Shopify’s Benjamin Lang on his favourite retail experiences, AI, and lessons from sport

Benjamin Lang is Head of Partnerships for Northern Europe at Shopify, having joined the business in 2022 from his previous role at payment service provider Mollie.

Alongside his career, he spent 13 years as an elite rower, representing France at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and attending the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 as part of the squad.

We caught up with Lang to hear about the state of ecommerce, how Shopify is supporting merchants, and about the parallels between elite sport and skills in business.

Econsultancy: How has commerce changed in the two years you’ve been at Shopify?

Benjamin Lang: Over the last two years, it has become more important than ever that retailers provide a consistent experience across channels. Shopify’s State of Commerce report found that over two-thirds (67%) of European consumers said it’s important that brands offer a good integrated experience, and around 60% of purchases start on one device and end on another.

We probably all know from our own experience as shoppers that these days, customers are likely to be in store looking at something, while checking their phone in case there’s a better deal online. So it is clear that the experience customers get from brands they’re buying from needs to be consistent, wherever they seek out that brand. If a shopper is in a store and what they want isn’t available in their size, but they get a pop up to say they can collect that size in store tomorrow, or have it delivered to their home the next day, that’s ideal. That’s the kind of experience that we need to enhance more and more, and we are seeing lots of brands looking at that right now.

E: What shopping experiences stick in your mind and why?

BL: Gymshark and its flagship store on Regent Street is hard to beat. You can go there and join a community workout, and get an experience of the brand that isn’t available anywhere else. Then, at the end of that workout when you’re back home, you might find a special offer – personalised to you – in your email box. And you might find that next time you shop online with Gymshark, it already knows some of your preferences – because it knows the type of workout you came to join in store. Connecting the dots like that is what winning retailers are doing, and it’s a good indication of the future role of the brick and mortar store – which isn’t going away, but is often more of a brand loyalty or customer experience channel now, rather than solely a sales channel.

E: Which updates in Shopify’s Summer 24 Editions are the ones we should be reading about?

BL: For me, definitely Markets! This is a game changer for international expansion, it has never been easier to expand geographically and manage different channels, all in one place. Over a quarter of all Shopify merchants are based in EMEA and they rely on Shopify to help grow their business, whether it’s to sell into new regions, scale their business selling wholesale, or run a global network of physical retail stores. Merchants can now use Markets to create custom buyer experiences without having to create multiple stores or manage a wide range of features, so they can focus on their expansion plans.

E: In the near and the long term, where is AI going to prove most useful to your merchants?

BL: Shopify is embracing AI so merchants can be on the cutting edge of the latest technology enhancements. Over the last year, we have embedded AI capabilities throughout the Shopify platform, with the latest updates launching last week in Summer Editions. Now Shopify Magic can instantly suggest personalised and intelligent recommendations for merchants’ product attributes. Using just a few keywords and a product image, Shopify Magic can auto-populate relevant form fields, reducing the manual work required by our merchants.

We are also seeing that AI is transforming how merchants are able to interact with customers. Suggested Replies can create pre-written AI generated responses that merchants can review, edit and approve, saving them time and bringing the customer closer to a sale.

Finally, we just announced new features to our AI image generation feature in Media Editor. It can now seamlessly modify media across the Shopify Admin, and we’ve even extended the functionality into the Shopify Mobile App.

E: What advice would you give to somebody starting out in commerce?

BL: With the world of commerce more competitive than ever it is important to not be distracted by what your competitors are doing, or too fixated on the finish line. Instead, you must focus on your own process. Something I have learnt in both sport and business is that you don’t control how they train, you don’t control how they go to market, what you control is the way you react to it. So, focusing on yourself and your own process is super important. Being able to react to the way others are behaving is a crucial component of success.

When it comes to preparation, it doesn’t matter about the finish line, it’s about the process that could get you there. If you’re at the start line of the Olympic final and you’re thinking about the gold medal going around your neck, rather than on the first stroke, then you’re never going to finish first. Focusing on the process is so important, especially in commerce.

E: What has inspired you recently outside of work?

BL: As a former Olympic athlete, I wanted to give back and help future generations, so I am now an elected member of the French Olympic Committee and have been for the last eight years. Seeing and supporting my former teammates getting ready for the historic Paris 2024 Games at home has been truly breathtaking.

The level of commitment required to reach such a level resonates deeply with my previous life, but also with what I now witness daily with the entrepreneurs we are supporting at Shopify. It is no surprise to see so many former athletes becoming amazing entrepreneurs!