Shopify Discusses Integration With Facebook Messenger

Shopify Inc SHOP announced on Tuesday it has become the first commerce platform to integrate with Facebook Inc FB's Messenger service.

According to Shopify, the company's integration with Messenger allows merchants to provide liver customer support, send order confirmations, shipping updates, push notifications, among other features.

As previously announced, Facebook will now integrate Chatbots with its Messenger service and will be available to businesses to interact with customers. Shopify said it's currently building commerce bots that will "allow merchants to have more interactive and engaging conversations with customers."

Shopify explained that messaging apps have evolved beyond simple messaging and now connects consumers with their favorite business. The company speculates its new integration will allow its merchants to achieve a "head start in leveraging messaging apps to run and grow their businesses."

"Messaging apps are enabling us to rekindle the conversations we are used to having in person with retail businesses, and recapture some of the lost intimacy that comes with shopping online," said Brandon Chu, Senior Product Manager at Shopify. "Our decision to integrate with Messenger and build commerce bots, is designed to help merchants develop deeper relationships with their customers, and give them an opportunity to reinforce their brand's personality."

Shares of Shopify were trading higher by nearly 1.5 percent late Tuesday afternoon.