As an ardent online shopper, you may have encountered an app called Shop. Shop is an app by Shopify, a company known for helping and scaling small businesses to successful online e-commerce brands.

Many people have embraced the convenience of online shopping from the confines of their home. It is no wonder why many top-notch companies are now venturing into this field.

That being said, shopping online is not without its fair share of associated risks and challenges ranging from fraud to more menacing aspects of your security and privacy.

So, is the Shop app safe to use? In this article, we’ll try to answer this question in detail.

What is Shop?

The shop is a successor of Arrive and was launched in 2020. Arrive was an app designed for tracking packages and was mostly used by merchants and retailers.

Shop is a multipurpose app where you can track orders, process payments using Shop Pay, and browse many products.

One interesting point is that Shop is not your typical online marketplace where you can buy products; the seller will deliver them to you. Shop is essentially a tool that connects you to online stores on the Shopify platform.

Moreover, you can check local merchants selling the products and supporting online delivery and in-store purchases.

Also read: 11 types of job scams threatening job seekers

Is Shop app safe to use?

Yes, the Shop app is safe to use. You just need to be a bit careful though.

Firstly, the checkout is powered by Shop Pay. It is an “accelerated checkout” and is used by many. Moreover, Shopify protects your personal and financial information, and its servers adhere to the best security protocols.

However, your data is at risk if the servers are breached somehow.

This is an image of shopapptrustpilot ss1

Next, we head to the Trustpilot page of the Shop app. We were surprised that the platform has quite a negative reputation on Trustpilot.

Shop app received a 1.2/5 star rating based on 424 reviews, which is surprising given it’s the brainchild of Shopify.

Of these 424 reviews, over 92% are one-star, and about 3% are five-star.

Most users complained about the following issues:

Missing items.
Issues with Shop Pay.
Failure to update the information on the app.
Spam emails.
Problems in refund.
No customer support.

In the next section, we’ll explain how to counter these frauds when buying online.

How to use Shop app safely?

Follow the instructions given below to use the Shop app safely:

Download the Shop app from an authorised app store like Google Play Store or Apple App Store. These app stores have internal mechanisms to filter out malicious apps.
Create a strong password.
Do not click on links or ads, as they can contain harmful codes affecting your device.
Before ordering something, check the dealer’s history and reviews.
Be wary of those retailers who offer deals that seem too good to be true.
Carefully read the return and exchange policy of the retailer.
Shop app lists brands that are associated with Shopify. However, you should do additional research.
Always compare prices and reviews from different sources and retailers. You may find a better deal in the process.

In conclusion, the Shop app is safe following the above safety guidelines. If you’re not comfortable ordering, take some time to do research and sleep on it. Maybe you will find a better deal or retailer. Do not fall for paid reviews of the products done by influencers.