Can someone explain "Shop" to me?

Peri

It shows up on some online shopping places and the first time I saw it was as a texted verification code so I could track shipping. Apparently it is some points collecting thing that if you go through it to make a purchase your points add up?

Thing is, I don't care about the tiny amount of discount offered and I don't want some third party monitoring what I buy. I kept getting emails even after unsubscribing and finally sent them a (strongly worded) email that I didn't want it and quit bothering me. But still, today I made an online purchase from some place that is apparently linked with them and kept getting verification codes even though I skipped ever clicking on them.

Explain it to a "senior" :)! What is this, is it legit, and how do I avoid encountering it again?

Thanks!

1 week ago

General

10 replies

Latest reply was from Ket

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Peri, I would if I could, but am unsure what this is all about.

1 week ago

Peri

Veteran

Angie, it's some kind of website that apparently piggy backs on to other websites and gives you points for money spent. I've heard of others that do this too. Where I mistakenly connected with it was when I was buying tea online and the tracking option was thru Shop. Of course I wanted to track my shipment so I clicked, but I wasn't aware until later that they did the points thing. It was so excited to be offering me $3 for my over $100 purchase, ugh.

Since then I've seen it on other websites too and I try to avoid it but today I was buying the tea again and without even clicking on it I got verification codes texted to me.

So annoying! I'n hoping someone knows more about this and can explain it.

1 week ago

Ket

Veteran

Peri, it cannot be avoided because it's an e-commerce and payment processing software. The retailer chooses what software they'll use to process payments. Many retailers I personally purchase from use Shop. I've written what I know about them below.

It is legit and safe. It's an e-commerce software app, developed by and associated with Shopify. Shopify is one of the largest e-commerce software providers for online retailers. According to this article, 53% of online retailers use Shop. So, it's not a scam. They use SSL encryption for their transactions, the standard for e-commerce/payment processing.

Verification codes are legit. They're a security feature and a lot of companies and apps use them. (It's called two-factor authentication, if we are getting all technical.) By sending a code to your text, the company is keeping you safe from scammers trying to impersonate Shop. In this day and age, internet scams are everywhere so them sending you a verification code is not unusual, though it is a pain.

Rein in emails. Shop can send a lot of emails and it's a nuisance. I unsubscribe like crazy and have reduced them to almost none. So it can be done! Gmail has an unsubscribe feature that you can also try that makes it a bit faster and easier. Some companies use Shop to send order updates; I would greatly hesitate to mark their emails as "spam" for now.

Use PayPal for payment. If you feel more comfortable, you can skip using your credit card and use PayPal. In the credit card section, click the drop-down "arrow" (looks like this ^ only upside down) and choose "Alternative payment methods" (See photo below.) This will allow you to pay via PayPal if the retailer has PayPal enabled. Not every retailer offers PayPal. Choosing PayPal will not stop emails. But it's another option if you don't want to use your actual credit card number.

Ignore the points. You don't have to use the points. It's an incentive to purchase from other retailers who use Shop. But you can ignore them and just go about your day.

You can read more about it here. It's very technical, however. Might not be useful to you.
https://avada.io/blog/shop-app.....legitimate.

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1 week ago

Ket

Veteran

What I'm hearing you say, Peri, is that you're frustrated with the verification codes and emails. And perhaps you even question if your information is being data mined for nefarious uses? I do understand all of this. Hopefully the information above sets you at ease. <3

As for your strongly worded email, many advertising and sales emails are sent by a "no reply" email address. This means the email address sends emails but cannot receive replies. No one at Shop likely ever saw your email. You would want to contact Shop's customer service personally (email or phone number is usually at bottom of email) to have you put on a "do not contact" list or something similar. But again, there may be limitations due to how a retailer has set-up their Shop features.

1 week ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Wow Ket that’s amazing information! I have barely heard of Shopify let alone Shop. Interesting, thank you.

1 week ago

Ket

Veteran

You’re welcome, Jenni! I did some online reading and research before I replied. I knew about Shop but wanted to be sure the facts were conveyed correctly. Glad it’s helpful to you! <3

1 week ago

Jules

Veteran

Shopify is Canadian and a lot of smaller businesses I shop from use them. That said ‘Canadian’ does not equal good and I can’t vouch for the politics of the ownership, have heard some negatives I believe (from my specific political POV of course). I find the process convenient because I don’t have to create accounts with every business, Shopify already has my shipping and payment info but verify the login via text which is a good security process.
I don’t get any emails and if I have points I’m not aware - it’s just a payment system for small business, from my POV. So maybe per Ket’s info I use the Shopify platform but not ‘Shop’.

1 week ago

Ket

Veteran

Jules, you are correct. While Shopify created and owns Shop, I understand them to be two separate platforms. Also, Shop's branding is separate and quite distinct from Shopify. I would wage you have only used Shopify. That said, I don't know how Shopify and Shop integrate on the backend, so could be wrong.

Surprisingly, most small businesses here in the US that I use tend to use Shop as their e-commerce platform. I don't see Shopify used often.

1 week ago

Peri

Veteran

Thanks Ket, that was helpful! So if I don't enter the code they send me does that mean I've skipped using them, or does the business I'm buying from make that automatic? I did reach an individual after that email I sent...cautious wording because who knows anymore if it was an actual person or AI! I also did multiple unsubscribe responses and I no longer get email from them...so that makes me reluctant to use the code in case it starts up all over again. But, it is sounding like it wasn't a problem I fell into but more an agreement between that website and Shop. So that's a relief. Thanks!

Jules, to a lot of us, Canadian does mean good these days!

1 week ago

Ket

Veteran

Peri, so glad it was helpful!!

From what I’ve observed, I think the verification code is so Shop can autofill shipping and payment info for you from previous purchases, saving you some steps. (Even if you choose to verify, you can always go in and edit any of the shipping and billing sections, so never fear. Many online vendors auto save info for convenience of future orders.)

Basically, if Shop is what the website uses for shipping and payment processing, then you have no other options. You could maybe call the call the company and order over the phone if they even offer that. That’s the only workaround I can think of. Otherwise, it’s Shop hehe.

You’re correct. It really is an agreement between Shop and the business. The buyer (you) still gets some emails from Shop, but you didn’t do anything wrong in way of being scammed etc. Nothing like that.

6 days ago

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