Do you have a Shopify Store? If yes, then you are also among 800,000+ merchants who are looking to amplify the sales growth.
Shopify is a big eCommerce platform for those who want to run their online business in multiple countries. But taking advantage of this biggest platform requires bigger thinking and strategy. After all, not all Shopify stores are able to make huge profits.
As consumers today are now looking at everything on their smartphones, most of the eCommerce businesses are including a mobile-first approach in their marketing strategy.
Shopify mobile apps have a huge impact on improving the performance of Shopify stores. According to a Shopify report, 87% of merchants use mobile apps to increase their sales. And maybe, therefore, 25.8 million apps have been installed with more than 80% of merchants using third-party apps.
But you will be surprised to know despite the various benefits of Shopify mobile apps, store owners aren’t able to make their app fully successful.
As a premier Shopify expert, eSearch Logix knows where all business owners do mistakes when it comes to Shopify app development. They think mere developing a mobile app is sufficient and it will automatically bring new customers to their online stores.
This is where they make mistakes.
No doubt, the Shopify app has the power to boost your sales, but only when you know how to develop it smartly. Today in this post, we will tell you how to build a superb Shopify app that sells your products.
If you have a Shopify Store and want to increase your sales, this blog is for you.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a subscription-based eCommerce platform that allows business people to set up an online store and sell their products. It enables store owners to sell both online and physical presence, to sync inventory, stock, and manage store(s) from one account, on any device.
But this is a technical definition.
To simply answer the question “What is Shopify?” Shopify is an eCommerce platform that gives the fastest and effective way to quickly launch your online business and start selling to customers, no matter where they are. It offers many features to customize your store and make more customers in long run.
Why your Shopify Store needs a mobile app?
Not so long before, a Shopify mobile app for stores may have seemed like an option for most eCommerce and retail companies.
But, with the radical emergence of smartphones and users’ relying on mobile applications, companies have realized that merely having eCommerce marketing for their websites is not sufficient. They need the additional power of the mobile app.
Shopify is run by highly experienced technicians and market professionals that is why they introduced a dedicated Shopify app store to empower store owners. Here are the benefits of the Shopify mobile app that give answer why your store needs it:
- Increases sales
- Gives enhanced customer experience
- Provides deeper analytics
- Builds customer loyalty
- Expand your customer reach
- Allows you to meet the millennials
- Support establishing your brand and mission
Now it’s time for the real discussion.
How to build a superb Shopify App:
1. Solve an existing problem
Just because you believe adding a certain feature to the Shopify store is the best idea, it doesn’t mean your customers will feel the same. It also doesn’t mean they will be showing their interest automatically.
Most business owners don’t know when consumers love to use mobile app. Hence, in the first step, you need to understand what problems or challenges your target audience is facing.
At the beginning of your app project, organize a brainstorming session with your team to find out how your app will solve an existing problem. You can reach out to customers directly to know what they expect in a Shopify mobile app.
Once you have narrowed down your ideas, you should analyze the viability of your app’s success by conducting a competitive analysis. It will give you a better understanding of what are similar offerings currently exist, where these offerings work or fail, and how they are implemented in the market.
For this, you can simply create a spreadsheet document and customize it according to your KPIs and success metrics.
Keep in mind, a good Shopify app gives value by building a solution for an existing problem. But a superb Shopify app provides value by developing the only solution.
2. Treat your app like a startup or new product
Shopify app is an extension of your current business so you need to consider it as any new venture or startup where you have to be clear on the same questions:
- What is the purpose of the mobile app?
- What problem will it solve and how?
- Are there any existing alternatives that are better than yours?
- Which niche or market segment wills the app targeting?
- What are your revenue streams and cost structure?
- Define your unique value proposition (USP).
- Who is going to build your app? You or a dedicated Shopify app development company?
- What technology stack should you choose?
- What is the roadmap to maintain your app to let it not deviate from its core purpose?
Give dedicated time and resource to conceptualize and plan all these things before your start the development process.
3. Design a simple experience
When we create something new, we usually have a tendency to focus on the attention the tangible aspects of design features such as color or visual layout.
While it is not undeniably important to design an app that is visually appealing but at the same time, but you cannot ignore the intangible aspects- how users feel about using your app.
Here, many Store owners treat the design and the user experience as separate entities which are a guaranteed path to app failure because, but in the eyes of the end-user, design and experience are the same.
So, don’t miss the critical rules of app design and focus on designing a simple experience that easily engages users. For example, if you fill your app with non-essential features and too many fancy widgets, it will begin to become overly complex.
This design complexity creates barriers for usage and increases frustration to users. Since the ultimate goal of creating a mobile app for your Shopify store is to get as many customers as possible, you should build a product that features a simple design.
4. Do competitive analysis and research
This one sounds normal, but the truth is that many top mobile app developers and businesses do not dig deep into it and fail to achieve their targets. Doing competitive analysis and market research will allow you to determine whether you have a unique app or not.
If there are many similar apps running in the market, you can take notes on what key aspects those companies are working on and how responsive their customers are to their apps.
Examine what is worked in the past and what hasn’t. However, it doesn’t mean you have to get stuck on what others are doing. If you have an extraordinary idea for your app, you should be confident about your success.
You can learn from your own example- in one of our Shopify mobile app development projects, our European client had a unique app concept for the audience and as a part of the process, we conducted a deep competitor analysis and market research.
But ultimately we realized that there is no such similar concept available in the market so relying too much on what’s happening outside sometimes is not a good idea. So after a discussion, we came to a conclusion we will go with the app concept and then wait for how the audience responds to this.
So in short, do competitive analysis deeply to know about the market trends but at the same time if you are confident of your unique app concept, just dive into the market with your app.
5. Set a budget and right-size your expectations
Don’t generalize your app goals and its budget, have a concrete number to exactly know how much money and resources you can invest into your app instead of wasting time guessing or overspending.
Set a budget that aligns with the effort required e.g. additional mobile app testing, hiring a dedicated Shopify mobile app development company. It’s important to have a calculated budget and resources for building a proof of concept, testing, integration, design, and more. This will ensure your investment is flowing in the right direction.
6. Develop an authentic brand
No matter how attractive your Shopify app is, strategic positioning is critical to its adoption and use. The market is always dominated by consumer choice, so assuming “If we built it, consumers will come” does not work here.
You need to ensure you have a plan to promote your product on release, and there is no better place to start than by defining your app’s brand.
Apple users are known for paying high prices for premium services. They become ready to pay or spend their money because of the brand reliability they choose. Top iOS application development company never compromises in the quality of app functionality and features as they are aware of Apple user’s behavior.
The same rule applies here. You should consider your app as a direct extension of your business asset because it has the capability to change a customer’s perception of quality, reliability, and trust without direct interaction.
To make it happen, start by analyzing what you are going to name your app. Think back to the initial problem your app fixes and put effort to predict what keywords your audience would type on Google search engine for a solution. Narrow down your list to point out the top keywords which better describes your app’s point of differentiation.
Be sure to write a description that highlights your differentiation clearly and honestly. There is nothing more frustrating to a merchant than being led to know one thing about your app’s capabilities and then finding the opposite to be true.
Use the unique selling property of your Shopify app as the focal point of your description without compromising the user expectation on the basis of false promises or flashy micro-copy. Just gain their trust and your app will build you a brand.
7. Provide continuous service
It is the biggest assumption that launching your app in the App Store is the end of your mobile app development project. In fact, the real journey of your app starts after its launch.
In the eCommerce industry, consistency in providing an engaging mobile app experience is a highly important aspect. Even some big companies don’t know how an eCommerce app can speed up sales. Their mobile apps fail or struggle to generate good ROI because they don’t continue with their app and customers after the launch.
That is why you have to be prepared for queries about bugs, technical and utility issues about your app. So have already prepared answers to these questions, and invest in creating solutions for any possible serious problems. This continuous support will keep your customers happy and prove to them you care for them.
It will also show your value of customer service and motivate them to write a positive review for your app. And when other users read or hear this positive feedback, they are more likely to show their interest in your product and it can exponentially increase your product’s reputation.
8. Plan for future updates
Technology and marketing are always changing and consumers never stay behind in adopting the changes. Therefore, you should plan for ongoing maintenance and support for the app. It may include things like API changes, updating new versions of the Shopify app, fixing bugs, and providing solutions to customer’s needs as they come up anytime.
Sustainable success comes with sustainable effort. Have a long-term vision for your Store, you must have a long-term plan for the app as well. Keep monitoring your app through its analytics report and KPIs and ensure the app is updated whenever requires.
Conclusion
Shopify app is a great assistant tool that can empower you to sell your products largely. By understanding the above-mentioned steps and avoiding the common industry mistakes, your app will be able to make your Shopify store successful.
Shopify is a global eCommerce platform and a mobile app is used globally. So business people who are aware of the right strategy can take advantage of both assets.
eSearch Logix is a premium-class Shopify expert who has been providing solutions to worldwide businesses for a decade. We provide an all-in-one Shopify online store service including Shopify mobile development, Shopify design, Shopify SEO.
Just bring your idea to the desk and our team will build a highly responsive and profitable Shopify app for your store.
Book a call now.
