Shopify has released a suite of blockchain commerce solutions to improve the user experience of Web3-centric stores on the platform.
On February 9, Shopify blockchain team designer @ryancreatescopy said on Twitter, “we’ve launched some fresh tools to help you buidl tokengating apps for Shopify merchants.”
In particular, the increased crypto wallet connection capabilities and “tokengating” application programming interface (API) tools have been the focus. Since June 2022, only a restricted group of merchants have had API access in beta mode.
With tokengating, all relevant Shopify merchants can now configure their businesses to specify the token holders with access to exclusive items, non-fungible token (NFT) drops, and benefits.
The application confirms user eligibility via their associated wallet and is promoted as a convenient method for NFT Merchants to reward select customers or add exclusivity to specific items.
Shopify has incorporated the sign-in with Ethereum (SIWE) protocol developed by the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) and the Ethereum Foundation to provide enhanced support for crypto wallets.
SIWE offers secure user sign-ins and authentication of Ethereum accounts and ENS domains without disclosing sensitive identifiers such as names, phone numbers, and home addresses to third parties.
The question of private user information has always been a sore point for Shopify. In April 2022, a group of dissatisfied customers filed a class-action lawsuit against the company and Ledger, a manufacturer of hardware wallets, concerning a massive loss of user data in 2020.
On February 9, ENS Labs community advocate @sadaf.eth tweeted about the SIWE connection with Shopify and linked to developer papers describing how to integrate the tool into Shopify stores, much to the pleasure of several Ethereum community members.
Gm! @Shopify integrated @signinwitheth pic.twitter.com/uB16pOFlVy
— sadaf.eth (@sadaf_eth) February 10, 2023
According to the document, the statementGenerator prop enables customization of the statement displayed in a Sign-In with Ethereum message. The function gets the associated wallet’s address, allowing you to extend and alter your message lines to reflect your brand better.
After a retailer integrates the SIWE functionality on Shopify wallet connect, customers can link their Ethereum addresses via SIWE’s partnered intermediaries, such as Coinbase, WalletConnect, Fortmatic, Torus and Portis, by clicking a “sign-in with Ethereum” button.