Seems like an extension app rather than a built-in product which I think made alot sense since existing pure-play vendors like Klaviyo have a far superior product. Also, it gives merchants the options to evaluate email marketing tool on a more-even ground since releasing as an app means that it will be reviewed just like others.
Agree, although I think there's also something to be said about ease-of-use and ease-of-implementation, especially for many smaller merchants who might not be using anything at all due to the adoption barrier. Imagine being able to natively pull in all of your existing digital assets, never having to worry about links not working or the wrong picture displaying, or configuring a third party program to send email from your company domain. It also opens up a potential for full-cycle tracking, from delivery rates to click-through rates to checkout time to items sold...