stream.
Back in 2022, Twitter announced a new partnership with Shopify that enabled Shopify merchants to list their products on their Twitter Professional Profiles, with each item, when tapped, then redirecting users to the Shopify product page to make a purchase.
That seemingly does align with X’s “everything app” vision, but it’s also not entirely clear what the new deal will add to this, and whether this will actually mark a significant shift.
For its part, X says that the new partnership will facilitate broader product awareness actions, enable easier catalog uploads, and provide more ways for Shopify merchants to maximize ad outcomes.
Shopify president Harley Finkelstein also says that the new partnership will help boost exposure for Shopify sellers.
“A determining factor in the success of your business is the ability to reach customers wherever they are. More platforms, more choice, more entrepreneurship. More details to come.”
So much of the detail is TBD, but X is now working with Shopify on an expanded partnership, which could eventually facilitate new opportunities for retailers in-stream.
Which, if Elon’s “everything app” vision does come to fruition, could be significant. A lot of things have to go right for this to work, but X is in the process of securing payment transmitter licenses in U.S. states, and remains confident that it will enable peer-to-peer payments in the app this year.
If in-stream payments and transfers do become a thing, that could lead to new opportunities for retailers, with Shopify merchants potentially able to leverage X’s reach to expand their audience.
There’s much to be clarified, but maybe, this could end up being a significant announcement.
