Happy Wednesday! An Apple megafan just paid over $200k for a pair of sandals that Steve Jobs wore back in the 70s when first starting Apple. Thankfully for the buyer, it sounds like Jobs didn't spend ALL his time walking around barefoot...

Wait... They shipped what!?

Shopify is testing universal search functionality in its Shop app.

Backstory: In 2020, Shopify launched Shop, a consumer-facing mobile app. The Shop app lets users engage with brands, make purchases, and track packages.

Details: In a limited-scale test, Shopify has added a "Search for anything" box, letting users search for products across all Shopify merchants.

Users who've set up a Shop account can purchase items in-app, while users without an account are directed to the merchant's website to complete the purchase.

Why it matters: The new feature gives consumers a way to search across brands that are hard to find on other channels. If the test succeeds, the Shop app undoubtedly becomes a fully fledged marketplace competing with the likes of Amazon.

The Shop app has 20 million MAU's. While that's much smaller than Amazon's ~200 million, it's still a serious number - especially considering its only two years old. 

If the Shop app succeeds in driving meaningful discovery, Shopify stands to eat away at Amazon's market share, while giving merchants a compelling reason to use its products over competitors who offer tools but lack networks.

Features & products hot off the press

Big tech

• YouTube Shorts tests shopping features and affiliate marketing 

• YouTube Shorts can now include 60 seconds of music  

• Spotify rolls out video podcast tools to creators worldwide 

• Amazon unveils a marketplace for telehealth consultations 

• Google Play adds UPI subscriptions in India 

• Shopify tests a universal search feature

• Apple to expand Emergency SOS to Europe next month

• Netflix ships feature letting users kick devices off their accounts 

General and early-stage

• Shoptrue launches its online fashion marketplace in beta 

• Retool ships backend workflow developer tools 

• Opera adds a built-in TikTok feature to its browser sidebar

• Gist launches an AI tool to summarize Slack channels and threads 

• Vimcal ships an Outlook integration for its iOS calendar app 

• Descript launches Storyboard mode for video-editing

Getting 1% better at building product

• Execution - How Figma builds product, by Lenny's Newsletter

• CX - Product team mistakes when working with CX, by Jess Toy 

Broader tech happenings

• Digital USD. New York Fed launches digital dollar pilot with major banks

• Ouch.. Twitter ad buys labeled "high-risk" by world's biggest ad agency

• Swifties mayhem. Demand for Taylor Swift tickets crashed Ticketmaster 

• Contagion. BlockFi preps for bankruptcy as it can no longer sell to FTX

• Cost of living. Uber & Lyft to increase pay for NYC drivers

Courtesy of mindless Twitter scrolling

@shreyas

@ParikPatelCFA

And that’s a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more!

-  Amol