Going local

Shopify reached new heights in the midst of the pandemic. The commerce software giant had a strong global brand and character but they wanted to assert themselves on Australian shores. But they knew that championing independent, local retailers with a global blanket campaign would miss the point. And it would make even less sense in an Australian context where our merchants are shaped by different forces. Compared to the rest of the world, retail brands here are born into a different lifestyle and aesthetic, geographical challenges and a completely different business landscape. Shopify wanted to celebrate Australian brands that succeeded here and overseas.

For businesses, and customers

Ultimately, we needed a campaign that would work as a consumer-facing campaign for a business-to-business product. 

The answer? Make the merchants the hero. Because if you’re launching a business, migrating or upgrading, the Shopify backend isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. It’s the retail experiences you’ve already had or heard of. Our merchants were our biggest asset.

Retail isn’t what it used to be

Reimagine retail was a broad umbrella to shelter the many merchants supported by Shopify. Even though they play in different spaces, the featured merchants were united in their unique approach to products and retail strategies. During the pandemic, Australian retail has had a rocky time. But some retailers have thrived and we wanted to make them a point of inspiration.

For instance, Go-To Skin Care started as a direct-to-consumer online-only model, fuelled by the social media following of its founder, a model that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago. And Who Gives A Crap managed to turn a household staple into a fun brand, with a good purpose — and applied a subscription model that made sense but no one had yet tried. All of our feature merchants confronted an established retail landscape but found their own way of doing things.

Strange times call for creativity

3D animation was a strategic but creative way to unify the disparate brands into a cohesive look. This medium also offered flexibility, making it easy to create different formats for different touchpoints.

Originally conceived during a post-lockdown period and launched in the midst of a lockdown, the concept initially relied on out-of-home QR codes to lead people to a campaign microsite. There viewers find stories of merchants who have used Shopify to their advantage — and go on to shop their products. But as our daily routines changed, so did the campaign, reaching beyond out-of-home and digital out-of-home to programmatic, social and digital. A retargeting campaign offers more insight into specific Shopify features, delivered through social content to capture our target audience.

Right place, right time

The campaign was launched ahead of November’s Click Frenzy, Singles Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday — a peak sales period that sees merchants prepare for an influx of sales and all the challenges that come with it. It’s the perfect time to get merchants thinking about their retail experience. 

Over the next few months retailers will continue to evolve, led by insights and fed by more stories from Shopify merchants who are reimagining the bounds of retail.