Shopify JS object - What does Shopify.country represent

[harper-amyris]

Hi,

I'm trying to work on a feature on a store for US based customers only. 

What seem to be my 2 options is the Geolocation API or Shopify's native window object that has several properties. 

One of them is `Shopify.country` with returns a string representing a country. 

I can't find any online documentation explaining this in detail - but what is this exactly? Is this returning the users current active location, or where the stores ships to?

[NomtechSolution]

The Shopify.country property in Shopify's window object represents the country of the customer's current active location. It is derived from the customer's IP address and is used to determine the country for various functionalities, such as displaying relevant content or applying specific rules based on the customer's location.

It's important to note that Shopify.country does not directly indicate the countries where the store ships to or restricts shipping. Instead, it provides information about the customer's location, which can be used to customize the shopping experience based on their country.

If you need to implement features specific to US-based customers only, you can utilize the Shopify.country property to detect the customer's location and conditionally display or enable certain functionalities tailored for US customers. Keep in mind that IP-based geolocation is not always 100% accurate and may have some limitations or discrepancies.

Additionally, you may also consider using the Geolocation API to achieve more precise geolocation detection and customization if needed. The Geolocation API provides more detailed information about the user's location, such as latitude, longitude, and address, which can be beneficial for implementing region-specific features or restrictions.

[sweeperq]

I'm not sure this is entirely accurate (or is not accurate as of 1/10/2025). window.Shopify.country is returning the country specified in the country selector in the Dawn theme. If it were based on IP address, it wouldn't change when a new country/currency is selected. So it is either a) not based on IP address, or b) selecting a specific locale overrides the geo location.