In April of 2020, Shopify launched Shop, their brand new signature mobile app. Well… sort of new.

Shop was actually a rebranded and enhanced version of an app called Arrive, which Shopify launched in fall 2017. Arrive was primarily a package tracking app; one app to unify tracking of all your packages, rather than relying on searching for emails in your inbox and clicking a bunch of tracking numbers.

With Shop, Shopify maintained that key functionality of Arrive, but also added other features: namely, the ability to discover stores on the Shopify platform and buy from them in a frictionless way.

(Quick summary if you’ve heard of Shopify but aren’t 100% solid on what it is. Shopify is an eCommerce platform that enables people to build, manage, and run their own eCommerce websites. Store owners can use Shopify for basically everything, from designing their website to shipping and payment processing. At least 1.7 million eCommerce businesses use Shopify, ranging from massive brands like Allbirds and SKIMS to mom-and-pops selling a single product.) 

Shop is a popular free app (it’s consistently in the top 50 at both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, no small feat) and its popularity is growing at a gradual-yet-steady pace.

Shop has a minimalist interface but is surprisingly powerful — and surprisingly handy. And as we’ll get into in this article, Shop is still in its early phases; you can see Shopify positioning the pieces on the chess board to turn it into something even bigger.

Here’s our complete guide to everything Shopify’s Shop app can do, how you can get the most out of the Shop app, and what the future just might hold for Shop (and, perhaps, your mobile shopping experience in general).

Shop app features: Order/package tracking and beyond

The primary feature of Shop is its package tracking — there’s a reason its official title in the app stores is “Shop: package & order tracker” — but its uses extend beyond just that one function.

Automatic package tracking (and not just from Shopify stores)

Even though Shop app can do more than package and order tracking, again, that’s its (current) headlining function. And it’s a function that is actually really nice once you set it up — it’s quite convenient to get alerts about packages rather than constantly checking their status manually. (As a chronic package status checker, I appreciate offloading that job to an app.)

The home screen of the app is a list of your orders, sorted chronologically. You’ll see your packages’ status and estimated arrival date for outstanding orders, and even a map of where the package is at the present time. You can set up notifications for Shop to get instant push updates when a package’s status changes (e.g., when it goes from “in transit” to “out for delivery”).

You can click into any order on the home screen to see the full shipping details. From that screen, you can also share an order with a contact in your phone, copy the tracking number, or even contact the shipping carrier directly.

Shop will automatically add any orders you place online to the app; but in order to do so, you need to give the app permission to monitor your inbox for tracking numbers. That requires trust, no doubt, so you’ll need to decide if the hands off, automatic aspect of unified package tracking is worth that trade off. (In fact, many of the one-star reviews in the app stores cite Shop’s request for full email access as an overreaching deal breaker.)

Even if you don’t want to give Shop access to your email, you can still use it as one central spot to track your packages; you’ll just need to enter package tracking information manually. (Click the plus icon on top of the Shop home screen and enter the tracking number, carrier, and a name for the package.)

Shop can also automatically track your Amazon orders as well, which will require you to link your Amazon account. And again, you’ll be giving Shop full access to your data.

If you’re going to use Shop for package tracking and trust it with your email, it’s best to go “all-in” and give it access to track all of your packages. Only going halfway — say, giving Shop permission to check your email for tracking numbers but not Amazon — minimizes the value that comes from its automatic order management.

Local and categorized brand discovery

The major difference between Shop and its previous incarnation as Arrive is in-app shopping. To shop in Shop (yeah… about the name of this app), you’ll need to find stores at which to make purchases — so Shop puts a major emphasis on brand discovery.

The “Explore” tab of Shop features collections of eCommerce stores, all of which are on the Shopify platform, and most of which aren’t household names.

Shop curates select stores in several general categories. The Explore tab showcases some “Featured curations,” generally with an eye on socially-conscious shopping (e.g., Black-owned businesses, eco-friendly businesses, etc.). The socially-conscious focus continues throughout the rest of the app as well; Shopify plants trees with every purchase made through the app.

Clicking the right arrow next to “Featured curations” takes you to the page with all of Shop’s curated lists; that includes more lists to amplify underrepresented voices as well as collections like “picks for kids,” “TikTok trends,” and stores offering Buy Now, Pay Later services like Affirm.

You can click through any featured business to check out the products at the store, and you can shop within the Shop app or by clicking through to the store’s website itself. Shop has a clean interface that remains uniform for every store, which makes for a tidy and refined shopping experience — however, you may find it too clean, as you won’t be able to see reviews, website content, or even a store’s full inventory. 

An innovative feature of Shop’s Explore tab is Shopify’s effort to bridge the gap between shopping at small online businesses and shopping local. The “Nearby” collection uses your location to find Shopify stores based closest to you. It also puts a spotlight on stores near you with brick-and-mortar locations and/or local pickup, in case you want to get your products ASAP. 

And finally, you can search in the Explore tab for shop names, categories of products (e.g., shoes), or even specific products. 

Product discovery from brands you like

If you come across a brand you’re interested in while you’re searching in Shop, you can choose to follow that brand.

In doing so, the brand will appear at the top of your Explore screen. The Explore screen will also feature new merchandise and new sale products from those brands. In addition, if you make a purchase from any Shopify-based brand, whether through Shop or from the brand’s store directly, that store’s products and deals will also appear on the Explore screen.

The Shop app has a notifications option where you’ll get a push alert if the brands you follow have new products and/or offers available. You can set that up in the Account tab, under Notifications.

Quick shopping at Shopify stores

Of course, the ultimate point of all this brand discovery and curation by Shopify is to actually drive some sales. As mentioned earlier, you can shop from stores directly in the Shop app, or click through to the stores themselves. Either way, the orders you place should automatically show up in the Shop app for tracking.

The advantages of shopping inside the Shop app are the clean interface and quick checkout process. You enter your shipping and credit card information once, and Shop stores it. All of the payments are handled by Shopify’s Shop Pay; if you click through to the store’s websites themselves, often you’ll have other payment options. Shop Pay also has built-in Buy Now, Pay Later functionality through its partnership with Affirm, if you want to make four interest-free payments on your purchase rather than paying all at once.

Shopify’s goal here is to create a process for shopping at its millions of stores that’s as seamless and quick as shopping through Amazon’s app (and other major eCommerce apps). We’ll discuss this more later in the article, but you can see signs of Shopify’s endgame here: turning their millions of diversified stores into one unified marketplace where you can easily shop for pretty much anything you want. 

Shop app tips and how-tos

The Shop app is intentionally simple, however, there are lots of powerful features you can use if you know how to find them. Here are some tips and suggestions for maximizing Shop.

How do I add an order to Shop manually?

To add an order to Shop, click the (+) button at the top right of the Home tab. Paste in the tracking number, give your package a name so you can identify it, and choose the carrier from Shop’s list of 600+ carriers. Make sure you pick the correct carrier, as Shop will need it to find the package’s tracking info. It usually takes a few minutes for updates on your package to load into the app.

You can also click to search your emails within the Shop app, find a shipment notification email, and copy its tracking number to add to Shop.

Can I add Amazon orders to Shop app?

You can add your Amazon orders to Shop app, but you’ll need to directly link your Amazon account; Shop won’t be able to pull the tracking from your Amazon receipt emails alone. You can link to Amazon by going to the Account tab and choosing “Link Amazon Account.” You’ll then need to sign into your Amazon account and give Shop permission to access your orders.

Does Shop app only work with Gmail?

Shop app works with Gmail (and Google Workspace business email accounts) as well as Outlook (including Hotmail and Live.com). If you’re using another email provider, like Yahoo or ProtonMail, you’ll need to manually enter orders into Shop. You can link your Amazon account regardless of the email associated with that account; in other words, even if you log into Amazon with Yahoo, it will still work in Shop because you’re linking to the Amazon account directly.

Can Shop app track packages from multiple email addresses?

Yes, Shop app can track packages from all of your email addresses (provided they’re using Google or Microsoft’s email platforms). You can link your accounts by going to the Account tab, clicking “Add orders automatically,” then clicking “Link Gmail Account” or “Link Outlook Account.”

Is Shop a safe app?

Shop uses the top-tier security you’d expect from an eCommerce giant like Shopify. Of course, as we’ve seen throughout the years, hacks and leaks seemingly can happen to any company — but Shop and Shopify have thus far proven safe. As for whether you can trust Shop with access to your emails and Amazon account, that’s up to you. You can review Shop’s privacy policy and terms of service to know exactly what they are and aren’t going to do with your data. For what it’s worth, Shopify seems to be fully aware of the magnitude of their privacy ask and is responding with transparency to reassure skeptical app users.

Can I find deals through Shop app?

Shop doesn’t automatically surface deals or coupon codes when you first log in. However, if you begin to follow brands, Shop will alert you to their offers and deals. You can find those in the Explore tab, and/or by turning on push notifications for “Offers and updates.”

Why isn’t my package being tracked correctly through Shop app?

There are two primary reasons why a package might not track correctly in Shop. One, there could be issues with the shipping provider’s updates; Shop only knows what the shipping providers feed them. And two, if you entered the order manually, make sure the tracking number and shipping provider are correct. If you mark a shipping provider as DHL Express but the tracking number is actually from USPS, Shop won’t be able to get the correct information.

The future of Shop app

As it currently stands, Shop’s most marketable feature is its package tracking. And Shop does order and package tracking really well, but that feature isn’t exactly one-of-a-kind or irreplicable. Shopify definitely isn’t the only brand that can offer this feature, in fact, we’re seeing it baked into more apps already (like Klarna’s app, for example). 

The new brand discovery and loyalty features were the first big step for Shopify as they transitioned from the Arrive app to the Shop app. These features could be compelling for shoppers who are big fans of numerous Shopify stores, who like shopping locally, who like buying from brands that match their values, and/or who want to discover new products and up-and-coming stores. In turn, Shop is a win-win for Shopify and the stores on its platform. For merchants, more people are able to discover their stores, loyal customers can keep track of their products, and, in both cases, sales and revenue should increase. For Shopify, merchants are now more incentivized to stick with their platform rather than trying an alternative like WooCommerce or Magento. Plus, Shopify gets a small percentage of purchases made with Shop Pay, meaning increased revenue for them as well.

However, Shopify’s goals are certainly larger than that. Mobile shopping continues to become more popular; the majority of eCommerce purchases are now made on phones, not on computers. Customers prefer shopping in retail apps, not shopping on a mobile web browser. Right now, while major brands usually have their own apps, there aren’t many “all in one, shop anywhere for everything” apps. Shopify is working to build brand loyalty to become one of the apps to fill that void — if not the app to fill that void. As mentioned earlier, the Buy Now, Pay Later apps are also positioning themselves that way; Klarna head of North American operations even said as much in a recent interview. Expect to see other businesses also angling for this lucrative future position in the shopping world.

So what does that mean for you as a shopper? Short term, it means you’ll find lots of free apps offering lots of enticing features like the ones in Shop app — plus (probably) even things like rewards, deals, and financial incentives. Long term, it means watching what emerges as your new, improved, streamlined, feature-rich way to shop on your phone.

Or, if Shopify comes out on top, Shop on your phone.

Note: This post is regularly updated with new information about Shop app and the next generation of shopping apps as news emerges.