This time on Retail Tech Podcast, I interview Loren Padelford, Vice President and GM of Shopify Plus, a cloud based, fully hosted e-commerce platform aimed towards high-growth, high-volume merchants. In this episode, we discuss how you can scale your high growth online store, and implement exclusive Shopify features, all while offering the seamless online retail experience Shopify is famous for.  We also delve into ideas about blockchain applications to retail, Shopify's new partnership with Snapchat, and how Shopify might soon become involved in the Cannabis industry. BONUS: we ask Loren what online retail niche he would focus on to start a store! Join us for all this, and more, on the Tech Retail podcast.

00:45 what is Shopify Plus, background on Loren 

02:10 differentiator between Shopify and Shopify Plus 

03:00 Flow feature of Shopify Plus to automate complex stores 

05:30 leveraging Shopify Plus technology to save on IT costs 

07:30 privacy in Shopify’s cloud infrastructure  10:10 what infrastructure is Shopify platform built on? 

13:30 adapting to rapid changes in online retail 

17:00 what is the future of multi-brand retailers as discovery becomes easier? 

20:15 how does Shopify plus help brands sell to different marketplaces? 

23:25 about Shopify partnership with Snapchat and how it came about 

28:25 Loren’s take on the biggest upcoming trends for retail 

31:20 Shopify’s innovation labs 

33:20 Applicability of blockchain in retail 

35:40 Shopify’s collaboration with Control Board of Ontario, Canada on cannabis retailers 

38:50 Shopify’s involvement in hardware innovation 

41:10 how will voice recognition technology change retail shopping 

45:50 consumer-driven relationship to retailers 

48:50 If Loren opened a retail store today, what would it be? 

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