Shopify announced that the Shop App now runs on the Shopify Catalog, creating a single data layer that powers product discovery across AI-driven and organic channels. Before this change, Shop App had its own product feeds and sync processes, but now it pulls from the same source of truth, Shopify Catalog, as the merchant's online store, Facebook, Instagram, Google, and other channels.
I asked Shopify's Senior Solutions Engineer, Khalid Chao:
“Is Shop App effectively the bridge that connects a Shopify store to OpenAI? Or will Shopify stores be able to connect their products directly to Instant Checkout without going through Shop app? In other words, a merchant must have a presence on Shop App to take advantage of OpenAI's instant checkout?”
I haven't gotten an answer yet from Khalid and couldn't find an answer elsewhere, but perhaps check that link above in the future to see if he responds. Alternatively, if you know the answer, please hit reply and let me know.
Additionally, Shopify announced that Shop storefronts can now be indexed by Google and Bing, whereas they previously existed in a closed ecosystem within the Shop mobile app and Shop.app website. In other words, your products on Shop App weren't visible on Google; only the product listings on your website were.
I'm curious the impact this change will have on a shop's SEO presence.
On one hand… the change could give a lift to Shopify stores with weak SEO and low domain authority. They might have a better shot at ranking their products on Shop.app than on their own website, similar to how Amazon listings often outrank a brand's own D2C website.
On the other hand… the move could cannibalize the SEO ranking of merchant domains. Meaning if Google starts ranking Shop App URLs higher than merchants' own store URLs, traffic could shift from their D2C websites to their product listings on Shop.app, which means Shopify, not the merchant, controls the top-ranking page for their branded searches.
Shopify did say in their help documentation that merchants can choose whether their product listings on Shop.app can be indexed and displayed on search engines — so it's up the the individual merchant whether they have their product listings index on both their D2C website and on Shop.app. However, will they eventually have a choice? If competing brands that have had traditionally lower SEO authority begin outranking their website product listings via their Shop.app product listings, that brand might not have much choice but to hop on the Shop.app SEO Bandwagon.
I decided to ask SEO expert Sam Wright, who runs the Blink SEO agency, what his thoughts were on the subject. You can view the video on LinkedIn for his opinions on the potential impact of the changes.