 "What You Need To Know About Shopify Audiences")
Spoiler alert, the Shopify Audiences app is currently only available to merchants in the United States or Canada. However, we’re taking a look at everything you need to know so you’ll be prepared for a UK launch!
What is ‘Shopify Audiences’?
Shopify Audiences is a new app designed and built by Shopify. The app harnesses the combined power of Shopify merchants across the platform to build high-purchase-intent audiences. Merchants can securely export these audiences and use them with their chosen advertising networks.
How do Shopify Audiences App work?
To create an audience list with Shopify Audiences, merchants simply select a product from their own catalogue that they wish to sell more of. Shopify then uses machine learning to build an audience of buyers likely to purchase this type of product. Over time, Shopify’s algorithm improves to provide merchants with fresh, high-intent audiences constantly.
Merchants can then directly and securely export this audience list to their ad platforms of choice and create ad campaigns to target that audience. Currently, this functionality is limited to lists for Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads. However, at launch, Shopify confirmed that it plans to expand to advertising platforms like TikTok, Snap, Pinterest, Microsoft Advertising, Criteo, and others.
Merchants can manage the app from the Shopify admin and access reporting to track performance.
Why should retailers test the Shopify Audiences App?
Sterling results from early access merchants. Early access for Shopify Audiences began late last year, and many of the participating merchants have reported increased conversion rates and ROAS. For example, BUBS Naturals have seen a ROAS as high as 3x, while BlenderBottle has reported ROAS as high as 6x.
Audience-level performance measurement. Uniquely, the app provides merchants with detailed results via audience-level measurement rather than a campaign-level.
Create and manage in the Shopify admin. As mentioned earlier, Shopify Audiences is easy to use and seamlessly integrated with the Shopify Admin so that you can manage everything in one place.
Created with privacy in mind. Balancing customer acquisition and privacy is a significant challenge with leading platforms and legislatures making changes worldwide. Shopify has confirmed that it will only use the data of merchants who opt into Shopify Audiences. These merchants can opt-out at any time via the Shopify admin. In addition, all customer data is securely hashed and aggregated, audience lists are encrypted and transmitted securely when exporting, and lists can’t be downloaded from ad platforms.
Included with Shopify Plus. The Shopify Audiences app is included in Shopify Plus, so if you’ve already got access, it makes sense to test it out!
Who can access Shopify Audiences?
As mentioned in the introduction, the Shopify Audiences app is currently only available to merchants in the United States or Canada. In addition, they must be Shopify Plus merchants and be using Shopify Payments. For these merchants, the app is included in the Shopify Plus plan.
When will the app be available to UK Shopify Plus merchants?
We checked in with Aggie Grabowska, our Partner Manager at Shopify Plus, on this issue. Unfortunately, there’s no word as to if and when the app will become available to Shopify Plus merchants in the UK. However, we will keep you posted on any changes to this!
Shopify Audiences: fingers crossed for a UK debut.
Although it’s not yet available for Shopify Plus merchants in the UK, we’ll be sure to monitor how it’s working out for US and Canadian retailers and update you in due course. Remember to sign up to receive our monthly newsletter on eCommerce news, product updates and insights!
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