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Shop app customer experience

Customers can use Shop to do the following actions:

  • Track orders in the Shop app
  • Discover stores and products
  • Make purchases in the Shop app or on the Shop website using Shop Pay
  • Discover products through agentic shopping experiences such as the Shop App for ChatGPT, and check out on your store
  • Earn and redeem Shop Cash on eligible purchases.
  • Manage Shop Pay Installments payments

Your customers can learn more about the Shop app from the Shop Help Center.

On this page

Shop app availability

The Shop app is free and available on mobile devices with the following operating systems:

  • iOS (version 11.0 or later for Shop version 2.16.2 and later) for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
  • Android (version 5.0 or later) for smartphones and supported tablets

You don't need to install the Shop app to use the Shop channel as a merchant.

Shop account creation

Customers can create a Shop account through checkout on your online store, lead capture, or when they install the Shop app. The signup options for each customer depend on their region, your store settings, and how they check out.

Shop account creation on the Shop app

A customer can create their Shop account when they install and set up the Shop app. For more information, customers can refer to Create a Shop account on the Shop Help Center.

Shop account creation at checkout

Shop accounts can be created when a customer is signed in with a customer account, or when they save their information during guest checkout on a store where Shop Pay is activated. If the customer uses a payment method that doesn't include saving their information for later, then a Shop account isn't created during that checkout.

Review how Shop accounts are created for each checkout type:

  • Guest checkout: When a customer checks out as a guest on a store where Shop Pay is activated, they can choose whether to save their information to create a Shop account for faster future checkouts. In all regions, customers can decline to save their information — no Shop account is created if they decline. How this choice is presented can vary by region.
  • Signed-in customer accounts: When a customer is signed in to their customer account on your online store, then checkout can include an optional checkbox to save their information for a later visit. If the customer selects that checkbox, then a Shop account can be created.

Shop account creation on lead capture forms

When you activate Sign in with Shop, eligible forms can display Claim with Shop so that customers can sign in or create a Shop account. Learn more about Lead capture with Shop.

Online order tracking

Customers can use the Shop app to track any valid tracking number. After a customer creates a Shop account, Shop automatically syncs with Shopify to display all the orders that they've placed from stores that use Shopify.

For all other orders, if a customer uses Gmail or Outlook, such as hotmail.com and live.com, then Shop can automatically locate emails with tracking numbers to identify orders to track. Customers using other email addresses can add tracking numbers manually.

To help you reduce customer support inquiries, you can let customers install the Shop app from your store's order status page, so that they can download the app and get updates on their order without contacting your store.

Shopping

If your products are eligible to display in Shop, then customers can discover them in the Shop app, the Shop website, or through agentic shopping experiences like the Shop App for ChatGPT.

Customers can do any of the following when shopping:

  • Purchase products that are published to the Shop channel directly in Shop, including subscriptions when you've activated subscriptions on Shop.
  • Earn and redeem Shop Cash on eligible purchases.
  • Discover products that aren't published to the Shop channel and be redirected to your online store to complete a purchase.
  • Bypass the cart and purchase a single item through Shop's accelerated checkout by tapping Buy now next to a product.
  • Follow stores and keep track of favorite items by saving products and adding them to collections.

If you have Buy with Prime activated on your store, and a customer has connected their Amazon Prime account to Shop, then customers can select Amazon Prime shipping options when they check out using Shop Pay on your online store.

Saved products and collections

Customers can use the Shop app to save their favorite products, and group them together by creating shareable collections. They can also invite others to collaborate on collections.

Customers can set up push notifications to receive updates when a saved product drops in price, or when a sold-out product is back in stock.

You can't access information about the products that a customer saves, or customize the notifications that customers receive.

Shopping activity sync with Shop accounts

Shopping activity from your online store syncs to the Shop app for customers who are signed in with their Shop account. Sync is on by default for all signed-in Shop users.

Shop Pay and Shop sign-in features are offered by Shopify as a direct service from Shopify to consumers. If you choose to activate these features on your storefront, then Shopify collects associated data directly from Shop account users who choose to use these features, including as they browse your storefront after signing-in with Shop, consistent with Shopify’s Privacy Policy.

In order for your customers' shopping activity to sync, you must have the Shop channel activated. Additionally, customers must be able to sign in to their Shop account on your online store in at least one of the following ways:

Customers must meet the following conditions in order for their shopping activity to sync:

  • The customer has a Shop account.
  • The customer has signed in to your online store with their Shop account.

Shopping activity syncs when a customer signs in with their Shop account on your online store. Syncing is impacted by your Shop settings and whether the customer signs in with Shop during their session. Customers who have online store accounts that aren't connected to Shop don't have their activity synced when they sign in. Customers who don't sign in to your online store with their Shop account don't have their shopping activity synced.

Cart sync

Customers who are signed in with their Shop account can sync carts between the Shop app and your online store. Cart sync happens only when a customer signs in to their Shop account during their online store session.

Cart sync has the following behavior and limitations:

  • Cart sync always updates the cart to the newest item, and removes existing items from a previous cart.
  • Only eligible products can be synced. If a product is only available on the Shop app or online store, but not both, then the product won't be synced.
  • If a customer has a cart in the Shop app, and a cart in your online store, but doesn't sign in with Shop, then the carts won’t sync.

Shop search helps customers discover products and stores using both keyword and conversational searches. Customers can enter a specific brand or product name, a category name, or describe what they're searching for in their own words, such as "a birthday gift for my friend who enjoys cooking", and receive personalized recommendations that are tailored to their shopping history and preferences. The more that a customer uses Shop, the more relevant their search results become.

Depending on a customer's search query, searches behave in either of the following ways on Shop:

  • For keyword searches including a brand name, product name, or category, customers might be prompted to use filters to refine their search results. These results are influenced by your product titles, categories, and tags.
  • Conversational searches return results based on the context and details provided, rather than using filters. Detailed product descriptions can help Shop match your products to conversational searches, such as "a lightweight jacket for hiking in the rain".

How Shop search results are determined

Shop search uses your product titles, descriptions, images, and pricing to determine relevance. To get the best results, ensure that your product listings have accurate titles and tags, detailed descriptions, and high-quality images.

Shop also uses the following customer context to provide the most relevant search results:

  • Shopping history: The customer's purchase history, activity syncing, and preferences based on the customer's personalization settings.
  • Customer's shipping location and currency: Store search results are based on the customer's shipping country, and product search results are filtered by the customer's currency and geographic location.
  • Loyalty and discovery: Includes results from stores the customer already follows, as well as new stores and products that match the search criteria.

Search results include only stores that ship to the customer's location. For example, if a customer is located in the United States, then only stores that ship to the United States are included in their search results. Learn more about setting up and managing shipping.

You can't opt out of your products being included in Shop search results.

Shop Minis

Shop Minis are interactive shopping experiences in the Shop app, built by Shopify or Shopify Partners. Shop Minis help customers discover products through features such as quizzes, shoppable videos, virtual try-ons, and curated recommendations. Customers can try Shop Minis from the Shop app home page by tapping Minis, or from certain product pages by tapping Try on when a virtual try-on option is available.

Your products might display in a Shop Mini based on relevancy. You can't choose which products display in a Shop Mini, or opt out of your products displaying in Shop Minis.

If you want to create your own Shop Mini, then you can build one using the React SDK or work with a Shopify Partner. Learn more in Shopify's Shop Minis developer documentation.

Agentic shopping experiences

Shop extends beyond the Shop app and website. Your products are also available through agentic shopping experiences, such as the Shop App for ChatGPT. Customers using these experiences can discover your products. When they're ready to purchase, checkout happens on your store.

You can view orders placed through agentic shopping experiences in your Shopify admin, and customers can track their deliveries in the Shop app.

You don't need to take any additional action to make your products available through agentic shopping experiences. If your products are eligible to display in Shop, then they can be discovered across all Shop experiences.