Memo: Mount Shopify

A Youtuber and his production team ventured to Antarctica with the help of a luxury expedition service, endured temperatures so “frigid” that gloves were not needed, endured those mild conditions for 50 hours, claimed it was the most physically difficult thing he’s ever done, and then planted a Shopify flag after a four hour hike to a ridge. “This is now Shopify Mountain,” proclaimed MrBeast. The sponsored video was incredibly corny and overly-dramatic but no one can claim it didn’t have the intended effect.

Previous Report: Enter MrBeast

Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson is a brilliant marketer, creator, businessperson, and philanthropist. And the timing couldn’t be better for Shopify. The company could use a bit of savvy marketing, value creation, new business, and a bit of charity after a difficult year. In that way (and in only that way), the partnership made sense. Donaldson spent ample time praising Shopify in the 12 minute advertisement; it has now been viewed 61 million times since its December 24th publish. To put it in perspective, this is over 1/2 of the typical Super Bowl ad viewership for what I suspect was a fraction of the cost ($7M).

In an homage to an advertiser, after a hike up a rocky crest, the team plants a flag and proclaims the virgin peak to forever be known as Mount Shopify.

But while the MrBeast storefront is a mid-eight figure property (Charm.io estimates $45 million in annual revenue), I believe that Shopify is positioning itself for a year of emergence. 2023 will be the year of enterprise-level merchant for Shopify in its attempt to better the competition (namely Salesforce’s Commerce Cloud and Adobe’s Magento properties). Once known for appealing to consumers hoping to become the next MrBeast (merchandising-wise, at least), Shopify is becoming the go-to for major retailers, marketplaces, and brands a like. Thisi Shopify’s proverbial mountain to climb.

After a year that saw the stock tumble 74%, the Shopify is due to emphasize “quality” over quantity – a descriptor that I use, loosely, to describe its growing catalogue of those prized “larger-GMV” retailers. In the past year, a number of online-first brands have left their custom carts behind for greener pastures. One example is Supreme’s shift to Shopify:

Supreme is off to a fresh start for 2023. It has just been revealed by dropsgg that the brand has changed up its online store from its previous platform to Shopify‘s eCommerce service. This switch is said to have a better bot prevention system and will begin operation next week.

Another example is ButcherBox who is rolling out its Shopify conversion page by page, leaving its custom builds for outsourced support and more advanced tools. After announcing its $600 million year in publications like TechCrunch and How I Built This, the company also (quietly) confirmed this move. From an November 2022 Shopify Masters podcast:

To this day, ButcherBox partners with third-party farms, processing facilities, cutting facilities, distribution facilities, shipping, customer service, and tech. That’s a big reason the company uses Shopify for its online store.

So when Donaldson spent so much energy turning one of his 50 hour challenges into a Shopify advertisement, I assumed that it was an attempt to raise the temperature a bit before a much larger marketing push by the company. Time will tell what that marketing push looks like. But as a standalone, the impact has been effective enough. There’s even an attempt to name a Mount Shopify in Butwal, Nepal (at least one of the images used are from Donaldson’s Antarctica trip). Entire subreddits are devoted to the appeal (or disdain) for the video – a reaction that I imagine is rare for the notably likable Donaldson.

Shopify is overdue for its return to form. The company earned a record Black Friday and Cyber Monday, propelled by that growing catalogue of enterprise retailers. This equated to a 19% increase in sales over its 2021 marks. With $619 million in operating losses over 2022 with a $1 billion commitment to build out its Shopify Fulfillment Network, capturing larger retailers and their gross merchandising value is key to profitability moving forward. This is inline with its own forecasts for 2023.

MrBeast’s Shopify-sponsored video wasn’t his best work. But at an estimated 300,000 net new subscribers per day, I am sure that his passionate fans will forgive it. As for Shopify, the sponsored video served as a reminder that it has its own unique challenges ahead. Shopify is a financial services company as much as it is an eCommerce technologies provider. As low-brow as the native advertisement was, it brought awareness to perhaps one of the more undervalued publicly-traded companies.

For Shopify it’s all about GMV. Its approach to growing its maturing revenue streams is no longer just about the smaller merchants (to which MrBeast’s audience appeals) and the subscription revenue attributed to them. More than 30% of Shopify’s revenue was subscription-driven in 2022, according to sources. But I believe that the business model is evolving. Shopify Payments charges merchants 2.4-2.9% of the transaction, Shopify Capital is growing its lending products, and the point of sale system continues to appeal to omnichannel-friendly retailers.The more larger-GMV retailers on platform, the more that will use these higher-yield financial products.

Shopify needs a collection of nine figure online retailers to turn things around and remind investors that it will remain a large contributor to the future of commerce. That’s no small mountain to climb.

Update (1/3/2023): Shopify has launched “Commerce Components by Shopify” (CCS). Targeted to enterprise retailers, the company proclaimed via press release: “Shopify enters its next era of growth: redefining enterprise retail.” The technological stack allows for Shopify’s integration within existing systems. The ButcherBox example, mentioned above, is an example of this. The majority of the food retailer’s site remains custom while the gifting process is hosted by a third-party. Shopify adds:

Commerce Components by Shopify combines the best of both worlds for enterprise retailers: access to Shopify’s foundational, high-performing components that just work—like our checkout, which converts 72% better than a typical checkout, and 91% better on mobile—plus flexible APIs to build dynamic customer experiences that integrate seamlessly with a retailer’s preferred back office services.

A list of enterprise retailers that were just announced today include: Mattel, Glossier, JB Hi-Fi, Steve Madden, Spanx, and Staples.

By Web Smith | Art by Alex Remy

Memo: Cyber Five

More than a quantitative measure of retail health, this year’s span of five days – beginning on Thanksgiving and ending on Cyber Monday – may serve as a judge of the entire economy. If text messages like these are any indication, our economy is coming out of its hole:

Positive news: we absolutely, unequivocally CRUSHED BFCM week.

Black Friday fought the good fight against inflation and cost of living hikes, this year. But there’s more to this weekend’s holiday shopping story than that day. Our Blackest Friday report began with a Jeff Bezos quote: “Don’t buy a fridge, hold on to your money.” So to spend or not to spend? This was the question. The answer was a resounding ‘yes’; consumers spent despite the economic forces at play. First, the top line numbers.

  • According to Adobe, online sales for Black Friday reached a record $9.12 billion, a 2.3% year-over-year increase.
  • Adobe anticipated that weekend online sales on the Saturday and Sunday on Thanksgiving weekend would hit $9 billion on their own, while Cyber Monday sales would hit $11.2-11.7 billion, versus $10.7 billion last year.
  • This year, mobile shopping hit a new record, accounting for 48% of online sales, up from 44% last year. Buy now, pay later schemes also had a big year – a sign of the times.
  • BNPL orders increased 78% during the holiday week (November 19-25) compared to the week prior, while BNPL revenue increased 81% in the same time frame.
  • Exercise equipment, toys, smart home devices, audio equipment, games and gaming devices, Macbooks and Dyson products were all top sellers. Apparel, sporting goods and TVs all saw peak discounts over the weekend.

In all, Adobe data indicates 2022’s “Cyber Five” is on track to generate a total of $34.8 billion in online sales, a 2.8% increase over 2021’s data and a drop off from the projected 7% growth that analysts predicted. A few things are happening at once.

In the past several years, retailers successfully trained customers to shop earlier and earlier: Cyber 5 is more like October through December. This allowed for a steadier stream of high sales volume days – though none are expected to top Cyber Monday. The extension of the sales holiday also places less strain on logistics and supply chain efforts by spreading sales volume over 60-70 days rather than 6-7. As Adobe pointed out, savvy shoppers are waiting until December 1 to buy appliances, for instance, when discounts are expected to peak.

At the same time, inflation is the story of this season. A 2.8% increase is insignificant compared to the 7% projection. The 2.8% increase is less impressive when you consider the higher consumer pricing index (CPI). Discounts for the holiday weekend were also not as extreme, hinting that retailers are waiting to see how much is necessary in terms of markdowns before customers bite. As Axios calls it, it’s a “game of chicken” to see who gives in first: the customers making purchases vs. the retailers setting the prices. Last year, customers were scrambling to buy early to avoid everything selling out as supply chain backups gripped the season. USA Today reported on this year’s consumers bargain hunting before a different backdrop:

Due to elevated prices for food, rent, gasoline and other essentials, many people were being more selective, reluctant to spend unless there was a big sale. Some were dipping more into savings, turning to “buy now, pay later” services that allow payment in installments, or running up their credit cards at a time when the Federal Reserve is hiking rates to cool the U.S. economy.

The Two Winners: BNPL and Physical Stores

One industry segment that is benefitting from the current economic shortfall are the “buy now, pay later” family of companies. These platforms removed one more barrier out of the way of cash-sensitive consumers, allowing them to pay for products over the course of four or more payments – minimizing up front costs. Holiday seasons are often mortgaged during times of economic distress.

In a US survey, 60% of people were found to be more likely to use BNPL because of inflation, and 53% were using BNPL out of necessity. Forty-five percent said they were were most likely to use BNPL when their finances are tight. That means that Klarna’s 2022 troubles aren’t to be blamed on a decline in interest on BNPL. But rather, a more tenuous financial outlook makes people more reliant on services like BNPL. For many, it’s a way to make purchases now without taking on credit card debt. It’s a dangerously unregulated substitute for traditional debt. CNBC recently explained how Klarna’s rebound may be tied to increase usage:

The Stockholm-based startup saw 85% erased from its market value in a so-called “down round” earlier this year, taking the company’s valuation down from $46 billion to $6.7 billion, as investor sentiment surrounding tech shifted over fears of a higher interest rate environment.

This Cyber Five’s winner? The physical store. This year: Walmart, Target and Kohl’s all overtook Amazon in terms of online Black Friday discount searches according to data from Captify. Walmart searches surged 386%, followed by Target, then Kohl’s, then Amazon. That’s telling for a few reasons. People seem to associate Amazon with the best deals less than they used to. And more people are likely to search for deals across stores and online, knowing they can strike both at any of the big-box retailers before Amazon. According to MasterCard SpendingPulse data, in store sales increased 12% year over year. RetailNext, tracking foot traffic to stores, found that traffic rose 7% this year on Black Friday compared to 2021. Here was the takeaway from Placer.ai:

Shopping malls saw far and above average visits. Indoor malls saw visits up 261% compared to the daily average for Q1-Q3 2022, outlet malls saw visits up almost 366%, and open-air lifestyle centers saw visits up around 151%. Compared to the first three weeks of November 2022, visits were up about 277% (indoor), 395% (outlet), and almost 160% (open-air lifestyle centers), respectively, at those mall types.

Going into Black Friday, we forecasted some of these key elements, to include muted growth and the return to physical stores:

​​(1) The recessionary effects are likely to cause muted growth in eCommerce performance in a YoY basis. Searching for bargains, more customers will be pursuing in-store purchases where deals may be greater. (2) Try to conserve your money this season to prepare for any additional market downturns. It’s likely that large purchases may be fewer and farther between in 2022 YoY basis. (3) eCommerce marketplaces will do better than traditional DTC brands’ online stores because utility purchases are likely to rise vs. luxury and other purchases that signal high-discretionary income.

But about that traditional DTC brand thought, it wasn’t altogether accurate. Shopify noted: “More than 52 million consumers globally purchased from brands powered by Shopify this year, an 18% increase from 2021.” Shopify reported promising Black Friday sales figures for its merchants; Shopify merchants brought in $1.52 million a minute on Thanksgiving and $3.5 million per minute at its Black Friday peak, setting a record with $3.36 billion and $7.5 billion between Friday and Monday. This was a 19% increase in sales and a 21% increase on a constant currency basis. But this is more a reflection of how Shopify has grown as an enterprise retail provider than as a snapshot of the greater whole.

Cyber Monday Data (via Adobe)

According to Adobe’s data, consumers rang in $11.3 billion on Cyber Monday, seeing the industry to a 5.8% YoY improvement and a whopping $12.8 million earned per minute. Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights:

With oversupply and a softening consumer spending environment, retailers made the right call this season to drive demand through heavy discounting. It spurred online spending to levels that were higher than expected, and reinforced e-commerce as a major channel to drive volume and capture consumer interest.

In all, the Cyber Five earned $35.27 billion, a 4% increase over 2021’s eCommerce-driven holiday season. This number is even bigger when you consider the entirety of the shopping season: November 1 – November 28 rang in $107.7 billion with $210 billion expected through December 31. How did this happen? Adobe Analytics noted that discounting hit records highs in 2022 to offset the rising costs of living. And BNPL services like Affirm saw volume rise 85% vs. the prior week, increasing revenue 88% over that time period. One surprising line from the analytics data provided by Adobe:

Strong consumer spending across Cyber Week was driven by net-new demand, and not just higher prices.

Consumers came out for the week and chose the glee over doom, there will be study after study written about this holiday season. It wasn’t all black and white. With the holiday shopping season at its peak, the statistics have been unpredictable at best but not altogether surprising. Retail is irrational and retailers are hoping that it stays that way over the closing four weeks of the holiday shopping season. Jeff Bezos went unheard, consumers chose the 30% off refrigerator over holding on to their money. Let’s just hope that the good news extends and the economy continues its slow recovery.

By Web Smith | Edited by Hilary Milnes with art by Alex Remy and Christina Williams

Memo: Working Capital

A recent WSJ article began: “Rising Rates Boost Companies’ Focus on Working Capital Management.” Times are getting tougher for small business owners and Shopify sees an opportunity to expand its market position by stepping into fortify its suite of service to merchants.

Shopify has smartly built efficient systems to manage payments and approval processes based on an “instant settlement of eCommerce sales” (according to PYMNTS) within days of the capital request. Working capital is the company’s next frontier. It represents a flow of information between Shopify’s clientele and the company itself.

PYMNTS’ research has estimated that there remain more than a trillion dollars of outstanding receivables out there that smaller firms are “carrying” for larger suppliers on a given day. Part of the proverbial stutter step is tied to hiccups in back office approvals or the simple fact that SMBs are understaffed.

Shopify’s lending business is just six years old but it’s never been more important. It remains a small but influential part of the company’s organization. It’s poised to grow as more merchants benefit from cash loans to keep operations humming. A new report from The Information details how lending could emerge as a bright spot for the eCommerce services provider, pointing out that the company’s new loans jumped 30% in the third quarter over last year, to more than $500 million in gross revenue. That outpaces merchants’ sales volume growth in five of the past six quarters, underscoring the position that these businesses are in as inflation and a looming recession depresses eCommerce growth after a boom.

Business loans to merchants are a sure sign that Shopify is (smartly) doubling down on expanding its suite of services it offers to its merchants, feeding the ever-important Shopify ecosystem it’s built to become a one-stop shop for anything a business owner needs to run a retail business. With lending, Shopify makes it possible to keep the flywheel going: merchants can reinvest the upfront cash into their businesses, including continuing to spend on marketing, logistics and fulfillment. From The Information:

Shopify’s services revenue as a percentage of its overall merchant sales volume hit a record high in the third quarter, which the company attributed in part to merchants leaning more on those services to help pay for costs like inventory, marketing and hiring while inflation soars. Offering merchants cash advances can also keep them hooked on the Shopify ecosystem. “You have those particular merchants captive, and it’s an audience that’s very focused on Shopify—just throw the kitchen sink at them and see how much stickiness there is to the platform,” said Ken Wong, managing director for software research at Oppenheimer & Co.

Investing money into its merchant pool to keep them from suffering cutbacks and further blows to their businesses is a move that favors Shopify and its ability to stay competitive: brands are less likely to bite the hand that feeds it by, say, defecting to another platform in the midst of this turndown. Even as competitors like Stripe and PayPal offer cash advances, they aren’t as well-positioned to offer the complete suite of services that Shopify does. And that’s even more so when you line up the competitors Shopify has worked hard to box out and could offer merchants similar services.

Here’s an example of Shopify’s hold on the payments ecosystem and this is just the B2C side of its business.

Take Amazon: When Amazon launched a “Buy with Prime” service that would be compatible for Shopify merchants to enable Prime benefits into their checkout flows, Shopify retaliated by discouraging use of the plug-in. It was a muscle move to convince merchants that Shopify offers merchants all they need – and that they don’t need Amazon’s assistance. Whether that’s true or false remains to be seen. For Amazon, Buy with Prime was a bid for the dollars of Shopify merchants. We reported on the risk Amazon posed to Shopify in September, when the company changed its tune around Buy with Prime to be more explicitly opposed:

And that could be a bad thing for Shopify as Amazon aims to become more of a discovery platform for DTC brands, essentially letting them get a piece of the pie without fully committing to being an Amazon brand. Shopify is still at a disadvantage here unless it becomes more of a marketplace on its own. Lutke has spoken against Shopify becoming a “kingmaker” for brands. It prefers to remain brand agnostic. But leaders change their minds often; sometimes it only takes three months to change tune.

The rise in loans comes as Shopify continues to bulk up its merchant services to keep them housed within the Shopify ecosystem. On Monday, it announced a global alliance with EY that’s designed to help merchants scale faster with fewer risks, as well as reduce friction in selling certain products globally such as alcohol and pharmaceuticals. In short, Shopify understands that “very large merchants want to use Shopify, but demand that we work with them through existing system integrators.” Deloitte and Accenture round out the shortlist of SIs. Past investments and partnerships like Deliverr and Klaviyo also bulk up Shopify’s one-stop services for merchants who may be feeling the squeeze in areas like fulfillment and marketing.

It’s still a sign of precarious times – Shopify offering cash loans to merchants is not unlike mall real estate companies bailing out struggling retailers in the early days of the pandemic. But by positioning itself as a necessary lifeline to its small businesses, Shopify’s setting itself up to be a necessary force in the next era of eCommerce, one that looks more like fintech than eCommerce. It’s making it more difficult for companies, adjacent and competitive-minded alike, to step into Shopify’s ecosystem.

By Web Smith | Edited by Hilary Milnes with art my Alex Remy and Christina Williams