Shopify NFT merchants may now control which token holders have access to premium goods, NFT drops, and bonuses by using "tokengating" capabilities.
A set of blockchain commerce tools has been released by crypto-friendly e-commerce giant Shopify to improve the user experience of its Web3-focused businesses hosted on the platform.
On February 9, the Shopify blockchain team designer @ryancreatescopy announced the change via Twitter, saying, "we've launched some fresh tools to help you buidl tokengating apps for Shopify merchants."
The "tokengating" application programming interface (API) tools and extended crypto wallet connect functionality have been emphasized. The latter was previously exclusively accessible to a small number of merchants and has been in early beta access status since June 2022.
With tokengating, all relevant Shopify merchants may now configure their storefronts to restrict access to certain nonfungible token (NFT) drops, bonuses, and exclusive items for certain tokenholders.
The application is advertised as a useful approach for NFT Merchants to reward particular customers or provide exclusivity to particular items. It validates user eligibility via their associated wallet.
Shopify has merged with the sign-in with Ethereum (SIWE) protocol, which is run by the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) and the Ethereum Foundation, to enable more crypto wallets.
By protecting private information like names, phone numbers, and home addresses from disclosure to other parties, SIWE fundamentally enables secure user sign-ins and authentication of Ethereum accounts and ENS domains.
Private user information has historically been a sore point for Shopify. Concerning a significant breach of customer data in 2020, a group of irate users launched a class-action lawsuit against the company and hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger in April 2022.
To the joy of some in the Ethereum community, ENS Labs community advocate @sadaf.eth highlighted the SIWE connection with Shopify through Twitter on February 9 and linked to developer instructions outlining how to incorporate the tool into Shopify businesses.
Lfggg🔥 pic.twitter.com/sjfptLkPwL
— broke.eth (@Melvininho) February 10, 2023
The document reads:
"The statement Generator prop allows you to customize the statement displayed in a Sign-In with Ethereum message. The function receives the address of the wallet that has connected, allowing you to expand and customize your message statements to better suit your brand.”
At this time, customers will be able to click a "sign-in with Ethereum" button to link their addresses via SIWE's partnered intermediates, such as Coinbase, Fortmatic, WalletConnect, Portis, and Torus, once a merchant connects the SIWE functionality on Shopify wallet connect.
