The Channel Dilemma Every Shopify Merchant Faces

As a Shopify merchant, you're presented with two powerful channels for showcasing your products and reviews: Shopify's Shop app and Google's Product Feeds (Google Merchant Center). Both promise increased visibility and sales, but they work in fundamentally different ways.

The question isn't just which one is "better" – it's understanding how each fits into your growth strategy and, crucially, how your product reviews perform on each platform.

Understanding Shopify Shop: The Walled Garden Approach

What Shop Does Well

Shop is Shopify's consumer-facing mobile app with over 100 million registered users. It creates a closed ecosystem where:

Personalized Discovery: Shop surfaces product recommendations based on user behavior, purchase history, and followed stores

Frictionless Checkout: Shop Pay enables one-tap purchasing across all Shopify stores

Order Tracking: Centralized tracking for all Shopify purchases

Re-engagement: Push notifications for sales, new arrivals, and back-in-stock items

The Review Reality in Shop

Here's what Shopify doesn't advertise loudly: while Shop displays star ratings on product pages, these reviews have limited impact on product discovery within the app. Shop's recommendation algorithm primarily relies on:

Purchase behavior patterns

Store follows and favorites

Browsing history

Shop Pay transaction data

Reviews influence conversion once a product is shown, but they don't significantly impact whether your product gets discovered in the first place.

Shop's Actual Reach

While Shopify touts "100M+ buyers," the active monthly usage tells a different story:

Tens of millions use the app monthly (not 100M)

Primary use case: order tracking and Shop Pay checkout

Discovery features are secondary to most users

Best for reaching existing customers, not new ones

Google Product Feeds: The Open Marketplace

What Google Shopping Excels At

Google Product Feeds through Google Merchant Center (GMC) put your products where people actually search:

Massive Discovery: Products appear in Google Search, Shopping tab, YouTube, and Display Network

Intent-Based Traffic: Reaches customers actively searching for products like yours

Review Integration: Product Ratings directly impact click-through rates and quality score

Free & Paid Options: Both free listings and paid Shopping ads available

The Review Advantage on Google

Unlike Shop, Google Product Ratings have a direct, measurable impact on performance:

+17% CTR increase with star ratings displayed

Lower CPCs due to improved quality scores

Trust signals that influence purchase decisions before clicking

Broader visibility across Google's entire ecosystem

Critical distinction: Google requires "retailer-owned" reviews for Product Ratings – meaning reviews collected through Shop typically cannot be used in your GMC feed.

The Numbers Game: Comparing Exposure

Let's put this in perspective with real metrics:

Shop App Exposure

Potential Reach: 30-40 million active monthly users

Actual Product Views: Limited to app opens and browsing sessions

Discovery Method: Algorithmic recommendations and search within app

Competition: Only competing with other Shopify stores

Google Shopping Exposure

Potential Reach: 5+ billion Google searches daily

Actual Product Views: Triggered by relevant search queries

Discovery Method: Intent-based search and shopping behavior

Competition: Competing with all e-commerce, including Amazon

Which Channel Should You Prioritize? A Decision Framework

Prioritize Google Product Feeds If:

You're Acquisition-Focused

Most sales come from new customers

You rely on paid advertising for growth

Your products solve specific search queries

You're in competitive categories where reviews matter

You Have Limited Resources

Can only maintain one review collection strategy

Need maximum ROI from review management

Want reviews that work across multiple channels

Your Analytics Show

High percentage of traffic from Google

Strong Performance Max or Shopping campaign results

Low repeat purchase rate

Prioritize Shop App If:

You're Retention-Focused

High repeat purchase rate (>30%)

Strong email list and customer loyalty

Subscription or consumable products

Established brand with followers

You've Maximized Basics

Already optimized Google Shopping presence

Have robust review collection via email/SMS

Looking for incremental growth channels

Your Customers Love Convenience

Sell to busy professionals

Multiple purchases per customer

Shop Pay adoption is high

The Smart Merchant's Playbook: Why Not Both?

Here's the strategic approach successful merchants use:

1. Foundation First: Google Product Feeds

Set up Google Merchant Center

Implement first-party review collection (email/SMS)

Build your Product Ratings feed

Optimize for Google Shopping visibility

2. Layer in Shop for Retention

Enable Shop channel (it's free)

Let Shop reviews supplement social proof

Use Shop for re-engagement campaigns

Leverage Shop Pay for conversion optimization

3. Maintain Separate Review Strategies

For Google: Collect reviews via your own email/SMS campaigns (these are "retailer-owned")

For Shop: Let the automatic Shop review requests handle repeat customers

Bridge the gap: Display all reviews on your storefront for maximum social proof

The Hidden Challenge: Review Portability

Here's what most merchants don't realize until it's too late:

Shop reviews ≠ GMC-eligible reviews

Reviews collected through Shop are platform-locked

Google requires direct control of review collection

You need separate review strategies for each channel

This is where Review Multiplier becomes essential – ensuring every review you collect can be strategically distributed across all platforms, not trapped in one ecosystem.

Real-World Success Metrics

Based on merchant data across both channels:

Google Shopping with Product Ratings

+28% revenue growth in first 90 days

-15% cost per acquisition with star ratings

+45% impression share versus competitors without ratings

Shop App Optimization

+12% repeat purchase rate

+8% average order value via Shop Pay

-5 days between repeat purchases

The Bottom Line: Start with Google, Enhance with Shop

For 90% of SME Shopify merchants, the path is clear:

1. Prioritize Google Product Feeds first – it's where new customers discover you

2. Build robust review collection that you own and control

3. Add Shop as a retention layer once fundamentals are solid

4. Never rely on a single platform for reviews or discovery

The winning formula isn't choosing between Shop and Google – it's understanding how each serves different parts of your customer journey and building a review strategy that maximizes both.

Take Action: Multiply Your Review Impact

Stop letting platform limitations dictate your review strategy. Whether you're focused on Shop, Google, or both, ensure every review works harder for your business:

Collect once, distribute everywhere: Your reviews should work across all channels

Own your review data: Don't let platforms lock in your social proof

Track what works: Measure review impact on each channel separately

Optimize continuously: Test review display, timing, and incentives

The merchants winning today aren't picking sides – they're building omnichannel review strategies that turn every piece of customer feedback into growth fuel, regardless of where customers discover them.

Ready to make your reviews work across every platform? That's exactly what Review Multiplier was built to solve. Start your free trial and watch your reviews multiply across Shop, Google, and beyond.

Shopify Shop vs Google Product Feeds: Which is Better for Your Business?