Shopify partnership will let merchants sell through eBay
Move comes amid strategy to integrate with as many online channels as possible
Shopify Inc., the rising Canadian ecommerce platform dominated by small business owners, is teaming up with eBay Inc. to allow its merchants to sell directly through the online marketplace.
The move adds another outlet for Shopify’s roughly 400,000 users, though the eBay integration will be available initially only for U.S. customers selling in U.S. dollars, Shopify said in a statement.
When Shopify signed a similar deal with Amazon.com Inc. in 2015, its stock surged as investors predicted a boost to revenue.
The Ottawa-based company’s strategy has been to integrate with as many online channels as possible, letting its customers diversify away from their personal websites and sell on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Buzzfeed and Amazon.
Shopify also provides payment tools, shipping and small loans to help its users build their businesses.
Shopify is a growing player in the battle for turf in the rapidly growing world of online shopping. Instead of building a centralized marketplace such as Amazon and eBay, it provides tools for independent merchants, both large and small, to sell online in various ways.
It also provides point-of-sale software and hardware for physical stores, similar to Square Inc. One of the company’s key rivals, Bigcommerce Inc., already lets its customers integrate with eBay.
Customers have been asking for Shopify to integrate with eBay for a while, said Satish Kanwar, Shopify’s vice-president of product. “We think a lot of merchants will gravitate toward this.”