- X recently announced a new partnership with Shopify that will allow Shopify merchants to reach more customers through X’s platform.
- The partnership comes after a period of strong organic growth for X in 2023, despite facing backlash over controversial content. X has worked to address brand safety concerns.
- The Shopify deal represents an initial step for X to leverage partnerships to expand its reach and move past recent controversies, though major advertisers have yet to return.
On January 9th, 2024, X‘s official business account tweeted that it is partnering with Shopify. The terse announcement states that this will allow Shopify sellers to “reach even more customers” using X. Additional details will be shared later.
X’s Organic Growth in 2023
The X-Shopify partnership comes on the heels of X’s strong organic growth in 2023. According to metrics shared by Elon Musk in early January, X’s organic search traffic increased by nearly 5% month-over-month in December 2023.
X also saw a 13% rise in active user seconds from July to January 2024. This growth occurred despite X facing backlash and advertiser boycotts in late 2023 over controversial content on the platform.
X’s Brand Safety Efforts
To address brand safety concerns, X partnered with Integral Ad Science (IAS) in January 2024. This gives advertisers more control over ad placement in X’s video feed.
Initially, Elon Musk lashed out at boycotting advertisers like Disney. But X has since implemented changes to improve brand suitability protections.
The Road Ahead
X’s partnership with Shopify signals further cooperation between platforms could be on the horizon. X likely aims to leverage partnerships to continue growing its userbase and revenue.
As X emerges from recent controversies, new partnerships will enable it to expand its reach. However, it remains to be seen if enhanced brand safety measures are sufficient to regain major advertisers. The Shopify deal represents a first step in that direction.
