Shopify Launches Retailer-Focused Gig Marketplace

Retailers trying to scale their businesses can now get expert help from a new Shopify platform that connects merchants with skilled professionals, Shopify announced in a press release on Thursday (Oct. 10).

The new Experts Marketplace connects retailers with external resources and experts who specialize in the Shopify platform. Merchants can browse profiles and reviews to gather information about experts’ skills and abilities to aid in decision-making.

The network will offer hundreds of experts for projects such as store building, branding, marketing and more. Shopify’s new pairing algorithms can match merchants with the experts they need.

The new platform will work within the Shopify ecosystem with all features – including messaging and billing – built into the dashboard.

“As we continue to make commerce better for everyone and provide a powerful back-office to support an entrepreneur’s business, we are excited to offer an even faster and better experience for our merchants to get the expert help they need,” the release said.

KeyBanc Analyst Josh Beck said in July that Shopify could eventually rival Amazon in gross merchandise volume, and he raised his 2020 revenue price target from $300 to $350.

Beck said Shopify revealed an “impressive array of product launches” for its eCommerce platform, including “complex” shipping innovations like automation capabilities, as well as features for multi-currency use and better developer tools. The company’s market share could grow three times in five years to 9 percent, he added.

Keybanc maintains an overweight rating on Shopify shares, which have grown 127 percent year to date through the end of last week. The Ottawa-based Shopify reached a new record high on June 20 when it announced it was going to spend $1 billion on U.S. fulfillment centers.

Shopify also recently announced that merchants can chat with customers through Apple Business Chat inside of Shopify Ping.

“And it’s as simple as using the Messages app on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. With just a few clicks, the Messages button will be featured on every page of your online store, and any visitor can quickly ask for product information, and easily and securely pay for products with Apple Pay right within the conversation,” Shopify said.