Shopify is testing a broader search ability in beta in its Shop App. The company has denied wanting to start some kind of marketplace but this is indeed a first step towards exposing more selection to buyers at the time of inspiration.

The way it will work is this - first search will be from items promoted by brands you're loyal to. BUT. you can then flip over to a broader - what it seems is an organic search (what they call "discovery results.") Currently Shop has a "browse" feature which surfaces products from shops you follow or have bought from.

Questions:

• What will the ranking algorithm for discovery? (i.e. two merchants have shoes)

• If a customer has no loyalty results, will it automatically flip over to discovery results?

• What is Shopify's "bright line" to avoiding building a marketplace that it wants to step over? Will a lower-conversion marketplace alternative experience really last as a strategy?

• Will the consumer appreciate the limited search universe of "brands I like"?

• Would Shopify ever add a "loyalty brand" that was not built on Shopify?

Rumor has it that Shopify is aggressively recruiting marketplace and eCommerce talent from established players in the market like Amazon, Facebook, etc. Will that shape the offering direction?