Microsoft reportedly planning an e-commerce competitor to Shopify

Microsoft is considering joining the e-commerce business to compete with Shopify, which is already used by several big-name companies such as Budweiser and Red Bull.

Microsoft is by no means an e-commerce company, although it does own around 100 of its own stores, plus a new one coming in London this summer. Additionally, the company already provides services to numerous other retailers, including shopping giant Walmart.

In an interview with The Information, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of retail and consumer goods, Shelly Bransten stated that, “it’s something we’re looking at very seriously because our customers are asking us for it,” further noting she has “a lot of respect” for Shopify.

Bransten has plenty of experience in the retailer business of her own, having spent over 15 years at Gap and then later Salesforce. She later joined Microsoft to help them build new products and advise them through related acquisitions, although she declined to comment on the idea of Microsoft acquiring Shopify.

Following the recent news, Shopify’s shares also dropped as much as 2.8% as noted by Seeking Alpha. In addition to potential competition from Microsoft, the e-commerce company is also seeing some from Instagram, which is working on a new checkout feature that will allow users to purchase items without leaving the app.