What Shopify Should Focus On - Show Me The Money
I am hearing rumblings again in my network about a Shopify marketplace.
The timing of these rumors also coincides with the recent news out of Amazon that they are looking at Shopify's marketshare. In the end, it is very hard to serve two masters. The fact that Amazon has done it is simply the exception that proves the rule. At Apple, it took a generational leader Steve Jobs to move Apple from a desktop company to a mobile company.
If Shopify so early in its life adds another entire customer base (consumers) its Shopify Plus competitors and SMB competition would likely cheer it on. The more distraction the better.
Shopify has not proven that it has that "Amazon juice" of being able to tackle any market it thinks about. Fulfillment has not convinced me. Their solution is not special. Most companies are better served to stick to their own knitting.
If I'm Shopify, my biggest investments would continue to be in payments. PayPal is continuing to accelerate to avoid Shop Pay to get too big for its own good. Every day I am surprised looking at my internal client's reports with PayPal's continued adoption. Payments? Fulfillment? Mid-market Stores? SMB stores? Now marketplace? I still don't see it.
