News, views and general insights about brands, words and the web.

Take it from our people people

Show me more

We’re all familiar with the classic influencer marketing playbook: seed the product, get a post on their feed, and repeat. But today, that approach alone doesn’t quite hit the mark. You need to go beyond traditional unboxings and product selfies (petition to stop the collab selfies, anyone?) and instead, find ways to max out your investment across every single channel.

Here’s how to elevate your influencer marketing program so you’re getting the most out of it for your brand.

Add some influencer star power to make your email campaigns shine

Email marketing is often overlooked as a space for influencer content, but it’s prime real estate. By featuring influencers in your email campaigns, you’re placing them directly in front of your most engaged audience.

Pick content that’s on-brand and resonates with your subscribers, like tutorials, product tips, or styled shots of your latest items. Whether it’s an influencer's seasonal picks or a personal story about why they love your brand, this approach adds an authentic layer to your email campaigns and creates more value for your subscribers.

 to see what other brands are doing with influencers.

Supercharge your ads with influencer content

Influencers create scroll-stopping content that resonates with their followers. But negotiate the rights to that content and you’ll open up a whole new world for your brand.

We all know that authentic content from real people performs better in ads, and gaining content rights will allow you to extend the reach of influencer-created content to your paid ad campaigns. You’ll amplify the influencer’s impact and capitalise on the authentic vibe their content brings, even beyond social media.

Quick tip: ensure your brief is clear and aligns with your brand voice, so the content feels seamless within your campaign.

Build a base of brand champions with affiliate marketing

Affiliate networks are a game-changer for building a loyal influencer team. By moving beyond one-off partnerships, you’re encouraging influencers to become true brand advocates. Offer them a commission on sales generated through their unique links, and you’ll motivate them to promote your products consistently.

Plus, having your influencers actively participate in an affiliate programme helps to build a trustworthy image with consumers—they’ll see those influencers sticking with your brand over time, and that fosters credibility.

Maximise influence with landing pages designed to convert

So you’ve got your influencer affiliate codes. Now you’re probably looking to give an extra boost to conversions. Give each influencer their own custom landing page that feels like it was made just for their followers. These personalised pages not only amplify the influencer’s unique brand vibe, but they also create a seamless journey for their audience—from the influencer’s post straight to a page tailored just for them.

It’s the perfect way to spotlight the exact products they’re raving about, drive home their endorsement, and track conversions. Bonus: you’ll get clear insights on which influencers are really bringing the heat.

Spotlight influencer content on your blog

Your brand’s blog isn’t just for SEO keywords and product updates. Featuring influencer content there can not only add value to your blog but also give your influencers another reason to work with you.

Share interviews, styling tips, or personal stories from influencers who embody your brand’s ethos. This allows new visitors to see real people (not just models or product photos) representing your brand, which brings the authenticity that every brand is after right now.

Ready to dive in but not sure where to start? There are some great resources online at places like 

Beyond the basics: How to take influencer marketing to the next level

Can you believe the biggest shopping season of the year is already here? Whether you’re a holiday-season pro or it’s your first rodeo, these tips will keep your campaigns fresh, your brand authentic, and your customers clicking that “buy” button.

(Just consider it our early Christmas gift to help you sleigh the season...)

Getting a jump start on holiday campaigns is key, but don’t lock everything down. Be ready to pivot based on trends, customer feedback, or what’s hot at the moment. Stay flexible, and you’ll stay relevant.

A little festive spirit is great, but it’s easy to go overboard. Keep it authentic to your brand instead of flooding everything with red, green, and tinsel. Subtle seasonal touches work way better than classic holiday clichés.

The holidays are all about connection and nostalgia. Use storytelling, personal touches, and customer testimonials to make your audience feel something. The stronger the emotional connection, the more likely they’ll choose your brand.

More emails and ads don’t mean more sales. Be strategic with your frequency and avoid overwhelming customers with endless reminders. Use segmentation to hit the right people at the right time instead of blasting everyone daily.

People need a reason to buy now, not later. Limited-time offers, countdown timers, and last-minute shopping deadlines add urgency—but remember to be honest and consistent. False hype is a quick way to lose trust.

Holiday shoppers are on the go, which means they’re shopping from their phones. Make sure every email, ad, and landing page is mobile-friendly so customers can shop anytime, where without a hitch.

Show a little love to your MVPs! Special discounts, early access to sales, or exclusive content can go a long way in making loyal customers feel appreciated—and in keeping them coming back.

Don’t: Ignore shipping and delivery promises

We’ve all had the stress of waiting for a parcel to arrive in time for the big day. So if you promise delivery dates, stick to them. Manage expectations clearly, and if anything changes, communicate quickly and honestly. Shipping slip-ups can be deal-breakers for repeat business.

Stand out from the crowd by making your marketing feel personal. From email subject lines to product recommendations, a little personalisation can make your brand feel tailored and thoughtful in a sea of generic holiday spam.

The holiday season might end on 1st January, but customer relationships don’t. Plan for re-engagement campaigns in the new year to keep the momentum going and turn one-time holiday buyers into long-term fans.

Keep these dos and don’ts in mind, and you’ll be set up to crush the holiday season. Stick to what makes your brand unique, stay real, and don’t forget to take a breather—it’s the holidays, after all.

Sleigh the season: Holiday marketing dos and don'ts

Black Friday is right around the corner, and if you're feeling the rush, you're not alone. It’s that time of year when all the late nights and planning pay off—or fall flat if the details slip.

So before you hit "launch" on your biggest sale of the year, check out our last-minute Black Friday prep checklist. It’ll keep your website smooth, emails landing in inboxes (not spam), and ads converting like a dream.

Make sure your inventory is up-to-date and test out any discount codes. If your codes aren’t automatically applied at the checkout (or have formatting rules like all CAPS) then make those details clear to your shoppers from the start.

Don’t forget the finer details. Check your page titles, meta descriptions, and social images to make sure they look good in search results or when shared. The more you can do to entice users to click through to your site, the better.

Keep your products easy to find with clean, clear navigation. If you know your best-sellers or want to showcase the products with the biggest discounts, then prioritise those in the nav. If you have a dedicated Black Friday landing page, make sure it’s easily accessible from the homepage.

Already got exit pop-ups up and running? Tweak your design and messaging when the sale drops so you can catch those about-to-bounce visitors with a last-minute offer they can’t resist.

Make sure you’re geared up to send targeted emails to your MVPs—repeat buyers, loyal fans, and anyone else already in your database. If there’s a list you aren’t already planning to target, it’s not too late to set something up.

The savviest shoppers will have their carts full before the sales drop. Get ready to nudge them over the line with checkout abandonment and browse abandonment email flows when the sale drops.

Remember: make it loud, make it urgent—and let people know this deal’s for a limited time only. Check out a tool like 

 to discover how other big brands tackled last year’s sale and see how your emails measure up.

Got site visitors who haven’t hit “buy”? Make sure you’re all prepped to run ads to bring them back. Trust us, retargeting ads are some of the most powerful tools in your Black Friday toolkit.

Every ad and email should link to the exact page they need to be on—no detours. Trial all your user journeys before go-live and ask your teammates to do the same. If they aren’t seamless, do what you can to fix it.

Make sure you’ve factored in time to keep a close eye on ad performance and tweak things as needed while the sale’s hot. You can always push your best-sellers, switch up your messaging or change your targeting depending on what’s selling.

Nail these, and you’re all set to crush Black Friday.

Ready, set, sale! Your last-minute Black Friday checklist

An annual conference usually means a tonne of announcements, and Webflow Conf 2024 was a biggie. It’s safe to say the platform’s latest updates will transform the way we do web design, from revolutionising our processes to helping us craft more impactful websites.

Here’s a deep dive into what’s new with Webflow and why the latest updates are such a big win for web agencies like us.

Analyse and Optimise: data-driven decisions, made easy

The release of Analyze and Optimise means that it’s super simple to gather insights and test what’s working, all from within the platform. No more relying on third-party tools to track behaviour or run A/B tests—it’s all right there. You can see how visitors are interacting with your site, tweak the experience based on real data, and personalise things on the fly. For us, this is a massive win because we’ll have more control over the full lifecycle of a project, from design all the way through to ongoing performance improvements.

AI Integration: speed without sacrificing creativity

Webflow’s new AI Assistant is seriously going to speed things up on the build front. Whether you’re using it to draft content or generate new sections for a page, it allows you to move faster without giving up that creative edge. For designers, this means you can spin up core sections like testimonials or pricing tables in seconds, but still customise everything to fit your brand. It’s perfect for cranking out quality work when deadlines are tight, without sacrificing creativity or control.

Animations can take a site to the next level, but coding more complex animations from scratch can be pretty time-consuming. Now, with Webflow integrating GSAP (the GreenSock Animation Library), it’s so much easier to add eye-catching animations directly into our projects. No extra coding required. This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for creating those engaging, interactive web experiences that really make a website stand out.

New page building and approval workflows: even more reasons to collaborate

Collaboration can be one of the biggest challenges in web development, especially when lots of stakeholders are involved. Webflow’s new page-building tools enable non-technical team members to create pages while staying within the brand’s design guidelines—speeding up the build while keeping everything consistent. Plus, their design approval system organises feedback and ensures we can easily get the go-ahead from everyone involved—without slowing down the whole project.

CMS and design system improvements: greater flexibility, less maintenance

Managing content is always at the heart of our workflow, so these CMS upgrades are a huge boost. The new bulk operations and improved publishing controls will make handling large-scale projects way more efficient. On top of that, the addition of Component Style Variants means less repetitive work for designers and more flexibility to make sure everything stays cohesive across a site. A win-win for both creativity and maintenance.

What’s hot at Webflow Conf 2024

Last week, we set statuses to ‘out of office’ and met in the terracotta-topped city of Lisbon for our annual team retreat. It’s not often we all get together—and since we’ve recently welcomed a tonne of new faces to the team, this year was all about eating, drinking and just hanging out IRL.

One by one, we made ourselves at home at Lisbon’s Mama Shelter—a super sassy urban hangout that we love for its foosball tables and family-style feasting. For some of us, it was a case of a quick coach ride to the capital. But for others (sorry, Cyprus crew), it was a late-night arrival after various layovers and lost luggage drama. Plus, there was a last-minute detour for Jasmine, who, after feeling very smug with her early arrival at Gatwick, ended up making a mad dash to Heathrow (the airport she was actually meant to be flying from…)

Despite the bleary eyes, the next day started strong with the first of our activities: a pastel de nata masterclass. Working under the watchful eye of the pros at Nat'elier, we hand-crafted and baked our very own versions of the Portuguese classic. Why yes, we did make our own pastry.

That evening, the voyage of gastronomy continued as we took to the streets of the city for a tuk-tuk food tour. We sampled everything from local cheeses and vino verde to the city’s famous pork bifanas. We even sat down to the traditional salted cod dish, bacalhau à brás, with a side of Fado guitar. All of this was rounded off with a freshly baked pastel de nata chaser—yes, more pastries.

For our final night, we tore around the city armed with tablets as we took part in an outdoor escape hunt. Turns out nothing makes us more competitive than a Time Cops-themed backstory, cryptic clues, and a 90-minute countdown clock. But after crowning the winners, it was onwards to Sumaya for our final meal together: Lebanese mezze followed by a birthday cake for a 

 surprised Soraia, who turned 28 while we were away.

The theme of this year’s retreat was all about getting together—so we made plenty of time to do just that. We explored museums, wandered around botanic gardens, and scaled those deceptively steep streets of the old town. We drank port and tonic in Alfama, did karaoke in Bairro Alto, and each night, claimed the hotel terrace as ours for beers and cocktails.

We reconnected with people we hadn’t seen in real life for a while—and, for the first time this year, almost all of us were together in person (shout out to Andreas, Alex and Simon who were with us in spirit). But best of all, we came away with a tonne of new memories and Slack memes, feeling hyped about what the future has in store for the S8 fam.

 love to Fran and Mario for treating us to three incredible days out of the office. It’s safe to say we loved every second.

S8 Team trip 2024: Lisbon

Get in touch

Whether you love them or hate them, it’s safe to say that most consumers still can’t resist them. So with some of the biggest sales events of the calendar year just around the corner, how can you make sure you’re doing everything you can to get in on the action?

Here’s our 9-step Black Friday prep plan for e-commerce brands.

1. Decide on your offer. And make it a good one.

Your customers won’t settle for the kinds of discounts you get for simply signing up to a mailing list. They’ll be holding out for big things when it comes to Black Friday. They may even have their favourites list and basket filled up already. So make sure it’s an enticing enough offer that will cut through the noise and convince them to part with their cash in the first few hours.

A lot of time is spent focusing on the front end of your site—but it pays to give a bit of love to the checkout, too. How seamless is the cart journey on mobile? Are there features you could be utilising to increase the average cart value, like upsell or cross-selling tools? Is it worth adding buy now, pay later options or shortcuts like Shop Pay? If it makes the purchase journey easier, then it’s worth considering (and testing) ahead of time.

3. Prep your store for an influx of traffic.

If you’re using a managed platform like Shopify then relax—everything’s handled for you. But if your website is on a self-hosted tool such as WordPress or Craft, then it’s a good idea to know how to monitor your server resources. If you need to scale up your hosting to deal with additional demand, there are caching and CDN tools like Cloudflare and Fastly. But, if you’re expecting a huge surge in traffic, you could always look into implementing a virtual waiting room using Cloudflare, Akamai or AWS to prevent any overloading.

By that, we mean go back to basics and make sure your tactics align with every consumer you might encounter throughout the sales period.

Broad, top-level targeting that intros your brand to new audiences with messaging around deals and promos.

Middle of the funnel: the consideration phase

If users have shown an interest, retarget them with content such as reviews, testimonials and limited-time offers.

Bottom of the funnel: the conversion phase

Now’s the time to drive urgency with countdown timers, reminders and exclusive discounts for last-minute shoppers.

Over the next 3-7 days, encourage repeat purchases with personalised follow-up orders and upsells.

Figure all of this out ahead of time and trust us, your strategy will be foolproof.

If you’re continuously capturing leads via a newsletter sign-up, then ramp things up in the run-up to Black Friday. Creating a landing page that captures email and phone numbers in exchange for early access to the sale is an easy win. Or, you could supercharge your subscriber sign-ups by throwing additional things like discounts, free gifts or mystery sign-up offers into the mix.

6. Be ready with your email campaigns and flows.

Of course, you’re going to need a fully-fledged email plan that targets your subscribers with your Black Friday offer. But think about revamping all your existing flows, too. Feature Black Friday messaging in your welcome flows during the Black Friday period, and optimise any automated flows like your abandoned cart journey, too. It’s simple tactics like this that can be done well in advance but are super effective.

7. Create ad campaigns that stand out from the crowd.

Catchy creative is one thing, but delivering the right message to the right people at the right time is where you’ll really see results. Make sure you’re considering Meta ads for targeting and retargeting specific audiences, utilising assets such as customer testimonials to build trust. Plus, be sure to roll out broad audience targeting with personalised dynamic ads, too.

8. Have a plan in place for community management.

Managing your social media community is important throughout the year, but during peak sales periods like Black Friday, the stakes are even higher due to the massive influx of engagement. As more users will be interacting with your ad content, it’s vital you have a plan in place for monitoring comments and inboxes. As a minimum, make sure you:

Prepare a set of pre-written responses for common queries to save time and make sure your voice is consistent.

Prioritise comments that are most visible or influential, like those on popular posts or those that get engagement, fast.

Automatically filter and hide comments with offensive words, phrases, or spam.

Have a plan for how to quickly escalate more complex issues, like a dedicated Slack channel with your customer support team.

Keep interactions authentic to ensure genuine connections with customers.

9. Get prepped with your post-purchase activity, too.

Black Friday is just the beginning. With the right kind of post-purchase activity, you could have a new wave of brand-lovers on your hands. So get ready with those post-purchase email flows and campaigns so you can start engaging with your new buyers right away.

Our 9-step Black Friday prep plan for e-commerce brands

We recently launched our brand-new creative studio in Portugal (woohoo!) Creating winning e-commerce experiences has always been our bag, so having a dedicated space where we can do everything from art direction to photoshoots just made sense.

But we were still pretty surprised when someone recently said to us “A photography studio? Aren’t you just using AI for everything?” Not everything, friends. Here’s why we believe real-life photography still beats AI-generated imagery in the world of e-commerce.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re big believers in using AI for mood-boarding and mock-ups, or helping us fast-track touch-ups in the editing room. But when it comes to art direction and actually capturing content, that’s something AI can’t replicate. Take our new Art Director, Rita. She’s crafted visual identities for tonnes of brands in her time, so she knows what works and what resonates. Her ideas come from true inspiration, not what’s already on the web—and she’ll tell you herself how important creative freedom is for shooting quality content. We’re creating content for humans, so don’t underestimate the power of the human experience, people.

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, we can all agree there’s no excuse for a sloppy shopping experience. We eat with our eyes, right? So nothing fills a cart faster than a super polished product, packaging or lifestyle shot. And it’s not just about avoiding the cringeworthy, superimposed look you get from clunky AI mock-ups. Photos and videos captured in a studio have a scale that’s 10 times greater than an AI-generated image, so you can use them for super-detailed close-ups, big branded billboards, print, packaging and anything else you can think of. And believe us when we say there’s nothing a marketing team loves nothing more than having a whole library of high-quality assets to play with.

They’re your assets. So make them yours.

The clue’s in the name—if you’re using artificial intelligence to create your product shots, can you ever really call them original? If real people and places are a big part of your brand identity, then real photography is the only way to capture this—right down to the tiny details such as lighting, texture and colour. By keeping it real, you’re not only steering well clear of any issues like misuse or misrepresentation, but you’re building trust, too. We’re hardwired to be suspicious of anything that looks artificial—but give us an accurate picture of what we’re buying into and we’ll be way more likely to part with our cash.

You can’t shoot content without a solid strategy. But the good news is, this kind of groundwork pays for itself. Art direction just so happens to be one of the best investments you can make in your brand. Whether you’re just starting out or simply want to refresh your assets, art direction (and the bank of beautifully shot photography that comes out of it) will help you maintain that consistent look and feel online, offline—and anywhere else you show up in the future.

Why real e-commerce photography still beats AI-generated imagery

Earlier this year, our sister agency and sidekick, Parallel 9, merged with team S8 to create Series Eight 2.0. Our expertise in branding, content creation, web design and development, and Parallel 9’s skills in growth marketing––now all under one roof.

Here’s why we decided to combine all things S8 and P9 under the original Series Eight brand and what this new era has in store for us all.

S8 has always been in the business of building brands and websites, and we spend a tonne of time getting to understand every business we work with. From target audience to long-term vision, we come away with the kind of insider insights you only get from being part of a project. So, why not take that knowledge and use it to help those same businesses grow faster and go further?

Whether you’re a start-up entering the world of e-commerce or a brand that’s been in the business for decades, you now gain access to an entire suite of services from a team that really knows you and your business. Makes total sense if you ask us.

We all know how important it is for agencies to act as an extension of a brand’s in-house team. And if you’re working with the same team for brand, design, build and growth, then things are bound to run even more smoothly.

Shared comms channels, better visibility, a bigger skillset––and not to mention an easier handover once your site goes live and you’re ready to start marketing to the masses. With just one point of contact, there’s no onboarding separate agencies or bringing brand-new teams up to speed. Because we may be spread across timezones, but you can rest assured we’re always across all of the important stuff.

Faster, more flexible, and more future-focused

Paid ad landing pages, post sign-up offers, even bespoke banners and pop-ups––if we’re working across everything from web design to growth, then any marketing tools can be factored into your site build. And that means fewer hold-ups later down the line and a laser-focused strategy from the get-go.

You also get access to a team that’s super-skilled in every area of growth marketing. Our team is made up of email marketing strategists, SEO and Meta ad specialists, copywriters, designers, and video editors. And if you’re looking to work with influencers, we can find the right people to represent your brand, too.

We’ve put our web design and marketing heads together and added a load more services. We’re talking specialist SEO knowledge, community management for paid social media, plus––our all-new Series Eight studio, where we’ll be doing art direction, product photography, and more.

You also get the freedom to pick and choose based on your business goals and budget. Because one size never fits all––especially if (like us) you’re all about standing out rather than trying to fit in.

When two become one...

Let’s face facts, web terminology is weird. You don’t realise just how weird until someone (like our newest PM, Kieran) admits that he initially had no idea what anyone was talking about.

So if you’ve ever found yourself frantically Googling the difference between UX and UI, or accidentally referred to Shopify as Spotify, this one’s for you.

To the untrained ear, ‘git’ is a throwback insult that sounds more Del Boy than DevOps. And although we wish it were making a comeback for being the go-to slang of the decade, it’s probably because it’s now a popular term amongst devs for an open-source code management system.

‘Hero’ is up there with ‘webmaster’ in terms of being the larger-than-life, all-guns-blazing type of terminology that sounds more impressive than it is. Yes, they’re both important. But rather than fighting crime and saving the world, a ‘hero’ is the above-the-fold content on a webpage, while a ‘webmaster’ manages the content in your CMS.

We wish it were one of those cute slang words that become part of our everyday vocab, i.e. “My baby doggo just borked at the postman”. But it simply means your software is malfunctioning. Boring, right? But still, at least it’s more fun to say than plain old-fashioned “broken”.

AKA a design portfolio. The place where web designers show how great they can make the internet look. Is dropping the ‘port’ necessary? Probably not. But it looks cool.

Depending on how you look at it, ‘repo’ could relate to everything from repurchase agreements to bailiffs. But in the world of the World Wide Web, it’s short for repository—or in other words, a central location where data is stored and managed.

Google the definition of this one and you’ll get:

[verb] · dislike · criticize · reject · denounce · disesteem · disapprove (of) · discountenance · condemn · frown (on or upon)

Cheery stuff, huh? In the development sense, it means to mark older code as no longer useful so it can be removed or replaced at a later date. Which puts a slightly more positive spin on things we suppose.

The weirdest web terminology

There’s lots to love about remote life. But the biggest perk of all is being able to work practically anywhere in the world. Every year, when summer rolls around, it’s never long before the backdrops start to look a little different and ad-hoc days off become the norm.

But—there’s an art to working from anywhere. Especially if it’s not something you’re used to. So here are 5 tips for working while travelling, from the people who do it best.

Know when and where you’re working—not just for your own sanity, but for your coworkers’, too. We’re used to working across timezones, but your fellow teammates need to know they can get hold of you if they need to—and that means a solid WiFi connection in an environment where you can still get stuff done. Put it this way, the more productive you are, the more time you’ll have for activities once you’ve clocked off for the day.

No monitor, no problem. Pick up one of those laptop-to-HDMI adaptor cables, and you can make any TV your second screen. This one is great for when you’re staying in Airbnbs, hotel rooms, or just paying a visit to your friendly neighbourhood coworking space. Because let’s be honest, when you’re designing or developing—or even just tabbing between apps and windows—it’s never long before single-screen life starts to wear thin.

You’ll find WiFi most places nowadays: coffee shops, beach bars, trains, hotels, boats—you name it. But that doesn’t mean it’s good WiFi. And since hot-spotting is usually a no-no, it’s good to do a recce beforehand if you’re planning on working somewhere new. As soon as you arrive (so before getting too comfortable) do an internet speed test on your phone—or, ask the host to do one and share the results. It means you can confidently get set up and crack on, rather than awkwardly having to find an alternative an hour or so later. For bonus points, stop by in advance to suss things out even further ahead of time.

Remember, you’re in that very place for a reason—so enjoy it. A change of scenery can do wonders for our wellbeing, so embrace the fact that once the laptop closes, you can be in full-on holiday mode. Whether you want to max out on time with family and friends before heading home, switch things up and live like a local, or (if you’re based in the UK) just need some sun—who says travel has to be confined to vacation days? WFA is the way to go.

How to work from anywhere

Summer is (kinda?) here. And if you’re as nerdy as us, then you’ll have been eagerly awaiting the latest seasonal feature drop from our friends at Shopify.

For the Summer '24 release, it’s been all about "Unification"—new features, functionality and upgrades that are designed to streamline, simplify and level up your e-commerce capabilities across the entire platform.

So with that in mind, here’s our pick of the top upgrades to drop this July.

Having a thriving business usually means you’ll have to consider different contexts and address each of them with the right tools.

The mighty Shopify admin already offers a separate section for handling your offerings in international markets if you are selling across borders. Plus, you can also easily manage your wholesale business if you are also selling to other companies, along with managing aspects of your retail business if you have a physical store.

But now, Shopify has a new section that will unify all these different contexts into a single command centre. This new section will be called "Markets" and it allows you to have a bird's-eye view of all your different markets and manage them from a single, centralised location.

Your new mission control centre doesn’t begin and end with “Markets”. The team at Shopify has also worked on consolidating existing functionalities in the "Analytics" section.

The existing “Analytics” section has had a makeover and now offers a unified view of all your data, with the ability to dive deep into the details and gain all the insights you need to make better business decisions in an instant.

The new and improved “Analytics” section is set to be the ultimate powerhouse. Why? It has an integrated editor to query your data, which will be streamed in real time for the first time.

AI assistance where it helps you the most

But we’re also seeing more unification across the Shopify platform. This time, in terms of AI-powered features and functionality.

The AI capabilities that Shopify revealed in recent releases are now being integrated into new areas, empowering merchants on all fronts. For example, the image generation tool will now be available in all media editors across the platform. Plus, you’ll even find it on the Shopify app, allowing you to edit images on the go.

We all know how replying to customer enquiries is crucial but time-consuming. That's why a new AI-powered tool is in the works to suggest draft replies to customer queries, allowing you to respond quickly and get back to business.

Shopify updates might seem to roll round pretty quickly—but in reality, a tonne of work goes into integrating new features and updating the functionality across the platform.

The Summer '24 release contains more than 150 new features and improvements, so there’s lots more to explore as part of the latest upgrade. Shout out to Spotify for making the platform more polished than ever—and giving us (and merchants) plenty more to play with until the next feature drop.

Our hot take on Shopify’s Summer '24 release 

Brands are raging against the AI machine by going bigger, bolder and more original than ever. And we’re here for it.

But how do you take those rich, beautiful brand guidelines in all their glory and translate them into something that sells? Here are our top tips for creating high-performing e-commerce sites that still pack a punch on the personality front.

With your product and collection pages, it’s all about being clever with creativity. Be smart with SEO—covering off keywords in your H1s, intros, product titles and FAQs—then see where your imagination takes you. But remember, you’re creating a seamless, e-commerce story, not a whacky, fully-gamified experience. It doesn’t matter how fun and quirky you are, users don’t forgive frustrating web experiences. They’re there to shop—so help them do just that.

The biggest fans are always the most willing reviewers. They’ll do anything to prove they’re part of the club—especially for brands that are wittier, wilder and more out there than most—and that means going hard on things like jokes, wordplay, or anything else that aligns with your brand voice. All of this is gold dust on the UGC front, so be sure to put reviews front and centre on product pages, and pepper the best ones throughout collections and the homepage.

Pop-ups are the perfect place to go wild with copy and design. We spend our lives clicking “X” on cookie pop-ups, so give your users something they’ll actually want to engage with. Think cheeky one-liners, interactive elements or surprise discounts. Injecting a little fun into areas like this is a great way to give your users a taste of what’s to come. But—and it’s a big but—be conscious of winding up users. Some of us are still traumatised from the Windows spammy pop-up days, so it’s better to only display pop-ups based on user interaction, for example, if someone clicks ‘Sign up to our newsletter’.

Create a descriptive PDP (minus the descriptions)

Well, not the main product description—that one’s still a biggie. But think about incorporating more visual elements like rating scales, comparison charts, ‘smells like’ snippets, and rotating badges—basically, anything that helps describe your product without words. They’ll draw the eye, break up the text, and add a little comic relief while still giving the user all those useful insights.

Movement will naturally add more life to the site, which is great if you’re a brand with bags of character. Bouncing product renders, animated gifs, rotating banners, pulsing actions on hover—all of these can help draw attention to things like offers or shopping carts, or simply encourage your users to explore new areas of the site. But let’s not go overboard—no one likes motion sickness. Especially while online shopping.

Again, with no SEO restrictions to hold you back, this is another place where you can go wild with design and copy. The interaction element is naturally great for engagement. Plus, it’s a great way to push certain products or exclusive discounts—or even capture user information if you’re all about building that database.

Ahhh, the original Easter eggs of the web world. The 404 page is a place that hopefully doesn’t get seen, but is something you want to surprise and delight when it does. For you, it’s a place for your most avid fans to seek out and fall in love with your brand even more. And for web designers like us, it’s a chance to really let loose as a project comes to a close.

Take it from our people people

Beyond the basics: How to take influencer marketing to the next level

Sleigh the season: Holiday marketing dos and don'ts

Ready, set, sale! Your last-minute Black Friday checklist

What’s hot at Webflow Conf 2024

S8 Team trip 2024: Lisbon

Our 9-step Black Friday prep plan for e-commerce brands

Why real e-commerce photography still beats AI-generated imagery

When two become one...

The weirdest web terminology

How to work from anywhere

Our hot take on Shopify’s Summer '24 release

Selling silliness: how to bring joyful brands to life in e-commerce

Let us take you further than you’ve ever been

Take it from our people people

Beyond the basics: How to take influencer marketing to the next level

Sleigh the season: Holiday marketing dos and don'ts

Ready, set, sale! Your last-minute Black Friday checklist

What’s hot at Webflow Conf 2024

S8 Team trip 2024: Lisbon

Our 9-step Black Friday prep plan for e-commerce brands

Why real e-commerce photography still beats AI-generated imagery

When two become one...

The weirdest web terminology

How to work from anywhere

Our hot take on Shopify’s Summer '24 release

Selling silliness: how to bring joyful brands to life in e-commerce

Let us take you further than you’ve ever been SCHEDULE A CALL

Let us take you further than you’ve ever been