ICYMI: Shopify Visits NYC and LA, New Products Announced, and a BFCM Update

This is the homestretch: we're only 6 weeks away from Black Friday Cyber Monday, the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Are you ready?

Since we know you’re busy preparing your store for BFCM, we recently introduced ICYMI (In Case You Missed It), a bi-weekly recap of all things Shopify, and bite-sized news to snack on between planning your promotions and managing your inventory.

In this second edition, we’re rounding up the top product news from the past couple of weeks, announcing an exciting Shopify event, and giving you a snapshot of what’s happening in the world of commerce at large.

Here’s what’s up at Shopify, in case you missed it:

Shopify Workroom

We’re hitting the road! Shopify Workroom is a free event happening in NYC and LA next week, just in time for Black Friday Cyber Monday. The event programming includes: 1-on-1 time with Shopify support, co-working space, evening networking events, and discussions with our partners. This is a great opportunity to meet with successful entrepreneurs in your area.

Register today to meet with Shopify support in real life, book a spot in our co-working space, or sign up for one of our evening events.

If you’re not in LA or NYC, don’t fret: you can sign up to find out when we’re coming your way. We’ll also be recording all of the great education coming out of the event and bringing it to you right here on the blog in the coming weeks.

What’s New in Product

Google Autocomplete:

Multiple fields to complete at checkout can slow down your customers or even discourage them from making a purchase. This becomes even more apparent for customers on mobile.

Now, when customers arrive at checkout and start entering the first few characters of their address, Google Autocomplete will instantly finish the job and pre-populate their address. Wrong addresses and re-typing are virtually eliminated.

Google Autocomplete is starting to roll out to Shopify’s checkout pages over the coming weeks, at no additional cost. This feature will soon be automatically enabled on your store.

Learn more about Google Autocomplete.

Ping, the best place to work with Kit (in Beta)

Ping is a new way to work with Kit, a virtual employee already helping thousands of Shopify store owners drive more sales. Kit is free to hire, and works with you to easily create and effortlessly manage your digital marketing campaigns.

To use Ping you must have a Shopify Online store, password removed, and have an iPhone device.

Request early access to Ping.

Instagram (in Beta)

Soon, a new sales channel will be available to Shopify merchants. Shopping on Instagram will increase your reach, giving you access to over 500 million daily active users. Supercharge your social efforts by making any post shoppable, and connect with trend-seeking customers who love to discover new products on Instagram.

Shopping on Instagram is currently in testing, and is only available to a small group of Shopify businesses, selected by Instagram. Once testing is complete, the Shopping on Instagram feature will be available to everyone.

Learn how to get your store ready and sign up to get updates on availability.

Get on the List: Shopify Updates

Sign up to learn about new Shopify channels, products, and features as they launch.

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Black Friday Cyber Monday

How do you get set, get seen, and get selling during the busiest shopping season of the year? Cut through the noise and be prepared—it’s coming up faster than you think. Visit our BFCM Toolbox to get started—it’s a hub for all of the tools and education you need to win BFCM this year.

If you haven’t started thinking about BFCM yet, now is the time.

💡 BFCM Tip: 50% of shoppers start researching holiday gift ideas in October. Start communicating seasonal products and gift ideas to your customers with a gift guide email or blog post. And do it now! You can even collaborate on a gift guide with other small businesses who have complementary audiences.

50% of shoppers start researching holiday gift ideas in October.

This Week in Commerce

What’s new in the world of commerce? Stay on top of trends in your industry to stay competitive. Shopify is continually evolving to bring you the products and features you need to meet the demands of an ever-changing industry. Here are the top stories in commerce this week:

Thoughtful Communication Always Wins at Holiday Marketing via Inc.

“Effective holiday campaigns don't always require a huge budget, but they do require exquisite communication.”

Apple's Tim Cook On The Future Of Fashion & Shopping via Vogue

“From completely altering the shopping experience and process, to democratising the catwalk, Apple CEO Tim Cook opens up about the future of fashion and the important role (and potential) augmented reality will play.”

How to Boost Word-of-Mouth and Sales for Your Ecommerce Business This Fall via Business 2 Community

“In ecommerce, you can’t afford to be apathetic about the holiday shopping season. The opportunity and potential ROI is just too big to ignore or miss out on.”

PayPal finds 'UK SMEs ignore the huge success of the smartphone' via Bdaily

“A new breed of retailer is emerging, one that is leveraging technology to drive growth, experiment with direct-to-consumer strategies and engage customers in ways never possible before. At Shopify, our merchants are creating this future. Brands like Gymshark are building successful, digitally native businesses that are changing the game when it comes to traditional retail, using our platform.“ – Loren Padelford, VP and General Manager, Shopify Plus

A new breed of retailer is emerging, one that is leveraging technology to drive growth, experiment with direct-to-consumer strategies and engage customers in ways never possible before.

Stay Social

It’s a busy time, and loneliness is a real concern for solo entrepreneurs. Keep your motivation up and get inspired by shared ideas—follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook and stay connected to a community of people just like you.

We’re delivering a steady stream of tips, stories, and high-fives to get you through BFCM.

Have BFCM questions, or big promotions to announce? Share them on social using #BFCMwin!