Using Markets feature to customize store - How to check if person in other country sees the changes?

[Anthony_ny27]

In my theme customizer, I used the drop down to select the International option.

Then I customized my products pages - to hide prices for these international visitors. But if switched back to default or United States prices are visible.

Now how would you check if this works? I'm in USA, how would I check if someone in Europe will not see prices?

What I tried ---

I used a VPN on my computer, and set if for a European country. I checked my computer IP address with a website that checks it, and it did register my location as that of teh European country.

Then I checked my Shopify website. But the prices were still visible like I was from USA?

What could of happened? Is there some better way to check this?

One note. Currently my website is still on the shopify domain: https://abcdefg.myshopify.com

and not a custom domain.

Could that be causing issue? Should Shopify still be able to detect a visitor is from europe (by VPN) when it is using thy myshopify.com domain? 

I have to think there must be way to test and confirm people in other countries are seeing the customizations that you set up for their countries.

[PageFly-Richard]

Hi,

This is Richard at PageFly - Shopify Advanced Page Builder app.

You're right, there are better ways to test if your Shopify store is hiding prices for international visitors using a VPN. Here's why your current method might not be working and some alternative approaches:

Challenges with VPN Testing:

• Shopify IP Geolocation: Shopify might rely on more sophisticated methods than just IP address to determine visitor location. This could include factors like billing address, browser language, or even geolocation data embedded in user devices. A VPN might only change your IP address, not all these factors.
• Shopify Caching: Sometimes Shopify caches content for faster loading times. This means changes you make might not be reflected immediately, even with a VPN.

Alternative Testing Methods:

1. Shopify Preview Mode:

   • In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
   • Click on the "Actions" menu for your theme and select "Preview."
   • In the preview mode, you can select different storefront locations from a dropdown menu. This simulates how visitors from those regions would see your store.

2. Shopify Geolocation Apps:

   • Consider installing a Shopify app like "Geolocation Popup" or "GeoIP Redirect." These apps can help you test how your store appears based on visitor location by simulating different regions.

3. Testing Services:

   • There are online services that allow you to test websites from different locations. These services often have a free trial or limited free plan. Some options include:
     • BrowserStack: https://www.browserstack.com/
     • Geopeeker: https://geopeeker.com/
     • ProxyRack: https://www.proxyrack.com/

Using a Custom Domain:

• While a custom domain isn't strictly necessary for Shopify to detect visitor location, it can improve the overall user experience and potentially enhance SEO. Shopify should still be able to detect visitor location using a myshopify.com domain, but testing with a custom domain might be slightly more reliable.

Hoping my solution helps you solve your problem.

Best regards,

Richard | PageFly

[Anthony_ny27]

Thank you for your detailed response.

As you suggested I tried using Markets > Preview feature.

I went to Settings > Markets

There I had 3 set up:

United States

Australia

International

I did test it a few days ago. And did another test now.

I selected United States market and Preview.

Then I checked my website.

To check it - I added the following liquid code to my product page to tell me country is selected:

<h2>Your country is: {{ localization.market.handle }}</h2>

Maybe this is not a good method?

So, I went to United States in Markets, and I clicked Preview.

I went to my website product page in Firefox, and my added code output the value: International.

Then I checked same page in Chrome browser, it indicated Australia.

Which left me thinking - What is going on?

I did refresh both pages multiple times.

I also created differently layouts for each market. Specially, hiding price for non-usa markets.
And I previewed USA, and it sill showed me the non-USA layout.

Something seems to work right. The preview does not seem to do what it should.

From you other suggestions, GeoPeeker looked good. I may give that a try. Especially, since the Markets Preview does not seem to work.