Google Cloud, Shopify expand partnership for global growth

In 2020, Shopify merchants generated nearly $120 billion in gross merchandise volume, as more businesses moved online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerated shifts in consumer behaviour. As the demand for ecommerce continues to increase, Shopify's expanded partnership with Google Cloud will bring data processing and storage closer to merchants in more regions, to further improve store speed and performance.

In 2020, Shopify's revenue increased 86 per cent year-over-year and Black Friday sales grew 75 per cent from the previous year. "The demand for independent, direct-to-consumer shopping is only increasing, and this extended partnership between Shopify and Google Cloud will mean small- and medium-sized businesses globally will have even more access to world-class infrastructure to effectively handle all levels of traffic," Google Cloud said in a press release.

As a part of the partnership, Shopify will leverage Google Cloud's global infrastructure to reduce latency and give shoppers more personalised, engaging experiences, including:

Google Cloud's network of 25 regions and 76 availability zones around the world provides lower latency and higher reliability, allowing Shopify to provide a fast, highly-available service to merchants around the world.

Google's Global Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) will make it easier for Shopify to write and deploy applications that span multiple regions.

In-country disaster recovery will help Shopify maintain business continuity across the globe.

Google Cloud's services will assist Shopify in meeting various regulatory, security, and compliance requirements, which vary region-to-region and country-to-country. 

The cleanest cloud in the industry, Google Cloud is helping Shopify reduce its carbon footprint and achieve the company's sustainability goals.

Additionally, Shopify will join Google Cloud's Partner Advantage programme, enabling the two companies to partner on joint go-to-market initiatives, bringing Shopify's ecommerce platform to more businesses around the world.

"Our partnership with Google Cloud will mean that more Shopify merchants around the world have access to competitive computing technologies that would otherwise only be available to enterprise brands," said Farhan Thawar, VP of Engineering, Shopify. "We know that during the COVID-19 pandemic from mid-March to mid-Sept, 84 per cent of consumers have shopped online. Improved store speed and performance will give our merchants a competitive edge by allowing them to better serve buyers where they are, and it will do so in the most energy efficient way possible through Google Cloud."

"Shopify is trusting Google Cloud to help the company scale across the globe, allowing its merchants to handle peak traffic at any time of the year," said James Lambe, managing director, Google Cloud. "Over the last three years, we've worked with Shopify engineering to ensure its business can scale as it continues to experience rapid growth. We're thrilled to continue on this journey together."

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RKS)