Custom Shopify App Development for Privacy Management

Privacy Management Shopify App Using Shopify’s Customer Privacy API and Checkout Extensibility

First Glance

OneTrust is a leading provider of privacy management software solutions, widely used by ecommerce Shopify Plus merchants for managing consent and privacy preferences. As Shopify continues to enhance its checkout experience for Plus merchants, they deprecated the legacy method of customizing checkout templates (checkout.liquid). Shopify now requires merchants to migrate to the new, extensible checkout system. This update had a direct impact on how third-party solutions like OneTrust integrate with Shopify stores.

In response to Shopify’s new architecture, OneTrust needed a new Shopify application to comply with the updated Customer Privacy API and Checkout Extensibility framework. This where Sunrise Integration came into the picture. We were tasked with building a modern, scalable OneTrust Shopify app to meet these new Shopify requirements. Sunrise Integration collaborated with OneTrust and Shopify to create a detailed requirements document, outlining how the OneTrust app would need to operate within Shopify's new environment. The Sunrise Integration development team was ready to take on the task of creating this important new Shopify app for OneTrust.

The Challenge

OneTrust faced several critical challenges as Shopify transitioned to its new Checkout Extensibility system. The most immediate issue was the deprecation of the checkout.liquid file, which had been a key element in how OneTrust’s previous app functioned. With this legacy method being phased out, OneTrust needed to ensure that their new solution integrated with Shopify's updated architecture while maintaining the core functionality that their users depended on. Additionally, given that OneTrust serves a large number of high-profile Shopify Plus merchants, the app needed to be built to handle significant traffic and scale efficiently. The challenge wasn’t only technical but also operational, as ensuring high performance and reliability at scale was paramount for the success of this app.

Another complex challenge lay in ensuring compatibility with Shopify’s Customer Privacy API. OneTrust needed the app to integrate deeply with this API, enabling merchants to manage consent and privacy settings effectively without disrupting the customer experience. At the same time, the new Shopify Checkout Extensibility framework presented a unique obstacle due to the sandboxed nature of Shopify’s checkout environment. The app needed to pass consent settings between the storefront and the checkout process, which required careful planning and execution. Balancing these technical complexities with the need for a smooth user experience was a significant part of the project’s challenge.

The app development required a partner with deep Shopify knowledge and API expertise. Shopify recommended Sunrise Integration for the project and our team delivered.

The Solution

Sunrise Integration approached these challenges by developing a public Shopify app that leveraged the most up-to-date Shopify technologies, including the Customer Privacy API and Checkout Extensibility. The app was designed with modern development tools such as JavaScript, React components, and the Remix framework, ensuring that it could meet OneTrust’s requirements while being flexible enough to adapt to future updates.

The first step was designing an app that could be easily installed and authenticated via the Shopify App Store. Merchants were provided with an embedded admin view, enabling them to connect their OneTrust accounts and map privacy signals to Shopify’s codes. This streamlined the process for Shopify Plus merchants, ensuring quick setup and compliance with Shopify’s new privacy standards. This feature enabled a seamless integration with Shopify’s Customer Privacy API, ensuring that the app could handle consent preferences smoothly.

A crucial aspect of the solution was the development of a Shopify Checkout extension. This extension allowed for communication between the checkout process and the storefront, ensuring that privacy settings were respected throughout the entire shopping journey. Developing this extension required significant collaboration with Shopify’s internal teams, particularly because of the sandboxed nature of the checkout environment, which limits direct access to certain data. Sunrise Integration worked closely with Shopify to implement a system that met OneTrust’s needs while adhering to the platform's strict guidelines.

Sunrise Integration also incorporated Shopify’s App Embed blocks into the app to deploy OneTrust’s scripts seamlessly on the storefront. This allowed the mapping of privacy settings to be updated once customer consent was given. The block is added directly to the Shopify theme to allow for merchant customization.

To address the challenge of scalability, Sunrise Integration collaborated with OneTrust’s DevOps team to ensure the app was capable of handling high volumes of traffic. The app’s architecture was optimized for performance and scalability, making sure it could serve a large base of Shopify Plus merchants without any performance degradation. Rigorous testing was conducted to ensure that the app could handle peak traffic times without compromising on speed or functionality. Finally, the app was submitted to Shopify’s App Store, passing all required tests and ensuring it was ready for public use by OneTrust’s large customer base.

The app successfully passed Shopify’s App Store submission and is now available for installation, allowing OneTrust’s clients to manage privacy preferences directly from their Shopify stores. This not only ensures regulatory compliance but also enhances the user experience by integrating privacy management without disrupting the shopping process.

The Outcome

The result was a powerful, scalable, and compliant Shopify app that allowed OneTrust to continue providing their essential privacy management services to Shopify Plus merchants. The app’s seamless integration with Shopify’s new Customer Privacy API and Checkout Extensibility system ensured that merchants could easily manage consent and privacy preferences while offering their customers a smooth shopping experience. OneTrust’s clients now benefit from a solution that not only meets compliance standards but also operates efficiently under high traffic, thanks to Sunrise Integration’s focus on performance and scalability.

This collaboration between Sunrise Integration, OneTrust, and Shopify highlights the importance of staying ahead of platform changes. Through careful planning, innovative problem-solving, and modern development practices, Sunrise Integration delivered a solution that meets the needs of both the client and their end users. The app is now available in the Shopify App Store, serving OneTrust’s vast base of high-profile merchants with a future-proof solution that can grow alongside Shopify’s evolving ecosystem.

Sunrise Integration’s expertise in Shopify’s evolving ecosystem, combined with modern development practices and close collaboration with both OneTrust and Shopify, resulted in a solution that addresses the critical needs of both performance and compliance at scale. This case study highlights Sunrise Integration’s ability to adapt to platform changes while delivering robust, scalable solutions for enterprise clients.