Shopify and Astound Digital Partner to Improve Digital Commerce

Shopify and Astound Digital have partnered to improve retailers’ digital commerce efforts.

Through the partnership, the companies aim to offer retailers higher conversion rates and lower costs, as well as better customer satisfaction, according to a Wednesday (May 15) news release.

By combining Astound’s digital commerce experience with Shopify’s unified commerce platform, the companies said they look forward to driving sustainable growth and results for their shared customers.

“The innovation that we want to bring to our clients to help them differentiate their businesses and deliver great experiences to customers is supported really well by the continued evolution and roadmap that the Shopify platform has,” said Vanessa Cartwright, Astound Digital president, NA & UK, said in a statement.

Cartwright added that Shopify delivers value by unifying various retail channels, enabling merchants to offer shoppers “a consistent, frictionless experience.”

The move comes as more consumers demand a Click-and-Mortar experience, which involves both digital tools and physical locations. This shift in demand is reshaping how Shopify — an eCommerce-centric firm — does business.

During the firm’s latest earnings call, Shopify Chief Financial Officer Jeff Hoffmeister said the company is taking offerings such as the option to pay in installments “from our core online business and adding them to the offline,” unifying the digital and physical experience, PYMNTS reported May 8.

Meanwhile, Shopify President Harley Finkelstein pointed to “email capture at offline checkout” as a digital feature that the company is integrating into its in-store offerings, enabling more effective marketing in the future.

In particular, Brazilian shoppers are embracing Click-and-Mortar shopping experiences, with half of surveyed shoppers saying they shopped this way, according to PYMNTS Intelligence data in “2024 Global Digital Shopping Index: Brazil Edition,” a PYMNTS Intelligence report commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions.

The widespread use of digital features can be seen across different income levels in Brazil. While more than 46% of high-income shoppers are Click-and-Mortar shoppers, 53% of lower-income shoppers have adopted this digital shopping strategy.

However, despite their adoption of Click-and-Mortar shopping, Brazilian consumers said they have trouble finding the digital shopping features they want to use.