First Impressions…
Technology is always viewed through a lens. In some cases it is a pragmatic and rational lens and sometimes it is more emotional. Technology conferences, especially those for a specific company or tribe are a reflection of that brand. So with that in mind, I attended Shopify’s Unite conference last week for the first time.
For complete transparency, I have worked for a Magento agency for the last 3 years and have attended the Magento Imagine event. It’s almost impossible to compare the two events, but given the competitive nature of the market at the moment it’s also hard not to compare.
In fact, my initial impression of Unite was that I has swapped one kind of Kool-Aid for another, but as alluded to earlier, every conference of this type will include the zealots and the groupies. My second impression was – this is a young crowd.
The Shopify World
Every company is a reflection of its founder. My biggest takeaway from Shopify Unite was the approachability, humility and thoughtfulness that the founder of Shopify – Tobi Lütke displayed throughout the event. His keynote delivered his vision for the company without pandering or hard-sell. An idea that flattening the learning curve for merchants to do commerce is the ultimate goal for Shopify.
The other standout for me, is the extent to which partners within the Shopify ecosystem collaborate with each other to deliver better results for customers. Many of the partners understand where they are strong, but also where working with someone else would deliver a better result.
A Step Back
There is a war going on, whether articulated or not. The enemy is quite obviously Magento. A couple of the presentations went after in a big way and it’s obvious from the Adwords campaigns that are happening at the moment and the rhetoric from some of the partners that the end of support for Magento 1.x next year is a big opportunity. The reality is that there are more than two players in the market and focusing on Magento might lead to Shopify missing the bigger picture.
While Shopify and Shopify Plus are talking about being international, they will have to change to be successful outside of English speaking markets. The ‘Jeans and T-Shirt’ look will need to be adapted if Shopify agencies are going to be taken seriously in markets like the Middle East. Tobi’s level of maturity will need to filter further down through the ecosystem for true international success.
Similarly, support for multiple languages and currencies will have to be adopted throughout the ecosystem. Reading between the lines, there is a sense that they never really thought properly about multi-language and multi-currency and changing it will require some fundamental changes to the platform. Rather than release something that is half-baked, they are taking more time to come up with a solution, and one imagines that when they do it will be elegant and work.
So there are areas where Shopify is not the best system in the marketplace and this includes B2B. Shopify see ‘Wholesale’ as a ‘New Channel’ for B2C retailers. Several partners told me that B2B “isn’t there yet”, despite some announcements throughout the Shopify Unite event. There are hacks and workarounds, but it’s fundamentally not a B2B platform.
The disconnect between Shopify and Shopify Plus is also something that will have to be worked on. Shopify Plus has been purposefully kept quiet until now, and their ambitions are large, but the messaging is confused – sometimes arrogant, but underlying that, a prickly defensiveness. A couple of the Shopify Plus stream sessions came across as patronising.
Wrap Up
Most of Day 2 of Shopify Unite 2017 was disrupted by a power outage in San Francisco. In many ways, this is the best thing that can happen at a technology conference. People have to get their heads out of their phones and speak to each other! Announcements can be made on the website, panels can take place via webinar.
As always, the real value of these events is the networking.
No Comments